This Jungian Life Podcast

Could Joseph’s voice be any smoother? This trio has given me perspective that would never have occurred to me other wise. I started to listen just a year ago and the back catalogue has been so great! I’m very grateful for these conversations. I especially love when they dive into fairytales and confronting shadow.

I’m a long-time fan of This Jungian Life. As a psychotherapist (not strictly Jungian), I gather so much great material from the podcast that enhances both my work with clients and my own inner work (which is guided by a Jungian psychoanalyst). However, I do occasionally find myself frustrated by the hosts’ slavish adherence to a Jungian point of view beyond the point of good sense. As an example, I recently had to pause Episode 332 (The Secret Life of a Woman’s Soul) because I was becoming so angry at Jospeh’s insistence that Christiana Morgan may have not really been all that unhappy about her lifetime of being stifled, subjugated, and used by the men in her life (including Jung) and by patriarchy in general. He wonders if we’re just “projecting” modern attitudes onto this 20th-Century woman (also modern, by the way). He goes on to wonder (in his breathy, soft, sensitive-guy voice) if Morgan would be unhappy about being viewed as a victim. She was a victim, Joesph. Of patriarchy. Of misogyny. Of Jung and her lover. She can be both strong and brilliant and creative and also be a victim. It’s not projection. It’s not a problem in her psyche or mine. My anger at Joseph’s gaslighting is not a matter of my own overactive animus. It’s just plain frustration with unrelenting sexism. Anyway, four stars because 80 percent of the time I don’t become enraged by the content.

I have found a lot of value from this podcast in the past. But the most recent episode (being loyal to self and the death of illusion) came off as extremely elitist and out of touch. It was stated that workers who are advocating for unionization and fair pay/benefits are just stuck in a parental complex. There are people who work 40 hours per week and live out of their cars and can’t afford food! Workers joining hands and fighting against this is not asking the company to be their mommy and daddy. It’s demanding basic human decency and adequate pay for the work being put in. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Jungian psychology is somewhat of an elitist enterprise at its core. Jung himself was extraordinarily wealthy, becoming an analyst is generally only available to those with very deep pockets, and going through analysis is only possible for those with hundreds of extra dollars to burn each month on sessions. The pursuit of “individuation” isn’t really possible for those who are scraping and clawing to survive each day. It’s clear that the hosts of this podcast aren’t rubbing elbows with the “common folk” too often. But I would expect a better general understanding of the human condition from people who study psychology for a living.

It is such a treat listening to this podcast every morning with current episodes and rich library of back episodes. The hosts are fun, humorous and brilliant. They weave Jungian philosophy/psychology into a wide range of topics from fairy tales to tornadoes. They continue to expanded my consciousness and deepen my awareness of self, psyche, and dreams.