by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Feb 19, 2025 | Jungian Therapy and Depth Psychology, Psychology of Mystics, Gurus, and Spiritual Philosophers, Psychotherapy Biographies: Historical Figures in the History of Psychology
Carl Jung’s Tension of Opposites: Mapping the Psyche’s Polarities for Healing and Wholeness One of Carl Jung’s most profound yet often misunderstood ideas is the concept of the tension of opposites within the psyche. Far from a simple binary or a...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Feb 5, 2025 | Christian Mysticism in Therapy, History of Psychotherapy, Psychology
What are our psychological blindspots in mass and individual psychology? “Maybe the only thing each of us can see is our own shadow. We are all like the blind man in the dark room looking for the black cat that isn’t there.” – The Great...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Sep 23, 2024 | Alternative Medicine and Holistic Health, Depth Psychology Approaches and Techniques, Jungian Therapy and Depth Psychology
A History of Alchemical Symbolism and Metaphor The connection between alchemy and psychology has been a subject of intrigue and controversy. Influential thinkers like Manly P. Hall and Carl Jung saw the history of alchemy as an integral part of the evolution of human...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Sep 5, 2024 | Depth Psychology Approaches and Techniques, Symbolism and Meaning in Psychotherapy
How does the anima and animus show up in relationships? The concept of the anima and animus is one of the most enduring and influential ideas to emerge from the work of Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung. In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into the anima/animus...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Sep 1, 2024 | Cults and High Control Group Psychology, Psychology of Conspiracy Theories, Recovering from Abuse, Therapeutic Approaches and Techniques for Therapists
Understanding the Appeal of a Moral Panic What was the Satanic Panic The 1970s and 1980s saw a wave of moral hysteria known as the “Satanic Panic,” characterized by widespread fear of alleged Satanic cult activity. Despite a lack of evidence, many...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Aug 22, 2024 | Depth Psychology Approaches and Techniques, Dreams and the Unconscious, Psychology of Fiction / Flash Fiction / Screenwriting
Biederman argued that the show (The Sopranos) is, at its heart, about the bathetic nature of decline. “’Decline not as a romantic, singular, aesthetically breathtaking act of destruction,’ he said, but as a humiliating, slow-motion slide down a hill into a puddle of...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Apr 24, 2024 | Mythology and Therapy, Psychology of Conspiracy Theories, Ritual and Initiation
Harnessing the Power of Greek Mythology in Psychotherapy “Song, as you teach it, is not desire, not courtship of something finally attained. Song is reality. Simple, for the god. But when are we simple? When does he pour the Earth and the stars into us? This is...
by Joel Blackstock LICSW-S MSW PIP no. 4135C-S | Dec 3, 2020 | Anthropology and Evolutionary Psychology for Therapy, Depth Psychology Approaches and Techniques, Dreams and the Unconscious, Mythology and Therapy
I had a patient ask me one time if artists were narcissistic. The question sent me for a loop because it hit on such a basic truth about how these personality types communicate. Patients with Narcissistic Personality Disorder are deeply ashamed of some part of...
