“We are weaving our dream every moment. All of life is a projection. The director is the sum of our karma -- all we fear, all we desire, all we have cleared and all the debris still left to clean up.” These words of the Dalai Lama echo Jung’s own observation that the psychological phenomenon we call projection is truly a universal human occurrence, extending both East and West. It touches and involves every part of our psyches. And it is not a recent discovery. Jesus of Nazareth cautioned people two millennia ago not to try to remove a speck of dust from a neighbor’s eye when a log is lodged in one’s own. So pervasive and subtle it is, we seldom are aware of its presence. And yet, for precisely the same reason, projection is responsible for most of the cruelty and destruction, beauty and compassion we experience in our lives. It reaches out to touch all our personal relationships: child/parent, wife/husband, patient/doctor, student/teacher. Socially, it winds its way through work offices, religious gatherings, and the marketplace. Globally, it has threatened to annihilate not only certain ethnic groups, but also our entire species.
The lecture seeks to examine the perpetual phenomenon of projection from the perspective of depth psychology. We will address such questions as: Exactly how does one define projection? Are there different kinds? When does it occur? Where does it occur? Why does it occur? Are there ways to know when we are being caught up in a projection? Are there any benefits to projecting? What can we learn from our projections? Is it possible to overcome them or to free ourselves from them? Examples will be taken from the experiences of our everyday lives, from the headlines of our daily news, and from the dream-world, as well as from the life and writings of Jung.
The workshop will delve into the phenomenon in a more personal way. Participants will be given the opportunity gently to reflect upon where projection has played a part in their lives, for better or for worse. We will also explore some practical ways to recognize and work with those projections still to come. If, in any way, you find yourself reacting to this subject matter, then the process has already begun.
The lecture seeks to examine the perpetual phenomenon of projection from the perspective of depth psychology. We will address such questions as: Exactly how does one define projection? Are there different kinds? When does it occur? Where does it occur? Why does it occur? Are there ways to know when we are being caught up in a projection? Are there any benefits to projecting? What can we learn from our projections? Is it possible to overcome them or to free ourselves from them? Examples will be taken from the experiences of our everyday lives, from the headlines of our daily news, and from the dream-world, as well as from the life and writings of Jung.
The workshop will delve into the phenomenon in a more personal way. Participants will be given the opportunity gently to reflect upon where projection has played a part in their lives, for better or for worse. We will also explore some practical ways to recognize and work with those projections still to come. If, in any way, you find yourself reacting to this subject matter, then the process has already begun.