Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing,
Joan Abraham, MA, LMFT, Jungian Analyst IAAP
My name is Joan Abraham and I am a certified Jungian analyst and licensed psychotherapist in private practice in Santa Monica, California. My work attunes to the “wisdom of the body” and the body/mind connection and embraces the use of dreams, creative self-expression and insight-oriented mindfulness.
The poet Mary Oliver writes, “You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves." I was raised in a rural area in Southern California with citrus groves and roads lined with giant Eucalyptus and shaggy Pepper trees. Memories of playing in the groves, climbing trees and galloping my horse through the hills are rooted in nature and nature is at the heart of my work and continues to nourish and sustain me.
Throughout life, in addition to nature, I also love to experience and express myself through movement, music, voice and all kinds of art and creative expression. Fascinated with the the theater, I studied acting and character analysis led me to the psychology of Carl Jung and the exploration of the archetypes of the collective unconscious.
With over 20 years of clinical experience, I received a BA in psychology from the University of California and a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute where I have served as adjunct professor teaching courses in depth psychology, developmental psychology, and initiation, ritual and ceremony. I am an IAAP certified Jungian analyst and a member of the C.G. Jung Study Center of Southern California and the International Association of Analytical Psychologists.
Except for the point, the still point
There would be no dance,
And there is only the dance.
~ T.S. Eliot
Insight-Oriented Depth Psychotherapy
The term psychotherapy is derived from the ancient Greek psyche, meaning “breath, spirit, soul,” and therapaeia, meaning “treatment, healing.” People often seek psychotherapy to reduce suffering and also improve relationships. Sometimes, even despite the best of intentions to live a more fulfilling life, year after year, there is a pull into the same coagulated patterns of perception and action.
Most models of psychotherapy try and alleviate symptoms of distress, such as depression, anxiety, or aggression, in order to bring relief and help people adapt to life's demands. While these are important goals of therapy, it is also important to understand what underlies the challenges we may face and how to better meet those challenges. In the same way that a good doctor not only treats, but looks for the underlying cause of physical symptoms, insight-oriented depth psychotherapy asks a person to consider, “Who am I at the deepest level?”
In physics the “ground state” of a system is the greatest stability and deepest repose. By consistently infusing the qualities of concentration, clarity and equanimity into ordinary experience, insight into the nature of things can emerge.
I work with people from many backgrounds who come to me for a variety of reasons. I believe that each person is unique, and view the therapeutic encounter as a deep and soulful collaboration. Together, we create an environment of trust where thoughts, feelings, images, fantasies and dreams can be fully expressed, explored and reflected upon with compassion.
There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action; and because there is only one of you in all time, this expression is unique. If you block it, it will never exist in any other medium and it will be lost.
— Martha Graham
The dream is a little hidden door in the innermost and most secret recesses of the soul.
~ C.G. Jung
Dreams
Dreaming is a universal experience; everyone dreams although sometimes we don’t remember our dreams. Because dreams reveal a hidden reality within as well as the depths of human experience, Jungian analysis gives tremendous value to the healing potential of dreams. Dreams are impartial, unadulterated pictures of the state of our unconscious, undistorted by ego defenses, and offering rich opportunities for psychological insight and growth.
C. G. Jung analyzed over 80,000 dreams and discovered that dreams, mythology, and religious symbolism all come from the same place — the objective psyche, which he also called the collective unconscious. For this reason, even though we live in the 21st century our dreams can contain images and heroic narratives from ancient times.
Evidence suggests that dreams are manifestations of a guiding and ordering center of the greater personality Jung called the Self. Realization of this center occurs through a dialectical interplay between the individual ego and the unconscious Self. Dreamwork facilitates this process and when we begin paying attention to dreams, they often become more active in response. As we follow the thread, over a period of time the dreams present images, patterns, and themes that reflect unknown or unconscious aspects. Sometimes, even throughout life, beginning in childhood, dreams reoccur in disturbing and perplexing ways. This is because dreams reveal what is missing from our conscious perspective and, when understood symbolically, provide insight that promotes psychological health and well-being.
Just as a burning fire inherently exudes heat, the unconscious inherently generates symbols. It is simply the nature of the unconscious to do so. As we learn to read those symbols we gain the ability to perceive the workings of the unconscious within us.
— Robert Johnson, Inner Work
We shall not cease from exploration,
and the end of all our exploring will
be to arrive where we started and
know the place for the first time...
~ T.S. Eliot
Joan Abraham, MA, LMFT, Jungian Analyst IAAP
MFC 42304
Ocean Park Boulevard
Santa Monica, CA 90405
Telephone: 310-383-7097
jeadreams@gmail.com
Rates and Insurance
My rate is $225 for a 60 minute session. Sliding scale is available for those in need.
Some insurance plans offer “out-of-network” benefits, which allow you to be reimbursed for a percentage of the fee. Because I am fully licensed in California, you may be eligible for reimbursement. Please check with your insurance company to determine whether or not you have benefits, if that is a factor in your decision.