Jungian analyst Steven Herrmann's most recent book is a study based on four decades of grounded theory research into the nature of vocational dreams, calling archetypes, and nuclear symbols in work with individuals in all stages of life from early childhood to old age. Herrmann’s hypothesis is that vocational dreams can help patients remove obstacles to individuation and are core variables in Jungian analysis.
Some of our deepest motivations are produced by what the author calls nuclear symbols, which are one of the most powerful sources of inspiration one can possibly experience. The nuclear symbol, the core constituent of one’s calling, is often constellated in early childhood, latency, or adolescence.
The author will discuss his research on calling archetypes at UC Santa Cruz, vocational dreams in early adulthood at JFK University, vocational development in childhood at Lincoln Child Center’s Residential Treatment Program, and other examples from his analytic practice and anthropological research in order to further illustrate the theory. The author will then discuss how Jung’s models of psychological types and synchronicity relate to the constellation of calling archetypes and transformative relationships in human evolution.
In addition, there will be an experiential section of this presentation/workshop. The presenter will make suggestions on journaling to leave you with, a daily practice of writing down your dreams, whatever images come to mind. We'll learn to enter the streams of consciousness in the moment. Dreams can also be spoken aloud into a voice recorder. Feeling our interconnectedness with our dreams, we will learn how to take instructions from them and relate them to our callings. Finally we will experiment with dream interpretation, poetic reverie, writing, and active imagination.
About Dr. Steven Herrmann:
Steven Herrmann, PhD, MFT, is an analyst member of the C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco. He has presented papers internationally and is the author of numerous articles, several book chapters, and eight books including "William James and C.G. Jung: Doorways to the Self," and his recent publications in 2024, "Meister Eckhart and C.G. Jung: On the Vocation of the Self," and "Vocational Dreams: Calling Archetypes and Nuclear Symbols."