What If We gathered The way we did as children Knowing that love and protection Was always there What if we gathered In Love and abandonment Remembering that dreams of the future Were ours to dream In Love and abandonment We gather as children Look to future friendships Joy Watched over by Trees In the […]

What Did I Do? As people of color, we have come to ask that question with a sincerity that shows the depth of our heartbreak. The final word that was missing in that question, that Tyre Nichols repeatedly asked, as he approached his too-soon ended life, was the word wrong. He didn’t do anything wrong […]

The Suppliants Project: Ukraine Performance Video The Suppliants Project: Ukraine presents live, dramatic readings of Aeschylus’ play The Suppliants on Zoom—featuring professional actors and a chorus of Ukrainian citizens—to help frame global discussions about the War in Ukraine and the unique challenges now faced by the people of Ukraine and those who support them. Using a 2,500-year-old text as catalyst for [...]

With Sorrow We Dissent “With sorrow […] we dissent,” closes the final paragraph of the official response to the decision handed down yesterday by the Supreme Court of the United States. These words form a permanent part of our nation’s soul from yesterday. With sorrow we recognize that we are a nation whose lifelong task […]

A Message from Oksana Yakushko Dear Pacifica community, Thank you for all the support and wishes and care many of you have offered to Ukraine and Ukrainians. As a Ukrainian immigrant with numerous family members and friends in Kyiv and other areas, witnessing this senseless brutal war has been heart-breaking and horrifying. I am also truly […]

Kira Rudyk Calls on Artists & Scholars to Help Ukrainians Fight Tyranny Kira Rudyk, leader of the Ukrainian opposition party, joined Mythouse this morning to call on artists, scholars and storytellers. Kira’s Call & Conversation follow her Instagram   As John Colarusso noted after the conversation, the war is happening on three layers: Military, Political […]

PGIAA condemns the ruthless aggression and baseless invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin. As we write this, the capital city of Kyiv, a historic, sophisticated European city about the size of Chicago, is cut off and under direct attack by Russian troops. Bombs, missiles, and invasion forces are killing innocent civilians. Food and […]

Coffee With A Black Guy presents - Processing Loss: A conversation on mental health and the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 deaths on BIPOC communities. The idea of leaning into uncomfortable conversations is rooted in the foundation of Coffee With A Black Guy. In that spirit, few people willingly talk about the inevitability of death and how [...]

Dark Times – A Response Using Tarot Cards By Chris Miller I read the essay “Dark Times” (posted in these pages on September 10, 2021) and immediately saw in it my own experience of “powerlessness and despair” during these times that undeniably are so very dark for many of us. I saw the anguish of […]

Dark Times by Beth Anne Boardman Well, it’s been quite a five years. Quite a six years. Quite a year. Two years. However long you trace your suffering back, I hope you have found some rays of hope, some ways to cope. It’s been a very long time since I’ve felt this much powerlessness and […]

The Grieving Tree Project The Grieving Tree project provides participants with a safe space to grieve, mourn, and reflect on their losses under a mulberry tree on the Pacifica Graduate Institute’s Lambert Campus. In honor of the precious lives lost from COVID-19, Pacifica will be offering a virtual grieving space from June 6th to June 13th, […]

COVID-19 and the Black Santa Barbara Community A talk and Q&A with Dr. Robert Wright, Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician and Head of Cottage Hospital’s ICU Sunday, January 17th from 5-6 pm PST on Zoom Dr. Robert Wright, Head of Santa Barbara’s Cottage Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU), will discuss what the Black community of […]

Through the Thicket: Distance Learning by Shannon McCabe   At the start of the 2019-2020, I was an ordinary English Language Arts teacher having the best year since early in my teaching career. It was so empowering that at a faculty meeting, I selected from a list of movie titles ranging from best to worst […]

A Poem and Q&A with Diane Coffey   Heart to Heart   I believe in people People with dreams and without dreams People offering everything and offering nothing   I believe in People Individuals Unique Tall ones, short ones  Young and old People opening their hearts   People with thoughts, attitudes and beliefs Complex and […]

In the Eye of the Storm: Staying Centered in Personal and Collective Crises by Ashok Bedi & Robert BJ Jakala In the spring of 2020, America and the world were overwhelmed by the Covid-19 pandemic and the global racial justice protests. This inspired the co-authors Ashok Bedi, a psychiatrist and a Jungian psychoanalyst, and Robert BJ […]

