Depth Psychology

Depth Psychology starts with the idea that the psyche has multiple layers, and it asks the question: what is at work beneath the surface layers of our thoughts and actions?

HOW DOES DEPTH PSYCHOTHERAPY WORK?
In Depth Psychotherapy, I begin by paying careful attention to the concerns that have brought you to my office. From there, I tailor your therapy to who you are and what you are seeking from the experience. Common techniques include talk therapy, dream work, active imagination, body mindfulness, and using your creativity to foster a safe relationship with the unconscious parts of your own personality. The rich and deeply meaningful experiences people have working with this depth approach are transformative. Common benefits over time include a greater sense of well-being and self-understanding, comfort with a wider range of authentic feelings, a keener awareness of your own creative energy, a stronger sense of purpose and meaning in your life, a greater sense of satisfaction in your personal relationships, and a deeper sense of connection to others and to the larger world.

There are 5 core concepts from Depth Psychology that inform my work with clients.

PSYCHOLOGY OF THE SOUL
Depth Psychology views the psyche, the soul, the unconscious, and the imagination as closely related, perhaps even interchangeable. These words reference the value of thoughts and feelings that lead the conscious mind inward and downward, creating a sense of fascination with the unknown. It is the loss of imagination (sometimes described as "a loss of soul") that leads to some of the most serious psychological problems of the person and the larger society.

COLLABORATION WITH THE UNCONSCIOUS
Transforming the conscious personality through a dynamic relationship with the unconscious is central to this approach. Therapeutic work involves an attitude of curiosity toward unconscious activity revealed through dreams, fantasies, work with images, and other forms of creative expression.

A METAPHORICAL FRAME OF MIND
Cultivating a metaphorical frame of mind invigorates the imagination. As we notice what is inherently poetic in our daily lives, metaphors engage the senses and invite us to play with shades and layers of meaning in what we say, how we think, and how we relate to the world around us.

TENDING THE AUTONOMOUS IMAGE
The images that live inside us shape our language, our attitudes and perceptions, and our beliefs about what is possible. Images are also at the heart of our dreams. There is great therapeutic value in tending these images, respecting their autonomy, and viewing them as expressions of a deeper intelligence that lives within us.

PSYCHE AS FIELD
The images that bring depth to our lives are not just within us, but also appear in the world around us, so that we find ourselves surrounded by psyche as a field of active images. We are a part of this field and we participate in it. This is a holistic view of reality as a co-creative process between person and environment, which is gaining ground in certain fields of scientific inquiry (for more information, see Henri Bortoft's The Wholeness of Nature, and The Presence of the Past: Morphic Resonance & the Habits of Nature by Rupert Sheldrake).