Greater Toronto Area | Brian Collinson

Entries Tagged as 'greater toronto area'

Anxiety, Regret and Persona in “Death of a Salesman”

November 19th, 2010 · No Comments · Anxiety, Father, Marriage, persona, psychological crisis, Psychology and Suburban Life, regret, Self, soul, symbolism, unlived life

I was fortunate enough last Saturday to see Soulpepper Theatre’s production of Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Lots of people know the story of Willy Loman, the disintegrating salesman at the centre of the play, and the drama of his decline and eventual death. What’s worth emphasizing, though, is the profoundly psychological nature of this play, and the ways in which it deals with anxiety, regret and “persona”, or the false self. Clearly Willy is retreating more and more from reality and from life — but what pushes him into this?

The Psychological Meaning of the Chilean Miners

October 15th, 2010 · 4 Comments · archetypal experience, Current Affairs, Hope, inner life, mine rescue, Psychology, Psychology and Suburban Life, psychotherapist, Psychotherapy, resilience, symbolism, therapy

The story of rescue of the miners trapped at the bottom of the mine at Copiapo, Chile embodies resilience,to a remarkable degree. The world’s media have been following the fortunes of the miners with tremendous verve and intensity. From a psychological point of view, why is it that this story grips us so?

Under the Surface of Suburbia

August 20th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Carl Jung, collective consciousness, depth psychology, Halton Region, Home, Individuation, Jungian analysis, Jungian psychology, Mississauga, Oakville, Peel Region, Psychology and Suburban Life, psychotherapist, Psychotherapy, soul, suburbia / exurbia, unlived life, wholeness

Under the surface of suburbia, life is the same here as it is anywhere else. The endless communities of single family dwellings stretch out and stretch out, beyond where the eye can see. Yet beneath the appearances, there are a myriad of individual lives. People are moving through life towards their individual destinies, with happiness or with discontent, with sorrow or exultation, with unresolved pain and grief, or with yearning. Each of us is a story, and each of us is a journey, and that the only real freedom is in finding our own true nature.

G20 Toronto: What the Heck Just Happened?

July 6th, 2010 · No Comments · Carl Jung, collective consciousness, collective unconscious, complexes, Current Affairs, depth psychology, G20, Ontario, panic, popular culture, Psychology and Suburban Life, Toronto, Trauma, trust

On June 26 and 27, the leaders of the G20 nations and numerous other nations met in downtown Toronto. For many living in this area, what happened in the course of those two days has something of the character of a nightmare in the collective psyche of the City of Toronto, and indeed, the whole of the [...]

The Symbolic Power of Home, Part 2: Where is Home?

June 10th, 2010 · 5 Comments · Carl Jung, depth psychology, Halton Region, Home, inner life, Jungian analysis, Jungian psychology, Meaning, Mississauga, Oakville, Peel Region, Psychology and Suburban Life, Relationships, The Self, therapy, wholeness

In the first part of this series, I wrote about how the experience of connection to a specific place that is home can be powerful and profound. However, there are also many people for whom there is no connection to a sense of home. And, for any of us, there can be many times–perhaps long periods–when [...]

Trust and Betrayal

May 24th, 2010 · 1 Comment · betrayal, depth psychology, Individuation, psychological crisis, trust, wholeness

In my recent blog post on “Crisis“, I indicated that one of the gravest things that can happen to people is the experience of betrayal in those close relationships with others whom they trust deeply, and upon whom they depend. I feel strongly that this is an area worth exploring further, and some of my readers have [...]

Anxiety, Stress and Decisions

May 11th, 2010 · 3 Comments · Anxiety, decision, Individuation, midlife, Mississauga, Oakville, Psychology and Suburban Life, Psychotherapy, soul, unconscious, wholeness

A great deal of stress and anxiety in peoples’ lives is associated with making major decisions that deeply effect personal life. Very often, people come into therapy because they are hung on the horns of a major dilemma, with a decision to be made between two or more possible decisions or paths to take. As [...]

Welcome to the New Home of “Vibrant Jung Thing!”

May 5th, 2010 · 2 Comments · Jungian analysis, Jungian psychology, life passages, Mississauga, Oakville, Psychology and Suburban Life, Psychotherapy

Dear Readers, With some great help, I’ve finally been able to move my blog onto my main website, which is something that I have been wanting to do for a very long time. I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy my posts. Having the blog on my main site makes it easier [...]

The Symbolic Power of Home, Part 1: Michaelle Jean

March 16th, 2010 · 2 Comments · archetypes, Current Affairs, depth psychology, Home, Hope, Identity, Jungian analysis, Jungian psychology, Mississauga, Oakville, soul, suburbia / exurbia, symbolism, The Self

I think that many Canadians’ imagination and empathy has been caught by news stories of our Governor General, Michaelle Jean, who has been in the news here quite a bit this week. Her Excellency is herself a native of Haiti who came to Canada at age 11 in 1968. In the last few days, she has returned [...]

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Anima, Women, Men and Marilyn Monroe

March 7th, 2010 · No Comments · Anima, collective consciousness, feminine, Film, masculine, popular culture, soul

Few people have gripped the imagination of popular culture in the era since World War II like Marilyn Monroe. An iconic and fateful figure for both women and men. A figure combining elements of both the erotic goddess and the cautionary tale. Her story is disturbing. In some important sense, she will not leave [...]