Transforming Depression: Healing the Soul through Creativity

Unforeseen circumstances have forced the cancellation of this lecture and workshop. We regret any inconvenience.

Discover how creative expression can help us to understand and transform depression. The symbolic presence of death in the experience of depression appears in the specter of suicidal thoughts and actions. But imagery of death expresses the depressed soul's longing for transformation. By imagining the symbolic death of the destructive ego using the Jungian technique of active imagination (egocide), the suffering person can find the means to live, heal the soul through creativity, and find meaning in life.

During the Friday lecture, we will explore the technique of egocide. We will discuss how it can help us manage key moments of developmental crisis in our lives, such as adolescence, mid-life, divorce, and loss of a loved one. Case material will also be used to illustrate this transformative approach to depression. Saturday's experiential workshop will explore the practical application of egocide. We will use active imagination, meditation, art making and journaling featuring psychological, mythical, and symbolic imagery.

David H. Rosen, MD, Jungian analyst, is the holder of the McMillan Professorship in Analytical Psychology, Professor of Humanities in Medicine, and Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Science at Texas A&M University. He is the author of more than 100 scholarly articles and eight books including Transforming Depression: Healing the Soul Through Creativity, The Tao of Jung, and The Healing Spirit of Haiku, co-authored with Joel Weishaus.

This lecture and workshop has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.