Jungian Dream Therapy
Jungian dream therapy is a type of psychotherapy that uses dreams as the main source of information for guiding psychological growth. Jungian psychology holds the view that dreams emanate from a center deep within the psyche beyond our awareness that seeks conscious integration. As life unfolds, we are compelled to develop relationships with parts of ourselves that are gradually revealed.
This approach is different than an ego-oriented, or cognitive therapy because often times the desires and ambitions of the ego and intellect are at odds with the values of the soul. Crisis, negativity, and ‘dark times’, for instance, are not necessarily conditions to be avoided but are integral parts of an overall process of psychological development with the purpose of enhancing the relationship to the soul.
Dreams provide the guidance, sequencing, and information necessary to restore this relationship. Therapy opens a space where we can listen to and dialogue with the symbolic language of dreams. The strange images within twisting narratives may seem nonsensible at first, but when given proper attention, they begin to show context and meanings directly relevant to the psychological task at hand.
The instructions for healing come from within; they are not imposed from without.
Jungian Background & Training
I have over 25 years of Jungian experience. While attending graduate school at Pacifica Graduate Institute in California, the Jungian author, Robert Johnson (He, We, Innerwork), came out of retirement to do analysis with me. I then underwent subsequent analysis with Dr. Anita Chapman in Asheville, North Carolina, Dr. Merideth Moon in Maui, Hawaii, and finally with Zurich trained analyst, Trappist monk, and scholar in Aquinas theology, Father Gregory Santos in Flagstaff, Arizona. I also mentored with the author and clinical psychologist, Dr. Eduardo Duran. (Cultural Imperialism, Buddha in Redface).
The direction of analysis brought me into closer contact with indigenous cultures and myth. While living in Hawaii and Navajo Nation I was immersed in local spiritual and medicinal practices which eventually prepared the groundwork for transitioning to SE Asia in 2009 to attend a doctorate program in Comparative Religion. Instead, I was serendipitously invited to ordain as a monk at Kyaitisaung monastery in Thaton, Myanmar studying a blend of shamanic, contemplative practices and orthodox Theraveda Buddhism. I credit my initial background in Jungian psychology and Aquinas theology as vital ancoring points for processing and integrating the wisdom of these indigenous cultures.
My Practice … What to Expect
I see my role as facilitating a conversation between the dream voice and you. Everything that needs to be said will be contained within the language of dreams. There are ‘meta-psychological’ maps, so to speak, that can be used to help orient us to where we are in the psychological process, but for the most part, the dreams are sufficient for generating meaningful dialogue between us.
Dreams are also very adept at weaving together mythological, religious, and cultural threads into our personal tapestry. Seemingly minor events in the outer world can also be understood within a grander, mythological landscape in the interior world. Part of the work is to expand and clarify larger contexts which will help ‘fix’ personal identity and purpose.
People say my counseling style is friendly, relaxed and relatable but also focused and well contained; a safe and trusting relationship is vital for exploring the deeper levels of the psyche in which dreams illuminate.
Psycho-Somatic Integration
In Greek, the words ‘psyche’ and ‘soma’ respectively mean ‘soul’ and ‘body’. Psycho-somatic, or mind-body, integration is any kind of practice that intentionally attempts to unify body with soul. Spiritual traditions and scientific materialism disagree on the nature of mind-body, but both agree that mind-body practices lead to greater degrees of emotional balance, self-regulation, and general well-being.
Mind-body practices decrease anxiety, clarify thoughts, and strengthen emotional resiliency. We are more likely to respond to events and people as opposed to blindly reacting. We become more comfortable in our own skins, more likely to tolerate discomfort and conflict , and better attuned to our surroundings and inter-personal relationships.
There are a wide number of mind-body practices available, however, I teach Kundalini Yoga and TRE as supplements for counseling and psychotherapy. Since not everyone is able to incorporate an intensive practice into their routine, there are ways of breaking down these practices into smaller elements.
Kundalini Yoga
Kundalini Yoga is a subset of practices based on the Patanjali Sutras of Indian Vedic philosophy. Kundalini is unique in that it aims to balance Tamas (negative), Raja (positive), and Satva (neutral) energies that make up the totality of both mind and body.
The negative mind contracts and condenses while protecting us by analyzing ‘what is wrong’. The positive mind is exapnsive and opportunistic, always looking to fulfill its own vision. The nuetral mind holds bot negative and positive in balance, and is able to approach situations calmly and realistically.
