Google “the digital age” and you’ll discover it is rather broadly defined as “the present time”—when most information is available in digital form, as compared to the era before the rise of computers in the 1970s. Depth psychology is the study of the soul, first and foremost associated with uncovering and exploring the unconscious. The Greek word psyche means “butterfly,” and is linked to the Greek anemos, meaning “wind” or “breath,” as well as “soul” and “spirit”—all concepts that seem distinctly unrelated to technology, yet this diverse and compelling collection of depth psychological insights quickly reveals the archetypal aspects at work on all of us in the depths of the digital age. For one of the founders of modern depth psychology, Carl Gustav Jung, who was born in 1875 and died in 1961, the “digital age” remained in potentia, but even more than half a century ago, he had significant concerns about the challenges of a growing mind/matter split and the excessive focus of western cultures in particular on science, technology, and rational thinking. Jung believed this trend toward “modernity” emerged at the expense of more soulful, reflective, poetic ways of being and issued a strong caution against our increasing reliance on machines and technology. He warned of severe consequences that might ultimately propel our civilization toward collapse, unless modernity could be adequately acknowledged and dealt with from a psychological view. The rapid growth of technology in recent decades, combined with what is arguably a decided lack of psychological context around it, has contributed intensively to concerns for some regarding the speed and quantity of information we and our capacity to navigate such a tsunami of data. Technology has profoundly amplified the speed and efficiency at which we accomplish certain tasks, but at the same time has served to expedite the very pace of our lives, leaving us with little time for reflection and reconnection with things of the soul. Technology alone will never be that thing that enlivens us, enforces our sense of soul in a fast-moving world, and roots us in something which is inherently already there. With the proliferation of digital advances in an increasingly globalized culture, we tend to take “technologies” lightly, without giving them their proper ritual due. In earth-based cultures, “technologies of the sacred” have always encompassed ceremonies, invocations, and rites that created containers in which something very special could occur. Shamanism was only practiced within the proper context by individuals who were designated and prepared to enter sacred space. Over time as the ritual has been lost, the container has also crumbled, and technology is no longer wielded in sacred space but rather is used haphazardly by virtually all members of our society. What is asked for is that we re-boot our understanding of the psychological and soulful aspects of technology in order to adopt a new way of being in a digital world. Social media, video gaming, virtual reality, digital media, screen time, mobile devices, electronic music, “smart” technology, and electronic waste are all everyday imperatives in our current culture, and will continue to be future realities for decades, if not centuries, to come. While the digital age will always produce consternation, scintillation, and debate, no matter the pace of growth or decline, the essays and themes that appear in this collection are timeless, tapping into underlying ideas that can offer context and meaning for generations to come. The authors in this anthology proffer a chance to redeem ourselves, to re-invent our relationship to the digital age and re-infuse these sacred tools with meaning and soul. The details of our technologies may morph, but the contents of this volume are profoundly archetypal, offering patterns upon which we may predicate our own relationship to the depths and breadths of the digital age.

Depth Psychology and the Digital Age

Medical Books

Bright, Bonnie

Psychology

Depth Insights

This book contains dynamic perspectives on global challenges such as ecological destruction, climate issues, failed leadership, and limiting beliefs, while turning to imagination, dreams, symbol, metaphor, and mythology to help us gain a broader understanding of how we each fit into the fabric of the whole.If you care about the planet and your part in it, don’t miss this important series of interviews with leading scholars, educators, depth psychologists, and scientists who each bring critical information on how to respond to the growing crisis through connection with soul.Contributors include Jungian analyst Jerome Bernstein; climate scientist and Jungian, Jeffrey Kiehl; Jungian scholar, Susan Rowland; Depth educator/author Robert Romanyshyn; Depth educator Veronica Goodchild; plus other scholars, educators, or Jungian analysts including Steve Aizenstat, Sally Gillespie, Susannah Benson, Nancy Furlotti, Michael Conforti —co-edited by Bonnie Bright and Jonathan Paul Marshall.REVIEWSDepth psychologist Bonnie Bright and her colleagues help us understand that climate change is not just an environmental, economic, social or security challenge—although it is all of these—but a deeply psychological crisis that demands "a new psychological position and understanding." A must-read for anyone wanting to better understand why we're in our current mess and how to get out of it!—Linda Buzzell, Co-Editor, Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in MindThese interviews are, at one level, a fine tribute to Jung’s vision that the human psyche cannot be considered in isolation from the wider forces that govern life on Earth. But Bonnie Bright’s collection of dialogues also has a far more urgent relevance: the Anthropocene has now been unleashed and it remains an open question whether we can act in time to maintain a habitable planet. The answer will lie in a myriad of policy and behavioural decisions and underlying them all is the need for humankind to transform its notions of self-interest in the light of Earth consciousness. The interviews in this book are both signposts and beacons in that all-important journey.—Adrian Tait, Co-Founder, Climate Psychology Alliance Dreams open a portal to another way of seeing the world, offering access to the personal and collective unconscious. Dreams encourage the imagination to flourish. Sometimes, dreams can offer another way to approach seemingly insoluble problems. So this anthology arrives at the perfect moment, offering insights and inspiration in this time of climate chaos and global crisis, with contributions from leading thinkers in the field of depth psychology, science and education.—Mary-Jayne Rust, Co-Editor, Vital Signs: Psychological Responses to Ecological Crisis“This work provides a unique perspective on the issue of climate disruption. Science has provided us with all the evidence necessary for immediate action, yet too little is being done too slowly to address this global threat. As Jung noted, in such times of deep disarray, perhaps we should ask the unconscious what to do. The dialogues in this work do just that. Here we are given an opportunity to listen to psyche’s concerns about our planet.”—Jeffrey T. Kiehl. Climate scientist, Jungian Analyst, Author of Facing Climate Change: An Integrated Path to the Future

