Here are the talks and workshops that happened at the Monterey Friends of CG Jung.
Object Relations Theory: An Overview of Fairbairn and Kernberg —with Pablo de Amesti Davanzo, MA, MD
Object relations refers to interpersonal relations. Technically, the term object, first used by Sigmund Freud in a context of early mother-child relations, refers to the significant person that is the object or target of someone’s drives. Ronald Fairbairn and Otto Kernbergare two psychoanalysts who have explored the meaning of object as the inner residue of past relationships that shape a person’s interactions in general and with a clinician in the psychoanalytic setting. The purpose of this talk is to offer an introduction to the theoretical framework of these two authors. Pablo de Amesti Davanzo, MA, MD, is Senate Emeritus of Psychiatry from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA Medical Center. He is former co-director of the UCLA Outpatient Child & AdolescentPsychopharmacology clinic, and a fellow at the West LA Veteran's Hospital. Chilean born, he immigrated to the US after the 1973 military coup. Completing his training, he researched childhood mood disorders and worked at a community clinic in the San Fernando Valley. He is now a consultant at the Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula.
The Shadows of America’s God—with John Dotson
To introduce tonight's theme, John will recount key elements of his Southern Appalachian ancestry and specifically childhood years at Oak Grove Baptist Church in Mt Carmel, Tennessee.Given that personal context, we will take up the work of Jungian analyst Fanny Brewster in her book Archetypal Grief: Slavery's Legacy of Intergenerational Child Loss and the work of evangelical historian Mark A. Noll in his book America's God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln. In our discussion, we will aim for deeper understanding of evangelical Christian perspectives—and the shadows thereof—in today's politics.
Wine: a Mindful Approach—with Grégory Brun
Wine is a cultural product anchored in history and deeply impacted by the places where it originates. In a globalized world, it has become central in the local movement, promising to be an “antidote to nowhereness.” Wine is also a vehicle for communion (religious or not). What is at play when we consume wine? Is there something beyond the complex sensory perceptions and the altering effect of alcohol? To apply some Jungian terminology, are some unconscious contents activated and projections at play while the “nectar of the gods” is consumed? This evening, we’ll challenge together the basics of wine tasting in an attempt to establish a renewed intimacy with the product and a dialogue that calls into question the object/subject relationship. Can wine tell us something about ourselves? A board director of the Monterey Friends of CG Jung, Grégory is also a French winemaker and photographer.
A Tale of Two Cultures: American Cultural Complexes and Climate Change —with Jeffrey Kiehl, PhD
Of all the major developed countries in the world, the United States has resisted unified action on climate change for decades. In fact, it is the only country where the scientific facts of climate science are still not accepted by a significant number of citizens, including a major political party. Social science studies indicate strong polarization around the issue of climate change within the US. In this presentation, Jeffrey will summarize the current state of polarization around American’s perceptions of climate change, and then describe two distinct cultures existing within the US that strongly correlate with polarization around climate change. He then describes how this American polarization manifests in terms of cultural complexes and the archetypal roots of these complexes. Jeffrey Kiehl, PhD, is a climate scientist and Jungian analyst living in Santa Cruz. He is the author of Facing Climate Change: An Integrated Path to the Future (Columbia U Press).
Exploring the Liminal on Earth: Art and the Unconscious—with Robin Robinson
We will follow Robin’s experience of making art from the unconscious and how it can inform the artist’s comprehension of the subject. Join in as she takes us on a journey of synchronicities and art-making from the depths of the psyche and the Sea of Cortez, to brushes with Sri Aurobindo and the ashrams of India. She will share her resulting alternative photographic series that inspired a look into human origins, an exploration of consciousness, and a new view of our liminal place on Earth in uncertain times. Robin is a Carmel artist who recently exhibited this work at the Monterey Museum of Art.