What Does a Virus Love? Another Virus. The Curative in a Cultural Civil War:  Unity is Our National Immunity By Leslie Shore Ph.D, Mythological Studies (2013) Note: This essay uses extended metaphor to exploit  “analogies” that draw parallels between a “politically viral president” and the COVID19 pandemic.  A myriad of interconnecting mythic and thematic tropes reflect […]

PGIAA Covid-19 Survey Results Once it became clear that COVID-19 would have a lasting impact on alumni/ae, students and our country-at-large, PGIAA’s Board mobilized to survey our alums on key pandemic topics. We received responses from over 120 alums who shared their perspectives on unprecedented challenges. The responses reflected a diverse array across various geographies. […]

Hold On . . . The Veils are thinning between the realms of Psyche By Andrea Slominski, Ph.D. I’m hearing from my clients, friends, and colleagues that the baseline energy running under our culture is amping up, despite pandemic social distancing and the mental and physical exhaustion that has resulted from it. I can feel […]

You Do Not Need to Struggle Alone . . . Our world is challenged these days ~ Covid-19 Pandemic; Racial Strife, Inclement Weather; horrific fires raging across California and the Pacific Northwest. Please know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE – PGIAA is here for you. Do not hesitate to call us! (805) 679.6163

A Call for Artists: Mirrors of the Mind 9 Los Angeles County Psychological Association’s Arts, Creativity, and Culture Committee Is Pleased to Announce Mirrors of the Mind 9: The Psychotherapist as Artist in the Time of Coronavirus THIS IS A VIRTUAL ART EXHIBITION! ALL ARE WELCOME TO CONTRIBUTE! The Arts, Creativity, and Culture Committee will […]

PGIAA COVID-19 Scholarship Initiative with Matching Tuition Waiver from Pacifica Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association announces the 2020 Covid-19 Scholarship Initiative with Matching Tuition Waiver from Pacifica Graduate Institute, as part of the PGIAA CARES Project. Effective September 1, 2020, PGIAA will accept applications for Scholarship assistance ranging from $500–$1000, realizing the serious impact the […]

Reframing the Pandemic  by Charlyne Gelt, Ph.D.  You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today. —Abraham Lincoln    Communities around the world are still reeling from the effects of the Coronavirus. Our inner and outer lives have been turned topsy-turvy ― huge economic crises, riots, revolts, political upheaval, and thousands of deaths.  […]

TEDX presents DR. HARRY GRAMMER Breaking Down Privilege. Time to build a better world August 5th, 4:00pm (PST) PGIAA Board President and Founder, New Earth, Harry was on the TEDxSantaBarbara stage in 2018 and returns to talk about the confluence of COVID and Social Justice. We’ll discuss understanding the transformation that needs to happen as we […]

PGIAA Careline Featured on KEYT/KCOY Pacifica Graduate Institute Alumni Association’s CARELINE was featured recently: SHARING OUR GRIEF – SHARING IS CARING During these immense times of crisis, we need one another. Remember, our CARELINE is available just in case you need to talk. (805) 679-6163 The Seed & Flame Grief Box in this story was […]

Psyche and the Sacred Depth Psychological Approaches to Suffering and Hope with Dr. Lionel Corbett  A *Live* Virtual event hosted on Zoom June 19th, 2020 5 – 7 pm PDT When suffering strikes, it is helpful to find a framework through which we may understand it, rather than seeing suffering as a random or meaningless […]

The We in Wellness: Caring for Us All June 10th, 7 pm Our Zoom link is: https://zoom.us/j/5612731921 In the wake of social unrest, cities in flames, and COVID raging along, we are trying to find our way forward. We are at a crossroad as a society, as a community. The question is, will we go […]

COVID 19 and underlying racial conditions: a depth psychological perspective with Dr. Fanny Brewster (Part 2) The work of consciousness requires embodiment. Those who protest are powerfully showing us consciousness in action. In gratitude for their courage. We revolt because we cannot breathe. —Frantz Fanon From a depth psychological perspective, illness, symptom, and the trauma [...]

The Pain I’m exhausted from the pain. The pain of injustice, the pain of racism, the pain of America’s history toward men and women of color, the pain of violence. I’m exhausted from the pain of ubiquitous silence from those in power and privilege to advocate true reform. I’m exhausted from demanding change. This is […]

COVID 19 and underlying racial conditions: a depth psychological perspective with Dr. Fanny Brewster From a depth psychological perspective, illness, symptom, and the trauma as represented by COVID-19 are discussed. Dr. Fanny Brewster and Dr. Matthew Silverstein explore issues around underlying racial conditions of this environmental and biological crisis and socioeconomic factors that influence our [...]

