Barn Life Blog
Uncertainty, Impermanence, and Pema Chodron
Calming Words in a Time of Groundlessness 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...
Barn Life Recovery Offers Telehealth Therapy
The Anxiety Is Palpable With the coronavirus pandemic essentially shutting the world down, mental health is as important as ever. Unemployment claims are skyrocketing. Families are hoarding food and supplies. Much of the country is under shelter-in-place orders,...
Our Program During Challenging Times
These are very challenging times. We know that in the midst of all that is unfolding in the outer world, and how our inner world is responding, the work in our program can feel like a lot right now. However, as one of our faculty colleagues has shared, we could look...
The Heroic Archetype and the Human Beneath
Removing the Armor We took the time last week to explore the role of the heroic archetype at work in the therapeutic process. In doing so, we named the hero as the champion of our endeavor to make changes and confront obstacles. We teased out some distinctions between...
Campbell, Jung, and the Heroic Archetype
Heroism and the Psychological Life At the start of this week, I want to break down the role of heroism in our psychological life. I suspect, we have all, to one degree or another, heard of the hero’s journey. Joseph Campbell introduced it first in his famous book, The...
The Soul In Harmony With Itself
The Wisdom of Experience This week, we wrap up our analysis of The Lady and the Unicorn with the sixth and final tapestry of this series. Some people might expect to see the lady now in heaven, but instead, she is turning earthwards rather than heavenwards. We see a...
Rilke and the Soul in Reflection
Writing Through to the Other Side By far and away, my absolute favorite poet is Rainer Maria Rilke, whose life’s work is a dedication to the voice of the soul. His laborious, sometimes tormented progression through maturation mirrors The Lady and the Unicorn...
The Lady and the Unicorn: Discipline and Maturation
The Fourth Stage of Maturation Welcome to the fourth installment of The Lady and the Unicorn, a personified look at the maturation of the soul. It is my sincerest hope that these weekly themes will continue to provide us with new and meaningful ways to participate in...
Perseverance and Overcoming Challenges
Bringing Sustained Change Perseverance is crucial for long term change and necessary to overcome challenges using new methods. Many of our clients have fallen into patterns, as we all do. Unfortunately, their “normal” way of dealing with life stressors has been...
The Soul at the Threshold of Adulthood
The Lion King and the Myth of Horus Have you ever seen the Lion King? It occurred to me this week that the story is based on the Egyptian myth of Horus. Simba must overcome the challenges his father faced and so also find within himself his one unique destiny. We see...
The Lady and the Unicorn: the Virginal Soul
The High Reaches of Pure Imagination Let the youthful soul look back on life with the question: what have you truly loved up to now, what has elevated your soul, what has mastered it and at the same time delighted it?...see how one complements, expands, surpasses,...
The Lady and the Unicorn: Innocence and the Soul
The Soul in Innocence This week, we will be looking at the soul in stages of transformation personified in the 14th-century French tapestries titled, The Lady and The Unicorn, starting with the first of the images: the Soul in Innocence. James Hillman (2004)...
Reflection: Reinvigorating the Seeds of the Future
A Future of Hope and Improvement A lady looks into the mirror seeing her reflection smiling back. A man sits by the fire and reflects on the years that have passed and cannot be relived. The still lake holds the reflection of the moon on her surface. The idea of...
Celebration: A Helpful Reminder
Why We Work and Live It is important to celebrate, and it often goes unappreciated. We live in a world that teaches us to watch three steps ahead. It expects us to rush to the next stoplight in order to be on time for our life. This lifestyle has us seeing life go by...
Rebirth: The Grand Cycle
The Process of Decline and Renewal The idea of rebirth is ancient. Indeed, throughout time immemorial, myths and legends speak of man’s process of birth, death, and rebirth into a new life. But why is this process of appearance, decline, and renewal so firmly etched...
Freedom and the Ability to Challenge Fear
Why Does Freedom Cost So Much? Freedom has always had a cost and always will if any people have the intention to harm or demonize others or actively work to oppress and confuse or take actions to subjugate and hold dominion over people and their feelings. Entitlement...
Self-Improvement: Letting Go
Who Is This Self? Self-improvement seems like a good idea, at first blush. Who doesn’t want to improve? However, have we stopped to think about who or what this “self” is that desires improvement? This self you call you. Are you the sum total of remembered events or a...
Gratitude: Generosity of Presence
A Time to Give Thanks It's the time of year when families all over the country are getting together once again. We look to give thanks and enjoy the year's harvest as well as each others' company. In honor of Thanksgiving, we are exploring gratitude this week at Barn...