Earth, Climate, Dreams: Dialogues with Depth Psychologists in the Age of the Anthropocene

Self-Help

Rowland, Susan

Conforti, Michael

Romanyshyn, Robert

Kiehl, Jeffrey

Aizenstat, Stephen

Marshall, Jonathan Paul

Dreams

The purpose of The Serenity Code is to present, for the first time, a revolutionary formula and scientific framework to help a growing population suffering from excessive stress and anxiety find serenity again. Let me be clear right from the beginning: my intention is not to discredit the value or need for pharmacological or traditional therapeutic options to reduce the toxic effect of stress, anxiety, and depression on your health. However, recent evidence from brain research shows that the rewiring of essential neuropathways can offer viable alternatives or complement old approaches. The plasticity of the brain is not a new subject, but how we can rewire our brain to heal ourselves using practices that take minutes per day is groundbreaking. Meanwhile, most traditional self-help books on related subjects fail to deliver on their promise because they assume readers have the self-discipline to apply the recommendations they read. Sadly, while millions of self-help books are sold each year (it is a 10-billion-dollar market!), many studies confirm that the traditional self-help format fails to help many, and even if it does, such improvements do not last. Research also suggests that we only read a fraction of the self-help books we ever purchase, while nearly 30% of all Americans do not read at all [1]. This data shows that even when we recognize we have problems we need to address, we fail to follow through and act on our best intentions. Finally, this also proves that most self-help books are not written and structured to be brain-friendly! There are simple neuroscientific facts to explain why traditional self-help books do not deliver on their promise. First and foremost, we are not wired to spend a lot of mental effort or cognitive energy to address most problems we face, even life-threatening ones! More importantly, reading is energy-draining to our brains, which is why we often avoid it. How many times have you come home from an exhausting day and decided to read a self-help book? Would you not rather sit in front of the TV to unwind by watching a show? Studies prove we burn fewer calories watching a movie than reading a book [2]. For instance, for a person of an average weight, watching 30 minutes of TV burns 28 calories compared to burning 42 calories while reading for the same amount of time. Reading is a learned skill that has evolved only in the past few hundred years. Because of the number of neurons involved in the function of reading, we use more cognitive energy from our brain doing so than watching TV.Additionally, accepting a regimen of suggestions that require mental effort to implement will often cause us to abandon a self-help book or forget about it after a few days. We tend to get quickly discouraged because changing our habits involves valuable brain energy. The Serenity Code, however, was written to give you a simple yet scientific formula that can transform your life. The first half of the book presents the science behind the model to motivate you to break the cycle of abandoning yourself. The second half shows you why and how engaging in transformational habits will rewire your brain to enjoy more serenity. So, the book is designed to help you learn and apply the process of exploiting your brain chemistry to heal. The Serenity Code is based on three easy steps to lower your stress and anxiety while restoring balance and joy in your life. Indeed, simple habits can boost the production of valuable neurotransmitters you need daily to maintain a state of calm and composure, which is known as the blissful state of serenity.

The Serenity Code: How Brain Plasticity Helps You Live Without Stress, Anxiety and Depression (SAD)

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Morin, Christophe

Mental Health

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