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This Jungian Life Podcast

Joseph Lee, Deborah Stewart, Lisa Marchiano
  • 4.7 (1.6K)
  • MENTAL HEALTH
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Join us—Lisa, Deb, and Joseph—for sometimes irreverent but potentially life-changing conversations. Every Thursday, we explore culture, relationships, and depth psychology through the lens of Carl Jung. We devote a segment of each episode to analyzing a listener’s dream.

  1. Desirous Dreams: Our Private Erotic Encounters

    1D AGO

    Desirous Dreams: Our Private Erotic Encounters

    Erotic dreams are extremely common. We may experience them as pleasurable, exciting and moving, or as disturbing and upsetting. It can be hard to talk about erotic dreams, even in therapy, as they insist on attending to secret satisfactions and shames. There is relatively little written on the subject from a Jungian perspective, so this week we dive in and discuss how to work with your erotic dreams. We also analyze some of the many dreams our listeners sent in. Erotic dreams may be about connection, union and intimacy, or confront us with shadow figures and situations that show us what we deny or disobey. They may also offer us potent images of unexplored desires. Join us as we interpret four erotic dreams: a hedonistic experience in a hotel pool, an unsettling meeting with a repellent music teacher, a ritualistic sauna experience, and an unwanted kitchen encounter that invites the dreamer to reclaim her own desires. Read the dreams we analyze in full on our website. Connect With This Jungian Life We’re collecting your short dreams or dream fragments to celebrate the publication of the paperback of Dream Wise: send your short dream here. Pre-order the paperback edition of Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams. Take a look at This Jungian Life Dream School, our online course in Jungian dream analysis. Follow This Jungian Life on Instagram.

    1h 9m
  2. [SUBSCRIBER BONUS] What If My Analyst Suddenly Dies?

    1D AGO ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    [SUBSCRIBER BONUS] What If My Analyst Suddenly Dies?

    Hey Subscribers, Today we're discussing a question submitted by a supporter: "Can you share any resources or thoughts for analysands whose analyst suddenly died? My husband's analyst passed away suddenly. The analysis was ongoing for 10 years prior. Is there any protocol or advice you can offer for moving forward? We're in our late 60s, and thank you." Thanks for supporting This Jungian Life! ~ Lisa, Joseph, and Deb

    9 min
  3. Jung and the End of the World: Can Depth Psychology Save Us?

    MAY 7

    Jung and the End of the World: Can Depth Psychology Save Us?

    In his new book, The End of the World, author and psychoanalyst JON MILLS considers the question of why humanity seems bent on self-destruction. We face famine, climate change, obscene wealth disparities, and threats of global war and nuclear annihilation. Yet the majority of us seem to prefer living either in denial, or in irrational, active opposition to reading the writing on the wall. This week Jungian analyst and co-host Lisa Marchiano interviews Jon about how we face up to impending catastrophe. Is there a viable alternative to the current situation in which we seem to be indulging a collective death wish, careening unconsciously toward a dangerous precipice? Lisa and Jon discuss Jung’s emphasis on doing individual shadow work and how myth and fairy tale - a distillation of human nature and wisdom - might offer a spark of hope. If we can recognize and confront evil and hold the tension of opposites we can start a conversation with our shadow. Follow Up for This Episode Read Jon Mills’ new book, End of the World: Civilization and Its Fate. Visit Jon Mills’ website. Watch bonus mini-episodes on our Patreon channel. Download our free Dream Recall Meditation Guide.

    1h 4m
  4. [SUBSCRIBER BONUS] Marshmallow Rash

    MAY 7 ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    [SUBSCRIBER BONUS] Marshmallow Rash

    Hey Subscribers, This week, we're discussing a dream submitted by one of our supporters, a 40-year-old woman who is a freelance writer: "I can feel an itch on my lower back. When I look behind me, I see a large rash on my skin. It resembles marshmallows of various shapes and sizes, twisted into ribbons, white and pink, with one bubble full of fluid that looks like custard rather than something dangerous. Nevertheless, I'm concerned. I recall in the dream that a few days ago, I was on the train with some people from another continent and must have caught this exotic infection from them, hence its weird appearance. Perhaps I should go and see a doctor, I think. A course of antibiotics will clear this up." Thank you for supporting This Jungian Life! ~Lisa, Joseph, and Deb