  The Nurse: Wounded Healer with 10,000 Faces Linda Carter, MSN, CS, IAAP An Overview for June 6, 2020 This Zoom presentation (no fee required) featuring keynote speaker and moderator, Linda Carter, along with 5 panelists, focuses on the value of interconnection and companionship through the Jungian method of amplification through story and image with […]

Local residents report dreams about swarming bugs, illness and a chaotic President Trump (Excerpt from the San Diego Union Tribune article by Pam Kragen) Not long after the coronavirus pandemic dramatically changed San Diegans’ daily lives in March, it started taking over their nights, as well. Local residents — like millions of others around the world […]

Project Pay-It-Forward Opportunity Close to Our Hearts Pacifica’s MA Counseling Psychology students need your help with affordable psychotherapy in order to meet their required personal psychotherapy hours during this crisis. If you are a licensed clinician and willing to provide psychotherapy services at a reduced rate for current students, stay tuned for further instructions on […]

New Earth Pivots to Meet the Needs of LA’s Youth For sixteen years, New Earth has provided case management, arts, education, and job programs tojuvenile justice, foster care, and youth at risk in Los Angeles County. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, New Earth’s doors remain open as a crucial resource to young people […]

A Changing World: Let’s Go Deeper Still Dear Alums, The quickly changing world-scape continues to create uncertainty and agitation. Of course, many of us are feeling the economic impact of this uncertainty and emotional strain of continued physical/psychological/isolation.  The “shifting-sands” make predictable patterns of living, anything but familiar and certain. Yet, in addition, beauty shines through. [...]

The Myth Salon with Dr. Connie Zweig Against the backdrop of the current coronavirus pandemic, I am particularly excited to announce the upcoming Zoom Web Myth Salon with Dr. Connie Zweig on Thursday May 14 at 5PM PST.  She reminds us that, “within each of us, the dim cavern of the unconscious holds our forbidden feelings, secret wishes, destructive impulses, […]

Midnight – A Poem by Beth Anne Boardman (2012 PhD Mythological Studies)   ________________   midnight   has become my favorite time of night –   poised (like we are) between yesterday and tomorrow –   between the waning of the old and the dawning of the new –   between   what’s lost and […]

Daily Image for Tuesday, May 12, 2020 Special Edition Art in a Time of Global Crisis: Interconnection and Companionship Project In Celebration of Nurses and Caregivers Worldwide   Tuesday, May 12th is the 200 Anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s Birthday Introduction from Ami Ronnberg, National ARAS Curator “It was the creative light in Linda Carter’s mind […]

Interview with Murray Stein for Pacifica Graduate Institute May, 2020 ___________________________________________________________________________ On April 1, 2020, Dr. Murray Stein, internationally known Jungian analyst and author, was interviewed by Dr. Robert Henderson on the subject of the coronavirus (here).  In the interest of exploring further the powerful images and ideas found in this seminal interview, Pacifica will […]

What Big Donors Can Do Now to Alleviate the Misery Caused by Covid-19 By Akhtar Badshah and Barbara Weber (2018 PhD, DPJUAR) One of humanity’s most stunning achievements is that we have lifted so many people out of poverty. Indeed, for the first time in human history, the proportion of people living in extreme poverty […]

Pandemic: A Collective Nightmare or a Wake-Up Call? May 23 @ 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Prepaid Cost: $20 – $35 Presented by Robert Moradi, M.D. Psychologically nightmares are viewed as the eruption of a fierce conflict between instinct and will within the psyche of an individual.  They are understood as an attempt by the […]

For Clinicians Only: Dreaming in the Time of Corona May 13 @ 7:30 pm – 9:30 pm Prepaid Cost: $20 – $35 Presented by Judith Hecker, Ph.D. The psychological impact of living with the corona virus, a worldwide pandemic, has altered ordinary life in numerous ways, socially, economically, and emotionally, as people struggle to integrate […]

The Wisdom of the Source Reaching out to the guidance of the Collective Unconscious   April 29, 2020   Ashok Bedi, M.D., Jungian Psychoanalyst www.pathtotheosoul.com www.tulawellnessllc.com Robert BJ Jakala PH.D., Jungian Psychotherapist (2007 PhD Depth Psychology)   In a storm, the safest place is in the eye of the storm. My colleague BJ and I […]

Graduate Education During a Pandemic   Dear Alumni, As many of you know, Pacifica Graduate Institute is a remarkably resilient institution blessed with a dedicated, flexible staff and faculty, as well as a deeply committed student body and a vibrant, scholarly Alumni Association.  During times of crisis we have consistently been able to innovate and […]

