Pilgrimage and Liberation ~ Finding the Soulful Life
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This seminar is on the experience pilgrimage, whether found in travel or inner exploration. Drawing from Jungian and narrative psychology, we examine the significance of pilgrimage as a journey that transcends a mere physical voyage to nourish the inner life. We will explore the appeal of a quest for meaning. There seems to be some yearning that drives us to seek liberation or illumination.
This day will ponder A Trip to Bountiful. Our focus will be on the 2014 movie with Cicely Tyson as Mrs. Carrie Watts. The film is based on a play by Horton Foote that was also an earlier movie.
In a pilgrimage, special sites may be sought out, whether holding a private meaning or seen by many as profoundly significant. Perhaps these locations are thought to be where the boundary between the known and the mysterious is thin. At such places the distance between past, present and future may collapse.
Pilgrimage may be especially relevant during personal or professional transitions. Whether seeking healing, insight, or renewal, seekers embark on a conscious journey toward deeper understanding.
The content would be of value to persons of a certain age, those considering growing older, and those providing care to elders on a familial or professional level.
Meets state board requirement for 6 hours on aging and long-term care.
Define key elements of pilgrimage.
Explain how pilgrimage symbolism reflects life-stage transitions.
Describe how significant pilgrimates sites can hold projections.
Demonstrate how rituals can facilitate psychological integration.
Identify how pilgrimages can reveal unconscious longings.
Ascertain how successful pilgrimages aid developmental accomplishments.
The material is presented at an introductory level, requiring no background in mythic studies, narrative theory, or Jungian psychology.
The following CE credits are available:
Psychology, LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, Ed Psych, NBCC : 6 CE hours
Nursing : 7 hours
Most teachers must get credits approved by their school administration. Center courses meet the requirements in most states. Contact us if you need more information about receiving credit in your state.
Select a seminar location from the Current Seminar Dates and Formats
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Jonathan Young, PhD is a psychologist (PSY10231) with an international online practice. He teaches at the Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara. His books and articles focus on personal mythology. Dr.Young assisted mythologist Joseph Campbell at seminars and was founding curator of the Joseph Campbell Archives and Library. He is currently featured in several documentary series on the History Channel.
Dr. Young is the minister of the Live Oak Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Goleta, a suburb of Santa Barbara. Visitors are welcome Sundays at 10am in-person and on Zoom: LiveOakGoleta.org
Anne Bach, MS, MFT 38891 is a specialist in uses of writing in psychotherapy. She gives presentations on creativity as inner work at major conferences, and lectures widely on psychological dimensions of expressive writing. She also appears in memoir drama performances for various theater groups, including the Marsh Stage in Berkeley. Her clinical background includes poetry therapy with seriously mentally ill patients.
Dr. Young also gives frequent media interviews, public talks, workshops, and in-service trainings throughout the U.S. and internationally.
Webinar 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Please return on time
- sign out by completing the evaluation
This seminar is taught at the introductory level and requires no advance preparation. However, participants are provided with a recommended reading list as part of their class materials.
Bolen, Jean Shinoda (1995) Crossing to Avalon: A Woman's Midlife Pilgrimage. New York: Harper San Francisco
Clift, Jean Dalby and Wallace B. Clift (1996) The Archetype of Pilgrimage: Outer Action With Inner Meaning. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press.
p>Cousineau, Phil (2021) The Art of Pilgrimage: The Seeker's Guide to Making Travel Sacred. Newburyport, MA: Conari Press.
DeSalvo, Louise (1999) Writing as a Way of Healing: How Telling Our Stories Transforms Our Lives. New York: Harper San Francisco
Hillman, James (1999) The Force of Character: And the Lasting Life. New York: Random House
Hollis, James (1993) The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife. Toronto: Inner City Books
Hollis, James (1996) Swamplands of the Soul: New Life in Dismal Places. Toronto: Inner City Books
Ingerman, Sandra (1994) Welcome Home: Following Your Soul's Journey Home. New York: Harper One.
Luke, Helen M. (1987) Old Age: Journey into Simplicity. New York: Parabola
Metzger, Deena (1992) Writing for Your Life: A Guide and Companion to the Inner Worlds. New York: Harper San Francisco
Moore, Thomas (2004) Dark Nights of the Soul: A Guide to Finding Your Way Through Life's Ordeals. New York: Harper Collins
Pretat, Jane R. (1994) Coming To Age: The Croning Years and Late-Life Transformation. Toronto: Inner City Books
Woodman, Marion (2002) The Crown of Age: The Rewards of Conscious Aging. (audio cassette). Louisville, CO: Sounds True
York, Sarah (2001) Pilgrim Heart: The Inner Journey Home. San Francisco: CA: Jossey-Bass.
Zweig, Connie (2021) The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul. Rochester, VT: Park Street Press