Exploring Self Image
through Symbol Making
with Susanna Ruebsaat
Available Right Now
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
“When the Soul wants to experience something, she throws out an image in front of her and then steps into it.”
― Meister Eckhart
This course offers you a creative and intellectually stimulating opportunity to explore what C.G. Jung's concepts of the ego, the persona, the shadow and the Self mean to you personally. We will expolre basic theory in Jungian Psychology and simple art/symbol activities, relating your personal experience and insight back to Jung's concepts of the ego, persona, shadow and self. Simple mark making activities are used to warm up and draw out self-images that offer insight into parts of yourself you would like to know more about. You will discover the different roles the ego, persona, shadow and self take to help you perform the many tasks in life, as well as move you towards wholeness.
This course offers a unique combination of play and reflection through theoretical and experiential learning that activates both left and right hemispheres of the brain; a combination that creates a balance between synthesis and analysis, creativity and practicality, imagination and reality that not only optimizes most learning styles, but also greatly enhances the creativity this balance naturally generates.
Course includes very basic theory in Jungian Psychology, simple art making activities, and exploration of each individual’s artwork through discussion with the instructor, relating your personal experience and insight back to Jung’s concepts of the ego, persona, shadow, and self so that these concepts are now understood and grounded in your own personal experience.
Exploring self-image, both from an archetypal perspective and experientially through art making, activates the most fundamental of symbol making processes of the psyche. Symbols of the self represent not only the individual and their particular circumstances but all of humanity and its connection to the transpersonal.
What you will learn
>> General: To understand the different aspects that make up the self and discover experientially, through the art, how these different aspects play an important role in one’s life
>> Instructional: To have participants engage the art making process in a manner that activates the creative capacity of the unconscious, and then view their artwork with an eye for ‘reading’ and integrating the information offered regarding the self.
>> Learning Outcomes: Development of the capacity and confidence to create and interpret personal symbolism in one’s artwork as a vehicle for understanding and insight regarding different aspects of the self and their roles in achieving wholeness.
Description
Class 1. The Ego
Exploring Jung’s concepts of the collective unconscious, ego, persona, shadow and Self.
Class 2. The Persona
Demonstration of warm-up techniques to initiate the symbol-making process and facilitate overcoming the initial fear of ‘not being able to draw/paint’.
Class 3: The Shadow
Facilitation of symbol making activities that will offer a more direct experience of the concepts of the ego, persona, shadow, and Self.
Class 4: The Self
Facilitation of discussion of unconscious material presented in the art and how it relates to the concepts of the ego, persona, shadow, and Self.
Susanna Ruebsaat
Susanna Ruebsaat PhD, BCATR, RCC, RCC-ACS is a registered art therapist and clinical counsellor, supervisor and doctoral mentor at City University who has been in practice for over 25 years. She has a background in Jungian theory and practice and is also pursuing further studies in Existential Psychoanalysis in its endeavour to engage rather than fear the unknown, understanding the unknown as the necessary condition for creativity.
She has one book published: “Mourning the Dream/Amor Fati. An Illustrated Mythopoetic Inquiry” and is working on her second: “I Myself am a Dream. Growing Down into Our Mythological Roots”.
She writes, ”Our demons hold, as do our dreams, deep pools of our archetypal life to be reflected upon. Archetypal would include ancestral. If we can be with our own hauntings those of other people might seem less ferocious.
Susanna lives in Victoria British Columbia, Canada.
Who Is It for
Those interested in:
>> Transformative and contemplative practices
>> Embodiment and Arts-Based research and expressive arts
>> Jungian and Depth Psychological studies
>> Art Therapy and counseling trainees
Curriculum
All Sessions
Available in
days
days
after you enroll
More Ideas
Available in
days
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after you enroll
What do people have to say
DR. STEVEN ROSEN, PH.D.
"...this powerful work of image and soul reaches beyond the realm of individual healing..."
Rarely have I seen the inner dimension of visceral experience brought so tangibly to light as in Mourning the Dream/Amor Fati. Dr. Ruebsaat poignantly, poetically, and with remarkable transparency, explores hidden corners of her psyche while engaging in a dialogue with her readers that supports their own self-exploration. Ultimately, this powerful work of image and soul reaches beyond the realm of individual healing to offer the promise of helping to heal the splits and wounds of our culture at large.
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT
“Attending the workshops so skillfully facilitated by Susanna Ruebsaat is a playful, expansive, and uniquely rich experience.”
Susanna carefully tends and attends to process, as well as firing up the imagination with prompts framed around rich themes, that take me on a journey to unexpected (yet (newly/strangely) familiar) places. The collective aspect to the workshops - to have the privilege of seeing and listening to other participants’ processes - is also immensely enriching.
FAQ
I'm not a therapist. Can I join the course?
Yes. Both people in healing professions and those interested in self-development can join the course.
Do you offer Continued Education Units?
At this point, we don't offer CEU.
When does the course start and finish?
Once you've enrolled, you have lifetime access to the course. Work at your own pace—there is no deadline to finish.
How long do we have access to the course?
You will have lifetime access to the course.
Will we get access to the full course all at once?
Yes. Additional bonus modules and handouts may be added over time, but all of the course lessons are available upon enrollment.
What equipment/tools will we need to complete the course?
Access to a computer, an email account, and an eager and open mind! Additionally, we ask you to be curious and willing to play.
What do we do if we need help?
If you need help with something related to the course, please contact [email protected].
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT
“she is solid yet flexible, respectful, inspiring…erudite without being overwhelming.”
Having done many trainings in art and somatic therapies both as student and professional, I have found Susanna’s to be unique in safely and effectively guiding students into somatic experiencing through mark-making, while deepening their understanding of Jungian and Post-Jungian language as ways of understanding integration of self, accessible to those at all levels of experience and expertise. As a teacher and facilitator, she is solid yet flexible, respectful, inspiring, highly skilled in the practice and language of art-making and erudite without being overwhelming.
WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT
“...surprised at the depth we were able to explore beyond the mind level and into the realm of the soul.”
When I signed up for Exploring Self Image Through Art Making, I was expecting to learn Jungian theory. It would have been interesting and engaging on an intellectual level, however, I was delighted to find us embarking on a more experiential journey, one that utilized our individual backgrounds and inclinations. This kind of method is a great fit with my personal learning style. I was also pleasantly surprised at the depth we were able to explore beyond the mind level and into the realm of the soul. This course gave me the opportunity to identify core themes in my life and integrate them in a new way, especially through the combination of image making and then articulating the resulting images in free and intuitive writing and then discussion.
DISCLAIMER
Enrolling in this program also adds you to receiving the SoulAtPlay newsletter. It’s forever free, filled with exclusive content, and always optional. The material contained in this program is an expression of views and opinions and may be used for personal, educational purposes only. The program is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read or seen in the course.