I will be teaching the following course in March 2006:

Freedom, Individuation, and the Greater Good

Intersections of the Personal and the Political

C. G. Jung Foundation of New York

28 East 39th Street, New York, NY

212-697-6430

Five Wednesdays at 7:00 PM March 1--March 29

Gary Trosclair, LCSW, DMA, Instructor

“As the individual is not just a single separate being, but, by his very existence, presupposes a collective relationship, it follows that the process of individuation must lead to more intense and broader collective relationship, not to isolation.” C. G. Jung

Individuation requires the freedom to turn inward, away from the influence of the collective, in order to be authentic and whole. This archetypal intent is so powerful that it may override all other aspects of development, affecting individuals, collective movements, and the relation between the two. Sometimes wholeness requires us to turn outward after introversion, to participate in community, or even to serve it, as did the heroes and heroines of mythology, who return to the collective to share the boon they discovered on their inward journey. This outward movement requires that we remain free of the unconscious effects of the collective, yet finely tuned to the involvement that our individuation calls us to. This course will explore the complex psychological interface between freedom and community--local, political, and environmental--and the role of psychotherapy in navigating it.

Following are some of my courses and lectures from the recent past..

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C.G. Jung Foundation Professional Seminars

Jungian Perspectives on Diagnosis and Treatment

14 Wednesday Evenings, 7:00 PM

28 East 39th Street, New York, NY

212-697-6430

“If we are not to submit psychic phenomena to the Procrustean bed of a preconceived theory, we must seek the categories for understanding the psyche within the psyche itself.” Edward Edinger

Psychopathology was originally intended to be a meaningful and empathic understanding of “the suffering of the soul,” just as diagnosis was originally meant as a “discerning or seeing through to wisdom.” But because these terms have become associated with reductive and negative compartmentalization, many analysts tend to shun diagnosis. Yet if we seek to understand the psyche on its own terms, by asking what it is trying to accomplish, we may be able to understand the possible meaning of distinct and universal patterns of human suffering without a reductive or negative attitude.

This course will explore common forms of “psychopathology” such as depression, anxiety, relationship issues, character disorders and substance abuse as entries into what psyche may be expressing, by viewing them through the lens of teleology, the purposiveness of the psyche. Diagnostic tools including symbolic and archetypal understanding, complex theory, transference, countertransference and dreams will be discussed. We will compare various diagnostic points of view, not from an either/or, or good/bad perspective, but rather from an inclusive standpoint that allows for the possibility of multiple levels of understanding.

This course is designed for clinicians who see patients on a regular basis, and is intended to give a sense of how Jungian analysis is actually practiced.

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The Clinical Relevance of Carl Jung's Archetypal Psychology

December 4, 2004, 10 AM

Westchester Chapter of the New York State Society for Clinical Social Work

Carl Jung is known largely for his investigation of mythology and its relevance to dreams and psychology in a very general way. Yet, for many, his ideas are far removed from what we actually need to know and do to be effective with our clients. This talk will address that gap. In particular I will focus on how archetypal and teleological (purposeful) understanding of a patient’s underlying dynamics can bring a depth and perspective that can be very helpful in our work. I will outline five broad areas of Jungian thought and give clinical examples to demonstrate relevance in each case.

While many schools have independently discovered and applied some of the ideas that Jung developed, and while there is certainly overlap between different psychodynamic schools, there is still a difference in the degree of emphasis on certain attitudes, and a degree of development of certain ideas that does make Jungian clinical work different.

This presentation is intended for practicing psychotherapists and psychoanalysts.

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An Archetypal Understanding of Musical Symbolism

What does music "say" and what does it "represent"? How does it have such a powerful impact on our lives? I will address these themes and others in this talk at the following locations:

The 92nd Street Y: New York, New York

Wednesday, February 16, 2005

Temenos Institute, Westport, CT (203-227-4388)

February, 11,2005

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Recent Lectures:

DUTY AND THE DEATH OF DESIRE:

THE PSYCHOLOGY OF PERSONAL FREEDOM

I’ve often asked myself why people come to hate and resent doing things that they used to love to do, once they have to do them. Why do good careers become tiresome? Why does sex with a partner we love turn stale? Why do we dread going to that group we joined with such enthusiasm?

