In Midlife: A Jungian Perspective

Midlife = crisis, anger, & change…So pervasive has the general awareness of this phenomenon of midlife crisis and transformation become that as we approach this time of life we almost automatically begin to brace for a psychological emergency. Drawing on analytic experience, dreams, and myths, Murray Stein, a well-known analyst, formulates the three main features of the middle passage. First an erosion of attachments. Then hints of a fresh spirit, renegade and mischievous, that scoffs at routines. This new spirit disrupts life and alarms family and friends. Finally, with luck, a transformation occurs; life begins again. Dr. Stein has written a best-selling, good-humored book, brimming with shrewd counsel and cultural relevance. Contents: Chapter 1: Hermes, Guide of Souls through Liminality Chapter 2: Burying the Dead: The Entry into the Midlife Transition Chapter 3: Liminality and the Soul Chapter 4: The Return of the Repressed during Midlife Liminality Chapter 5: The Lure to Soul-Mating in Midlife Liminality Chapter 6: Through the Region of Hades: A Steep Descent in Midlife's Liminality Chapter 7: On the Road of Life after Midlife Murray Stein, Ph.D. is a supervising training analyst and former president of The International School of Analytical Psychology in Zurich, Switzerland (ISAP Zurich). His most recent books include Outside Inside and All Around, Minding the Self and The Principle of Individuation. From 2001 to 2004 he was president of the International Association for Analytical Psychology. He lectures internationally on topics related to Analytical Psychology and its applications in the contemporary world. He is publisher emeritus of Chiron Publications and is the focus of many Asheville Jung Center online seminars.