I Myself Am a Dream:
Awakening into the Fields of the Imaginal
with Susanna Ruebsaat
Available Right Now
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Lying deep beneath our personal and literal histories, vaster regions of the psyche beckon the ego to awaken into the fields of the imaginal.
As we engage our personal and collective narrative - our myth - as if it and we are dreaming processes, we may gain entry to different ways of being in the world and within ourselves. Lying deep beneath our personal and literal histories, vaster regions of the psyche beckon the ego to awaken into the fields of the imaginal, the mundus imaginalis.
Here we come across particular collective dreaming processes the human psyche has been cultivating over millennia.
Let us follow these archetypal dreaming processes through our bodies as it guides us into our living extensions of active imagination through the psychic expressions of logos, eros, mythos and chaos.
Having Jung’s theory of the functions of the psyche—thinking/feeling, intuition/sensation—as a supportive backdrop for our inquiry, we can engage our relationship to logos, eros, mythos and chaos in their roles and contributions to individuation. Heeding our mysterious telos, Psyche’s deeper intent for each of us, we are drawn down into the depths of the unconscious and beyond.
What you will learn
>> To explore through "mark-making" and using a "word-catcher".
>> To consider the unconscious as the future that is entering me/you in this moment of dreaming in order to become transformed.
>> Through soma and symbol explore how everything that has happened to me is living in me. And still I am called to be here in this very moment.
>> Working with emotions as if they are our children.
>> Asking the “right” questions through a process of embodiment-contemplation-embodiment-contemplation, i.e take this dream/this image seriously and ask: where does it lead me?
>> A symbol points a finger towards… but does not say do this or do that.
Description
Class 1: Psyche is Dreaming all the Time
•Taking the perspective that our life and all the characters and encounters we experience are a dreaming process.
• Experience as a mirror of the myth that is living through us.
• What are the figures behind the figures (the inner figures that live mostly in the unconscious and are powerful parts of the dynamic of our intrapsychic landscape)?
• Any person in our waking life may carry the projections of this often hidden (from us) dynamic just as we carry theirs (projective identification).
Class 2: Relationship as Mirrors
• Taking a relationship or life scenario and doing dreamwork with it.
• Look for paradoxical figures or situations where a polarity (often what is considered the “problem, obstacle or conflict”) will present the dynamic through which we gain access to the transcendent function (Jung’s fifth function of the psyche: thinking/feeling, sensation/intuition and the transcendent.
Class 3: The Unlived Life
• Living symbolically, that is, experiencing life as a form of dreaming, has its own deep logic often inaccessible to the conscious mind.
• Art making and other creative activities intuitively spiral around inner and outer events bringing forth intimations of what is emerging from the personal and collective liminal place between the conscious and unconscious.
• As humans we have a shared imagination in myths and archetypes that is the common ground of this imagining, this dreaming.
Class 4: Moving the Dream Forward (Where Do I Go?)
• Through exploring the vertical axis of the Transcendent Function (Jung) in relationship to the Descendent Function (Hillman) we enter a dialogue between spirit and soul (Hillman).
• Continuing to track how our bodies are dreaming through the simultaneous pull of the ascendant and descendant functions of Psyche/Soma we begin to navigate subtler regions of the felt sense without splitting.
• Mapping our experience through the four quadrants of embodiment/contemplation, and the transcendent/descendent functions, we bring a unique level of consciousness to our embodied inquiry of Moving the Dream Forward.
Susanna Ruebsaat
The foremost question in my mind both personally and as a practitioner is, "How far can we go in receiving and respecting our own and our clients' numinous experiences at a symbolic level and continue to assist in both opening ourselves and them to the ensuing transformative inquiry?”
Susanna Ruebsaat PhD, BFA, T.Ed. MA, BCATR, RCC is a Jungian-oriented therapist, associate faculty member at City University Masters in Counselling Program, registered clinical counselor, clinical supervisor, instructor, author, and registered art therapist. She offers one on one sessions (with or without art-making) and group workshops exploring life narratives (personal myths), and the process of transformation and individuation.
Susanna's approach is woven from strands from the discourses of Depth Psychology, Psychoanalysis, Existentialism, Process Oriented Psychology, Arts-Based and Mythopoetic Inquiry for clients and practitioners wanting to bring a creative, embodied, and symbolic lens to their exploration.
Susanna follows the journey of Individuation as it presents the possibility of stepping into an archetypal awareness of soma and symbol, shaping a mythopoetic inquiry that acts as a container for the metamorphosis of trauma and meaning-making: Psyche’s ulterior motive towards wholeness.
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
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.