Of course there may be many answers to these questions, but the one I have been investigating has to do with freedom—how we can end up foregoing things we love in order to feel like we are free. Sometimes we end up cutting off our nose to spite our face.

But if we look closely, we can see that there is a real reason for it, even if we have gotten off-track in how we do it. It is important to have the space to be our authentic selves. It is probably one of the most satisfying things we can do. But whether we need to cut ourselves off from all duty in order to do that is a question that calls for differentiation.

As with other issues, the idea is not to look just at what caused us to be a certain way, but what the problem is trying to tell us. If we find ourselves avoiding obligation, it may be that we are trying to protect something very precious—our own growth. How we best do that is the question. I find it helpful to take problems like this seriously, but not literally.

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MUSIC AS A BRIDGE WITH THE UNCONSCIOUS

A friend once said to me, “If I could only remember what Beethoven’s music says, I’d be fine.” His comment immediately rang true to me, but I wondered just what it meant. What does Beethoven’s music say, and why has it stayed with us for 200 years? Or for that matter, what do John Coltrane’s or John Mayer’s music have that can exert such a profound affect on us?

Having been a professional musician the first half of my life, and a psychotherapist now, it has only been natural to start to ask these questions. I’ve come to conclude that music helps us to connect with aspects of ourselves that are missing and that we need to be in touch with in order to feel more whole. When we are out of Tao, music helps to balance us.

Answering these questions has not been simple, but it has been fascinating. It has led me to read neuropsychology and evolutionary psychiatry, enthnomusicology, ancient history and archetypal mythology. Further, it has led me to apply Jung’s theories and work them through.

From time to time I teach a course on this subject with the following description:

What are the psychological functions of music? Looking through a Jungian lens, music can be seen as a bridge between conscious and unconscious for both individuals and culture. Just as dreams do, music can call our attention to discarded or unacknowledged aspects of the collective unconscious. This course will take a look at a wide variety of musical styles in their cultural contexts in order to explore how music compensates collective imbalances. We will also explore how music may be used or abused in the process of individuation. We will approach our subject matter from many perspectives, ranging from personal emotional experience of the numinous to evolutionary psychology and neuropsychology.

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New Orleans Mardi Gras and the Dionysian Spirit

In March of 2004 I gave a talk about the spirit of Mardi Gras: the music, costumes, customs, history, and the archetypes and mythology behind this millenia-old celebration.

Why would a therapist be discussing Mardi Gras? Aren't therapists supposed to deal with depression and anxiety? Yes, we do. But it is also important to understand the archetypes behind joy and freedom, and how they express themselves in our culture, in order to work effectively with depression and anxiety. In this talk I will discuss the importance of forging a link with the unconscious in order to gain a new approach to life when the old approach is no longer working.

Here is a description of that presentation:

Jung said that the Gods and archetypes were not just age-old textbook relics, but alive and with us today. One of the most visceral examples of this happens when Dionysus manifests in New Orleans each year for the winter rites known as Mardi Gras. His appearance has relevance and meaning even for those of us far away from New Orleans. This presentation will explore the significance of the Dionysian archetype of ecstasy, liberation, and renewal, tracing his wanderings and visitations through history up to present day Mardi Gras. Dr. Trosclair's presentation will include slides and music of Dionysus in action in myth, and at Mardi Gras.

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In March of 2004, I gave a lecture on

Jung and Wagner: Transformation and Musical Symbolism in the Ring.

It was the first in a series of four lectures by four different Jungian analysts about Richard Wagner's cycle of operas, The Ring. The series was co-sponsored by the Metropolitan Opera Guild.

Jung and Wagner shared an interest in the importance of bringing the unconscious part of human nature into consciousness through the use of symbols. They also shared an interest in the transformation of character. This talk will suggest how Jung might have interpreted Wagner's actual music. It will explore Jung’s understanding of symbolism and its role in transformation, through the text and music of the Ring of the Nibelung, including a discussion of its primary musical themes or leitmotive. Examples will be drawn primarily from das Rhinegold, the first of the four operas in the Ring cycle.

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