Helpful Articles from Hospice of Santa Barbara Hospice of Santa Barbara is sharing their COVID-19 Resources Page, along with these three helpful articles focused on loss, grief, and anxiety: Cultivating Resilience in Loss and Grief Tips for when we feel anxious Compassion in Times of Loss For more, go to: www.hospiceofsantabarbara.org

Pacifica Diversity Symposium – May 16 Panel | Open Mic | Q & A Date: Saturday, May 16, 2020 Time: 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 Noon (PDT) What the Silence Says by Marie Howe I know that you think you already know Wait Longer than that, even longer than that.   Diversity Symposium Sometimes—like where we […]

The Way of Suffering Come together with us to explore the intimate and tender relationship between creativity and suffering. BECAUSE COMMUNITY MATTERS NOW. MORE THAN EVER. 3 Saturdays in May — May 2, 9, and 16 10AM Pacific Time WITH DEBORAH ANNE QUIBELL, JENNIFER LEIGH SELIG AND DENNIS PATRICK SLATTERY CREATIVITY AND SUFFERING In the […]

“Interconnection and Companionship” Outreach through Art We invite you to visit our emerging virtual exhibition: Invitation ARAS and the Art and Psyche Working Group, in collaboration, have developed a new project, Art in a Time of Global Crisis: Interconnection and Companionship, as an international outreach through art. Our intention is to create a network of […]

A Moment of Silence: An Ode to Spirit Minh Tran, 2017 MA Counseling Psychology & PhD Student, Integrative Therapy & Healing Practices   I heard so clearly, in the uncomfortable silence, Mother Earth’s anger and Her fury. She demands a moment of silence! A breath to be taken. A pause to be given. A slowing, slowing, of […]

Covid-19 & the Suspension of Certainties: Susan Rowland in conversation with Stefano Carpani In this interview, Susan Rowland and Stefano Carpani look at Susan’s peculiar approach to C.G. Jung, at her attitude toward “translation” and “meaning”, as well as at her latest research interests (art-based research) and at Covid-19. View the full video interview here.

Heroic Death of the Isolated Ego ~ In Times of COVID-19 Join Vanessa Valdéz (Student, Depth Therapy PhD Program, Pacifica) as she interviews William Michael Linn; Pacifica Alumni and Founding Chair of General Education at a top film and performing arts college called Studio School in Los Angeles. He has also worked for the Joseph […]

Are you emotionally unsheltered and displaced? Intercultural Psychology is offering a free online workshop Unsheltered-And-Displaced, to support expats, immigrants, refugees and biculturals across the COVID-19 pandemic. – Free Single Event (In English): Sunday April 12, 2020 from 3:00pm – 4:15pm (PST), Are you feeling lonely, anxious and depressed in times of isolation and uncertainty? Are […]

Crisis and Opportunity: Building Solidarity Economics in the Age of Coronavirus and Beyond with Nnimmo Bassey (Nigeria) and Vandana Shiva (India) Friday, April 17, 2020, 8:00 AM – 9:30 AM Pacific Hosted by Chris Benner and David Shaw (USA) Join us for a timely panel discussion on how Nnimmo and Vandana’s alternative economic frameworks are informing […]

The Return of Pan: The Nakedness of Power, Panic, and Pandemics By Mary A. Wood Co-Chair, Engaged Humanities and the Creative Life Program Pacifica Post Contribution, 8 April 20 “And no bird weeping a lament / no bird crying the song of its honey voice / in the leaves of Spring’s many flowers / could […]

Covid Journeys – a virtual Myth Salon: Transforming Consciousness with Chris Vogler & Panelists With the Covid crisis still unfolding, the first thing to say is that my heart goes out to those of you carrying personal and family concerns; which, by now, seems to be most of us. —Will Linn This is an invitation […]

Department Chair Dr. Matthew Bennett Presents “Anxiety as a Depth Experience”  A Community Webinar for Counseling Psychology Students, Alumni/ae and Pacifica Community Thursday, April 9, 2020 (6pm-8pm PST)   Warm Greetings to our MA Counseling Psychology Community! We hope you are all safe and healthy, taking good care of yourselves and your loved ones. During […]

Welcome to Hel: Navigating Times of Mythic Collective Illness Presented by Craig Chalquist, Ph.D. Wed, April 15, 2020 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM PDT A free online webinar discussion of what folklore can tell us about learning from and enduring social contagions. About this Event How do the humanities—specifically, story and folklore—help us during times […]

Sharing Our Grief Sharing is Caring   During these immense times of crisis, we need one another. PGIAA has established a CARELINE just in case you need to talk. 805.679.6163