Emotional states and the quality and intensity of thoughts are reflections of the interaction between these three energy systems. Like a pool of water, if the energies are out of balance, slight pertubations will create strong currents and eddies. The more the currents and eddies grow, the more likely our ego, our subjective sense of self, will become lost within the conflict.
Kundalini is not a practice of achieving stillness per se; its goal is to harmonize the three different energy systems and cultivate ‘prana’, or universal ‘life-energy’ within the body. This is accomplished through performing ‘kriyas’, or set actions, that coordinate breathing techniques, sound, movement, and imagery with intention and focus.
Over time, practicing the kriyas will unblock stuck emotions, loosen unconscious egoism, and transform thought patterns to reflect the authenticity of the soul. This internal shift raises the efficiency of external actions, improves the quality of inter-personal relationships, and creates a felt sense of expansiveness and fluidity within the body.
TRE (Trauma Release Exercises)
TRE (trauma release exercises) is a method developed by David Boricelli identifying the nervous system as primarily responsible for generating varying levels of emotional states and activation. Our bodies are naturally equipped to protect ourselves from all levels of stress, including trauma, but as adults we have been acculturated into shutting these down.
Boricelli has developed a series of exercises that activates the Vagal nerve to release and clear patterns of stress and trauma built up within the body. Just as animals in the wild tremor after a heightened event as the way towards restoring normalcy, we are also able to replicate tremoring as a way of resetting and changing old emotional patterns.
In addition to learning the actual exercises, Boricelli’s system is imbued with a focus on maintaining emotional awareness and implementing a wide array of grounding exercises and strategies to facilitate emotional regulation. Just as Kundalini Yoga brings the soul into the world, Boricelli’s concept of ‘toning’ the nervous system opens individuals towards reconnecting with their authenticity when trauma and stress is cleared away.
Clients describe my counseling style as present, intelligent, warm, and focused. My vision of counseling is to work collaboratively with you to find practical solutions that appeal to the sensibilities of your soul. I do not know the answers beforehand, but I do have the experience to know how to follow and trust in the healing process.
About Todd
I have experience in a wide range of settings, from addiction to front-line crisis intervention to school settings to serving as a civilian therapist with the US military overseas. My real training, however, comes from individual mentor relationships from multiple psychological and spiritual lineages.
Holding the distinction of being the last analysand and protégé of the late Jungian author, Robert Johnson, he initiated me into learning the symbolic language of dreams. Subsequently, while working on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, I became also the last analysand of Zurich trained Father Gregory Santos, a scholar in Aquinas Theology.
In conjunction with my dreams and Santos’s application of Aquinas, I transitioned to Thailand in 2009 to study Buddhism and meditation. I ordained as a monk periodically over five years at Kyiatisaung Monastery in Thaton, Myanmar cultivating higher levels of meditative Janna states. Because I am not a renunciate, I chose to stay within the ordinary but relatable world of pursuing a career and supporting a family.
As a long-standing student of Hatha Yoga, due to a personal crisis, I transitioned to Kundalini Yoga using breathwork and sound to directly engage and strengthen the physiological systems responsible for emotional regulation. I have first hand experience, not just of feeling the effects of trauma, but learning how to use this experience to reclaim self agency and restore grounded connection with my self and with others. There is no end to life’s challenges and tensions, but having a practice of self awareness is a vital anchoring point.
Jungian Dream Therapy
Dreams are used as the prime material for psychotherapy. Dreams reveal the inner condition of the psyche as well as providing information for how to proceed with healing. The psyche, which is as real and autonomous as the body, seeks its own growth and development.
Consciousness is an integral part of psychological development and so dreams perform, so to speak, in a way to compel conversations with our egos. Our egos are typically not in a position to listen until we find ourselves in binds and problems beyond our power to mend.
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Originally from Tennessee, I am a licensed professional counselor and psychotherapist practicing in Thailand. I offer situational counseling for short term help and solutions. However, I specialize in Jungian dream analysis for in-depth psychotherapy.
My counseling is further supplemented by Somatic integration practices to treat anxiety and stress. This holistic approach is effective for relationship distress, depression, addiction, trauma recovery, and renewing deeper levels of emerging identity.
Clients describe my counseling style as present, intelligent, warm, and focused. My vision of counseling is to work collaboratively with you to find practical solutions that appeal to the sensibilities of your soul. I do not know the answers beforehand, but I do have the experience to know how to follow and trust in the healing process.
About Todd
I have experience in a wide range of settings, from addiction to front-line crisis intervention to school settings to serving as a civilian therapist with the US military overseas. My real training, however, comes from individual mentor relationships from multiple psychological and spiritual lineages.
