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A review by anitaashland
Ageless Soul: The Lifelong Journey Toward Meaning and Joy by Thomas Moore
4.0
It's always good to revisit Jungian psychology regularly, especially given that CBT is all the rage these days. Moore is a Jungian analyst and an expert on James Hillman and provides accessible Jungian insights.
Aging is the topic of this book and he gives some interesting perspectives on it:
"Life is not a straight line but an array of steps moving from one level to the next, each level possibly lasting years. Often the ascension to a new level will be inspired by an extraordinary event, like a sickness, the ending of a relationship, the loss of a job, or a change of place.'
"Even your personality, or more deeply, your very soul, is made up of many ages and many degrees of maturity. You are a layered being. You are many ages at the same time. Crossing through all these layers is a corresponding law: There is something in you that is not touched by the brush of time.'
"To age well it isn’t enough to have experiences; you have to be affected by them."
I also like his approach to therapy:
"My approach to therapy in general has five main elements: 1. Story: Listen closely to the stories of life. 2. Dreams: Track dreams to see the soul stuff and time line. 3. Perspective: Express your own perspective, e.g., don’t judge where the client judges himself. 4. Face the demons: Deal with issues that arise within yourself. 5. Spirituality: Be open to questions of ultimate meaning and mystery—the spiritual dimension."
"One of the main principles in the psychotherapy I have practiced for over thirty years is a simple one I got from James Hillman: “Go with the symptom.” In a world where we are always trying to overcome and conquer problems, it is like magic, helping us find relief from heavy emotional strain and opening up into new areas of life. In part, its magic comes from being so different from common sense. Almost always, in the face of pain we ask, “How can I get rid of this?” But our magic principle is quite different: “How can I go further into this problem and find myself on the other side, relieved and happier?”
"If you accept that a person is not a solid unified block but has many distinct aspects or even personalities—psychological polytheism, as Hillman calls it—then you can pursue youth and take on old age at the same time. You can do two things at once. In fact, by acting this way you avoid splitting old age from youth."
Aging is the topic of this book and he gives some interesting perspectives on it:
"Life is not a straight line but an array of steps moving from one level to the next, each level possibly lasting years. Often the ascension to a new level will be inspired by an extraordinary event, like a sickness, the ending of a relationship, the loss of a job, or a change of place.'
"Even your personality, or more deeply, your very soul, is made up of many ages and many degrees of maturity. You are a layered being. You are many ages at the same time. Crossing through all these layers is a corresponding law: There is something in you that is not touched by the brush of time.'
"To age well it isn’t enough to have experiences; you have to be affected by them."
I also like his approach to therapy:
"My approach to therapy in general has five main elements: 1. Story: Listen closely to the stories of life. 2. Dreams: Track dreams to see the soul stuff and time line. 3. Perspective: Express your own perspective, e.g., don’t judge where the client judges himself. 4. Face the demons: Deal with issues that arise within yourself. 5. Spirituality: Be open to questions of ultimate meaning and mystery—the spiritual dimension."
"One of the main principles in the psychotherapy I have practiced for over thirty years is a simple one I got from James Hillman: “Go with the symptom.” In a world where we are always trying to overcome and conquer problems, it is like magic, helping us find relief from heavy emotional strain and opening up into new areas of life. In part, its magic comes from being so different from common sense. Almost always, in the face of pain we ask, “How can I get rid of this?” But our magic principle is quite different: “How can I go further into this problem and find myself on the other side, relieved and happier?”
"If you accept that a person is not a solid unified block but has many distinct aspects or even personalities—psychological polytheism, as Hillman calls it—then you can pursue youth and take on old age at the same time. You can do two things at once. In fact, by acting this way you avoid splitting old age from youth."