Orpheus and Gelert: A Dual Analysis of Unspeakable Loss and the Search for Meaning and Hope (Hybrid)

Loss is inevitable, but it is a path we must reluctantly embark upon many times throughout our lives. What once was full is emptied, leaving only uncertainty and silence, and yet we are called to actively tend and mediate the deep pain we feel. Myths and legends that talk about loss illustrate how the promise of new life is always present, but only if we are willing to consciously enter the underworld – to willingly explore the sometimes dangerous depths of our grief. In this seminar, we will analyze how the Greek myth of Orpheus and the Welsh tale of Llywelyn the Great’s faithful hound, Gelert, both address the unspeakable pain that follows experiences of loss and teach us ways of navigating the underworld – and where we can find life again if we can bear the risk of getting lost ourselves. A short active imagination exercise will help us uncover the images of loss and rebirth that we are currently living.

José Leal has an M.A. in Jungian and Post-Jungian Studies from the University of Essex where Andrew Samuels was his academic supervisor and an MS in Systemic Psychotherapy from the Milton Erikson Institute from Monterrey. Since 2013 he has trained with Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés. He works as a psychotherapist in private practice and writes the column 'The Spiritually Ambivalent Therapist' for Thresholds: A Journal of Psychotherapy and Spirituality from the British Association of Counseling and Psychotherapy.

This program is being offered both IN-PERSON and ONLINE. Please select how you will attend when registering. Recordings will be distributed to registered participants only, and will not be available for individual purchase.

All times are CT. Please contact onlinelearning@junghouston.org with any questions.

Please register early. Programs with four or fewer participants are subject to cancellation, 48 hours prior to their start.

*The Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (TBHEC) has stopped pre-certifying ANY Continuing Education or Professional Development for mental health providers. The Jung Center cannot guarantee that the programs we provide will qualify for continuing education or Professional Development, nor can any other agency. The Jung Center uses high educational standards when selecting to designate events as "potentially appropriate for CEs", and in evaluating the outcomes of our educational services, and we believe them to meet the requirements of state licensing bodies. To find out more about the TBHEC changes to Continuing Education and Professional Development, click here.