Holding the distinction of being the last analysand and protégé of the late Jungian author, Robert Johnson, he initiated me into learning the symbolic language of dreams. Subsequently, while working on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, I became also the last analysand of Zurich trained Father Gregory Santos, a scholar in Aquinas Theology.
In conjunction with my dreams and Santos’s application of Aquinas, I transitioned to Thailand in 2009 to study Buddhism and meditation. I ordained as a monk periodically over five years at Kyiatisaung Monastery in Thaton, Myanmar cultivating higher levels of meditative Janna states. Because I am not a renunciate, I chose to stay within the ordinary but relatable world of pursuing a career and supporting a family.
As a long-standing student of Hatha Yoga, due to a personal crisis, I transitioned to Kundalini Yoga using breathwork and sound to directly engage and strengthen the physiological systems responsible for emotional regulation. I have first hand experience, not just of feeling the effects of trauma, but learning how to use this experience to reclaim self agency and restore grounded connection with my self and with others. There is no end to life’s challenges and tensions, but having a practice of self awareness is a vital anchoring point.
Jungian Dream Therapy
Dreams are used as the prime material for psychotherapy. Dreams reveal the inner condition of the psyche as well as providing information for how to proceed with healing. The psyche, which is as real and autonomous as the body, seeks its own growth and development.
Consciousness is an integral part of psychological development and so dreams perform, so to speak, in a way to compel conversations with our egos. Our egos are typically not in a position to listen until we find ourselves in binds and problems beyond our power to mend.
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The dreams will take mythological, cultural, and personal themes and weave them together into a tapestry in order to efficiently convey meaning. Because dreams originate from within but outside our ego reality, the dream images can at first appear strange and nonsensical.
When in therapy we focus attention on the dreams and begin pulling the different strands apart, it is as though its meaning starts to arise and we gain an appreciation for the depth of intelligence and wisdom that exists within us beyond our conscious control.
Dream work is not a science. It cannot be replicated within controlled settings. Psychological growth is not a straight path and we are constantly placed into positions of limited views, almost by design, to bring our attention and life force into the present.
Dream work is a humanistic art; its purpose is to tend to the needs of the soul.
Somatic Integration
Soma is the Greek word for ‘Body’, and ‘Psyche’ is the Greek word for the ‘soul’, an animating force that brings the body to life. Psychological and emotional pressures, or the pressures that effect the soul, manifest as physical pain. Even though there are no ‘physical’ causes, ‘soul’ pain is very real.
There are a wide number of practices available to us that restores the connection between Body and Soul. The goal is to create deeper levels of safety within the Body so the Soul becomes freer to express itself authentically and form meaningful relationships with the world.
In this spirit the fundamental principles of Kundalini Yoga and Pranayama breathing uses breath, sound, and movement, to transform the physiology of emotional regulation to create new patterns able to sustain balanced emotional states.
On one hand, is the individual context and history underlying soul pain, on the other is the directly felt sense of emotions within the body. Instead of blindly reacting to uncomfortable emotions, avoiding them, or (as in addiction) coping in ways that are harmful, we can instead respond intentionally and constructively.
In other words, Kundalini Yoga balances, grounds, and centers emotions, turns down the intensity of negative thoughts, This creates more space, freedom, and safety to form connections with one’s self and others.
Professional Experience
Jungian Analysis
Dr. Robert Johnson; author (He, She, Innerwork), lecturer, Zurich trained analyst, San Diego CA
Father Gregory Santos; Trappist monk, scholar in Aquinas theology, Zurich trained analyst, Flagstaff AZ
Dr. Merideth Moon; Zurich trained analyst, Paia, Maui, HI
Dr. Anita Chapman, Zurich trained analyst, Asheville NC
Dr. Eduardo Duran, clinical psychologist, lecturer, author (Buddha in Redface, Cultural Imperialism)
Meditation and Yoga
Kyiatisaung Monastery, Thaton State, Myanmar, Honorable Sayado Kyitaisaung, Theravada Tradition, Inner-Path Meditation
Wat Rampueng, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Theravada Tradition, Vipassana-Insight Meditation
Hatha Yoga, T.K.V. Desikachar lineage
Kundalini Yoga & Pranayama Breathing, Swarmi Bhajan lineage, Arjon Satya, Bangkok, Thailand
TRE (Trauma Release)
Work Experience
20 Years of Professional Experience
School Based Therapy
Employee Assistance Programs
Drug and Alcohol Recovery Centers
Business Consultation
Front Line Critical Incidence Specialist
Civilian Therapist for US Military Overseas
15 Years Private Practice Online