Jill C. Griffin, PhD 575-613-2143 www.herdproject.org   Hello Friends, I’m Dr. Jill and I’m creating a weekly vlog to guide us through a variety of HeartMath experiences. In case you don’t know me, I’m a therapist, a certified HeartMath practitioner, a horse person, a meditator, and a student of the heart! See my website below […]

Just How Safe Is Safe? Thoughts on feeling safe during a crisis By Dr. Thyonne Gordon doctg@beyondstory.com   This idea of safety has been sitting with me for a while. Even before COVID-19, I’ve wrestled with the thought of having the need to feel safe. Just what is safety anyway?  It’s sort of like asking […]

Images and Haiku from Our Recent Dark Days By Evans Lansing Smith, PhD Chair, Mythological Studies   Snow on the mountains. People passing down below: Virus in the Valleys. Sea-spawn and sea-wrack. Spume. Signatures of all things In the grains of sand:   Ibis beak stylus: “Shadow of the vulture falls On the Eye of […]

Stephen Aizenstat Founding President & Chancellor Pacific Graduate Institute   Dear Community, This is a poem by Mariangela Gualtieri that circulated widely in the social networks (and in print) in the past days in Italy –in its simplicity it seems to have struck a collective chord – spoke how deeply the desire for change moves […]

Depth in a Time of Corona By Joseph Cambray, President & CEO of Pacifica Graduate Institute Our most recent Pacifica Experience Day was the first time we attempted to offer a recruitment event fully online, and I am happy to report that we had a rich, full engagement.  I set aside most of my usual introductory remarks, […]

Toward Organizational Citizenship in Time of Pandemic: A View from Pacifica Graduate Institute Peter M. Rojcewicz, PhD This post is not primarily about the COVID-19 virus, so much as it is an occasion to address an emerging PGI response to one another and the school in the time of global illness. From a depth psychological […]

A Call to Hestia By: Stephanie Zajchowski, PhD stephanie.zajchowski@my.pacifica.edu We each have a story, and the COVID-19 pandemic is writing new chapters for all of us. My children are now home, learning from teachers through the technology we used to feel obligated to limit. My partner works for the airline industry, a field that does not […]

The Ultimatum: Stay or Leave? By Jan Peppler, Ph.D. The State Department is advising all United States citizens abroad: return home now or stay where you are and wait out this pandemic. If you stay, “you may be forced to remain outside of the United States for an indefinite period of time.” So, do I […]

We have been here before By Matthew Bennett, Psy.D., Clinical Psychology, Georgia School of Professional Psychology A feeling normally as individual as the ache of separation from those one loves suddenly became a feeling in which all shared alike and — together with fear — the greatest affliction of the long period of exile that lay […]

Fear Is a Teacher By Juliet Rohde-Brown, Ph.D., Clinical Psychology, Fielding Graduate University As Pema Chodron has said, “fear is a natural reaction to moving closer to the truth.” We are being challenged right now. How we move through this COVID-19 fear will say much about what we are willing to face. In recent times, one […]

Pandemic and Embracing One Another By Fanny Brewster, Ph.D., M.F.A., LP As the United States enters its own state of fear and anxiety regarding the coronavirus, we are challenged with not only considerations of keeping our physical bodies well, but also keeping ourselves in a good healthy state of mind.  This can be very difficult […]

Possibilities in an Unclear Future This morning I was awaken by the blaring sound of ambulance sirens racing down my street. In a state of an emergency those sirens are eerily louder and disturbing than usual. My wife and I entered Trader Joe’s last night grabbing two carts each thinking we were going to stock […]

Coronavirus: Grassroots public health By Mindy Thompson Fullilove There have been two recent images in the New York Times that capture a crucial aspect of what is going on in the US as we struggle to respond to the novel coronavirus, COVID19.  In the first, health care executive Bruce Greenstein replies with an elbow to […]

Self-isolating is not Self Isolation! We have choices. We do not have a choice about whether we are going to have this pandemic. We do have a choice about how we have this pandemic. Self-isolating is not self isolation, nor has it ever been. Not only do we need people “out there” to put the toilet paper back […]

Being Certain About Uncertainty Uncertainty continues to grow and expand and deepen around us, creating perhaps, its own virus, a virus in the heart. We hear the words today, “everything is so fluid and we don’t know what’s next.” My own levels of anxiety continue to rise, so I returned to one of my favorite […]

Dear Pacifica Family, I am hoping you are each well and taking great care to protect yourself and to help your family, friends, and neighbors in need. Our struggle with Covid-19 is both physical and psychological. As our daily routines are upended and many of us are working and conducting our lives from home, there […]