    14 min
  5. Dark Forces in the Psyche: Our Self-Destructive Impulses

    APR 30

    Dark Forces in the Psyche: Our Self-Destructive Impulses

    Why is it that we sometimes fail to rise to life’s most important challenges? Why do we instead procrastinate, withdraw, self-sabotage, or feel unable to move toward the life we want? This week, at a listener’s suggestion, Jungian analysts Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart explore the concept of anti-libidinal forces in the psyche: those self-destructive impulses that oppose growth, pleasure, and forward movement. We discuss the ways this phenomenon has been addressed within the profession, including Freud’s death drive, Melanie Klein’s concept of the bad breast, Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ predator in the psyche, and Donald Kalsched’s protector/persecutor. Libido was understood by Jung to mean life energy, rather than being purely sexual. We explore how blocked libido can become depression, paralyzing fear, hoarding behavior, vicious self-criticism, or simply an inability to begin or complete what matters most. Through stories such as Bluebeard, Jonah and the Whale, and Marduk and Tiamat, we consider inner monsters that threaten to devour vitality. Anti-libidinal forces, however, are not the end of the story. We also discuss the heroic task of meeting fear, reclaiming disowned energies, and choosing life one step at a time.Read the dream we analyze in full on our website. Connect With This Jungian Life Download our free Dream Recall Meditation Guide. Send a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dream⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for us to analyze on the show. Check out our TJL ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow This Jungian Life on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

    1h 8m
  6. [SUBSCRIBER BONUS] What's Up With The Princess' Rage?

    APR 30 ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    [SUBSCRIBER BONUS] What's Up With The Princess' Rage?

    Hey Patrons, Today we're discussing a question submitted by a supporter: "Can you unpack the rage of the princess in the Frog Prince? Reading this tale recently, I experienced a visceral bodily shock when the princess hurled the frog against the wall. It feels like I contain a storehouse of unexpressed rage that needs unpacking. What do you advise?" Thanks for supporting This Jungian Life! ~ Lisa, Joseph, and Deb

    10 min
  7. Psyche in the Age of AI

    APR 23

    Psyche in the Age of AI

    Our lives have already been altered by rapidly expanding access to artificial intelligence (AI). In this week’s episode, we consider how this latest technological revolution might be reshaping the human psyche. Hosts Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart are joined by a special guest, the author and Jungian analyst Christina Becker, to explore the psychological impact of AI’s incursion into our work, home and relationships. One of the major AI use cases has been for advice, self-reflection and companionship. Some users are even referring to this as “therapy”. This raises thorny questions: what happens when a sycophantic AI interface constantly mirrors us back to ourselves as being in the right? How does this affect our judgment, our relationships, and our connection to reality? Christina Becker shares her work exploring the potential of AI to support Jungian dream analysis. Together we ask whether it is possible to use this powerful tool consciously, while also being aware of the fantasies and projections we bring to it, and maintaining the integrity of our inner lives. Read the dream we analyze in full on our website. Follow Up Read Christina Becker’s book, Soul-Making: A Journey of Resilience and Spiritual Rediscovery Request Christina Becker’s Jungian-based dream interpretation prompt on her website  Read Lisa Marchiano’s article, “ChatGPT-Induced Psychosis and the Good-Enough Therapist”, Psychology Today, July 2025 Download our free Dream Recall Meditation Guide Send a dream for us to analyze on the show.

    1h 28m
  8. [SUBSCRIBER BONUS] Bracing for the Crash

    APR 23 ·  BONUS • SUBSCRIBERS ONLY

    [SUBSCRIBER BONUS] Bracing for the Crash

    Hey Subscribers, This week, we're discussing a dream submitted by one of our supporters, a 63-year-old woman who is a retired librarian: "I'm sitting in the window seat on a plane. The man in front of me is talking loudly in my direction, which irritates me. He's interrupted by another man at the front of the plane who is yelling, 'Second window out!' I think, 'Second window? Who knew about the first window?' I look out and see that we are rapidly descending backwards at an angle into a boreal forest. With a crash imminent, I consider if there's any chance of survival, then quickly calculate the best position to crash. Head between legs? Bracing seat in front? Ideally, I would not want my bones to be crushed, but this immediately feels like a silly reflection. The woman beside me is hyperventilating and praying. I think, 'Boy, when death comes, it sure comes quickly.' I feel calm, but wake up with my heart beating violently." Thank you for supporting This Jungian Life! ~Lisa, Joseph, and Deb

    10 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.7
out of 5
1,628 Ratings

About

Join us—Lisa, Deb, and Joseph—for sometimes irreverent but potentially life-changing conversations. Every Thursday, we explore culture, relationships, and depth psychology through the lens of Carl Jung. We devote a segment of each episode to analyzing a listener’s dream.

Information

  • Creator
    Joseph Lee, Deborah Stewart, Lisa Marchiano
  • Years Active
    2018 - 2026
  • Episodes
    533
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Joseph Lee, Deborah Stewart, Lisa Marchiano
  • Show Website
    This Jungian Life Podcast
  • Provider
    This Jungian Life, LLC

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