The Alchemical Heart

THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN CANCELLED
 

May 2nd

1pm - 5pm

TUITION: $100

NOW ONLINE ONLY

Before they were re-visioned as “seven deadly sins,” desert monastics of the fourth century imagined eight evil thoughts, or “calculating reasons” of the mind. These Christian ascetics fled to the deserts to practice a form of interior silence, or hesychia, that focused the mind, worked through the thoughts, and centered the monk in the heart. One of the most revered—and controversial—of these desert monastics was Evagrius of Pontus, a monk who arrived from Constantinople and become one of the most astute psychological theorists of early Christian monasticism. As part of his roadmap of the psyche, Evagrius developed a highly sophisticated demonology, which can be read as a type of proto-depth psychology.

This presentation introduces clinicians and practitioners to two seminal ascetic “psychologists” of the desert: Evagrius and John Cassian, and interprets the “eight thoughts” along Jungian ("complex"), Cognitive-Behavioral ("negative core beliefs"), and protector-persecutor ("self-care system") models. Beyond the battle with the demons lay the potential for “purity of heart,” a form of peaceful interiority envisioned as the kingdom of heaven within.

DAVID M. ODORISIO, PhD serves as Program Chair and Associate Professor in Pacifica Graduate Institute's Psychology, Religion, and Consciousness MA/PhD program. David is editor of four books, including: Thomas Merton in California: The Redwoods Conferences and Letters, and co-editor of Depth Psychology and Mysticism. 

JOANNA WALLING, MA, LMFT is a licensed psychotherapist working in private practice. She serves as a Research Associate and adjunct faculty member in Pacifica's Counseling Psychology program. Her research interests explore theoretical integration, examining the intersection of Jungian-oriented psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and somatic psychotherapy

No CEUs are available for this event.