Sept 19-20, 2003: Neil Russack

Lecture: The animal image is a frequent one in dreams, in which a particular animal takes on a symbolic meaning that is not immediately apparent from the way the same animal behaves in life.This lecture presents animals that have played important roles in world art, explore the symbolic status that each of these animal types has assumed in the creative unconscious, and compare the image of the animal to the ways in which the actual animal is encountered in the natural world.

Workshop: Encountering Our Animal Guides. Animals speak to us in dreams and at crucial moments in our lives.Their roles seem to guide us in the task of becoming human and thus more true to our own animal natures. In this workshop, the animals in our lives and dreams will be p resented as embodiments of energy, as prototypes of spontaneity, as models of natural integrity, and as guardians and healers. Dr. Russack will share stories of how differe n t animals have helped individuals to discover how to live their human lives more fully and authentically. Therapists will learn new perspectives for incorporating animal symbolism in their practice. Participants are invited to bring material for discussion.

 

Neil Russack, M.D. is a Jungian Analyst and Psychiatrist in private practice in San Francisco. A frequent lecturer on animals and nature in the psyche, he is the author of Animal Guides in Life, Myth and Dreams.

Encountering Our Animal Guides