EMPHASIS IN SOMATIC STUDIES
In the classical world when the healing god Asklepios was still afoot, the powers of imagination and the spirit of place were integral to the practice of medicine. In modern times, C. G. Jung thought that these should be combined with and tested by the continuing developments of science. Non-Western healing traditions and practices, many that have never needed to split psyche from soma as we have in the West, are increasingly found working side by side with Western medicine. Neuroscience has now convincingly demonstrated the functional unity between mind and body. By doing so, science is validating one of the foundational principles of depth psychology which is an understanding that there are forces in the psyche that stimulate the body's capacity to heal itself. This new paradigm of healing has led us to offer this opportunity to pursue an M.A. or Ph.D. in Depth Psychology while specializing in Somatic Studies
Students choosing this specialization have a variety of interests, experiences, and callings that have led them to believe that in order to study the psyche one must give primary attention to the body--its sensibilities, movements, symptoms, and many ways of healing. They come from many different backgrounds--some with established healing practices, some with a passion for researching this new field, and some with a desire to move forward in their study of depth psychology with the lived experience of the body as the primary focus.
Students in the Somatic Studies specialization
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• Read, interpret, and critically reflect upon the theories and traditions of Depth Psychology, remembering the body and recalling its voice
• Develop the capacity and skill to maintain awareness of and connection to the unconscious
• Learn techniques and practices of dream work, body movement, and active imagination as healing practices
• Develop literacy in the emerging domain of neuroscience as it applies of Depth Psychology and somatic studies
• Develop skills in research and writing that will support their efforts to articulate and promote effective healing practices
• Participate with likeminded scholars and healers in the expansion of a new exciting field |
Students in this specialization come to campus ten times each year for three years of course work following the pattern of three day sessions per quarter during fall, winter, and spring and one extended five day session for summer. During each residential session students attend lectures and seminars, engage experiential and embodied learning, and have time for reflection and research in the Pacifica Library and archives.
