Nature and Forest Therapy:  Working with Nature as Medicine for a Resilient Life

Saturday September 20, 10 am-12 pm
Marguerite H. Griffin, J.D.
Held in-person at the Jung Center
$50, CEUs: 2

Forest bathing, also known as Shinrin-yoku, is the practice of spending time in nature to enhance health and well-being. It involves immersing oneself in the forest atmosphere and engaging with the natural environment through all five senses. Forest bathing is about slowing down, being present, and connecting with nature. Your senses bring you into the present moment where you can take in all the forest has to offer, welcoming it, letting it settle inside you. When the forest is allowed its place within you, it supports your body’s natural capacity for wellness and healing.

Jungian studies aim to help individuals explore their psyche, especially the unconscious, and integrate its contents with the conscious mind for personal growth and wholeness. So too, by sharing a reciprocal relationship with nature, we have an opportunity to reconnect with our wholeness as human beings. The forest becomes the therapist; the guide merely opens the door.  Participants will enjoy a guided, fully embodied, sensory experienceof forest bathing in a natural setting near the Jung Center.

Recommended Reading

Your Guide to Forest Bathing: Experience the Healing Power of Nature, M. Amos Clifford

About the Instructor

Marguerite is an Integrative Nutrition, Health and Wellness Coach, a relational nature and forest therapy guide, an herbalist, End-of-Life Doula, award-winning gardener, Certified Life-cycle Celebrant, former triathlete, and yoga instructor.

When Marguerite is not outside enjoying nature, she is an estate planning attorney and philanthropic advisor. She has led the philanthropic advisory services practice at Northern Trust for more than 25 years. She received a B.A. degree from Washington University in St. Louis and a J.D. degree from Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. She is a Certified Advisor in Philanthropy (CAPâ), an Impact Philanthropy Advisor (IPA) and a 21/64 Multigenerational Philanthropy Facilitator.

Marguerite is a sought-after speaker in the areas of impact investing, private foundations, family legacy philanthropy and nonprofit board governance. She is a trustee of the Poetry Foundation and an active volunteer with the Chicago Foundation for Women, African American Legacy at The Chicago Community Trust, and WTTW/WFMT.

Saturday September 27, 10 am – 1 pm
Nancy VanKanegan
Held In-Person, not recorded
$65, CEUs: 3
*Limited to 15 participants.

Ancient and modern stories are populated by demon figures: Archetypal demons such as the seducer, the devourer, the gate-keeper, the ‘fallen angel’, and elemental demons of fire, water, and earth torment humans. Demons – called Daimon by Jung; as in the Greek guiding spirit, ‘attach’ themselves to the souls of people described as being ‘possessed’. The Jungian perspective sees the daimon as a “psychic manifestation of the unconscious” (M.L. Franz) whose nature is more nuanced. Jung believed the daimon guided the unconscious toward creative activity. In the Red Book he discusses his conversations with his daimon “Philemon”.  “It was he (Philemon) who taught me psychic objectivity, the reality of the psyche“ Communication with the daimon involves examining the shadow self to uncover and express creative energies.

In this workshop we will examine these archetypal demons through image and discussion.  Meditation and journaling will be employed for self-reflection. Using a subtractive art technique (scratching away the shadow so to speak) participants will ‘uncover’ images of their daimon.

About the Instructor

Nancy VanKanegan is a multidisciplinary artist living in Chicago. She currently teaches art and yoga theories and practices at Columbia College, DePaul University and Northeastern Illinois University.

Dreams, travel, light, nature, yoga and meditation shape her expressions. Inspired by Dada and Surrealist artists Mina Loy and Beatrice Wood, Louise Bourgeois, and Yoko Ono, she explores connections between, and the realization of, magical shared spaces through use of unconventional materials. Her university teaching and numerous artist residencies allow for collaborative explorations of art and culture. Her performative works have been presented at multiple academic conferences, and in 2022 she was awarded an NEH fellowship to study at the Newberry Library, Chicago. She has exhibited widely in the Chicago area and the United States.

View her work at Alma Gallery Chicago. Past shows include at Oliva Gallery, Woman Made Gallery, Hyde Park Art Center, and Evanston Art Center. Her works involving demons will be exhibited at the CG Jung Center in September.

References

• In the grip of the Daimon
• This Jungian Life podcast – DAIMON: Demon or Destiny?
• You’re Wrong About podcast: Exorcism

September 29, October 20, November 17, December 8, 2025,
January 12, February 9, March 9, April 6, May 4, June 1, 2026,
10am-12 pm

Karol Weigelt, LCPC & Laura Kramer, LCSW
Held In-Person
$300, CEUs: 20

Dream work is important to our inner landscape and growth. It is healing, sacred and holistic, as viewed through its ancient history to the present. (AI included!) This will be a working dream community, meeting once a month for 10 months.  It is intended that participants will share their dreams, or parts of their dreams, at each meeting.  Every session will include exploration of dream work techniques, Jung’s theories on dreams and their inclusion for inner work and teachings related to personal dream story.  Prior experience is encouraged, but not necessary to join the circle.

About the Instructors

Karol Weigelt, LCPC, is a psychotherapist and spiritual director in the Chicago area.  She facilitates dream groups as part of her work with clients and interested individuals.  She has done research in dream theory and has served as adjunct faculty at Loyola University.  Karol is also a volunteer therapist at the Jung Center.

Laura Kramer, LCSW, is a psychotherapist based in Evanston, IL. Her approach is Jungian and relationally-oriented, addressing mind, body, and spirit to promote health and healing. Laura draws on her extensive background in romance languages, art history, dance, yoga, and theater to work with dreams. She is currently a staff therapist at the Jung Center.

Saturday October 18, 1-4 pm
Lisa Baron, PhD, LCSW
Held in-person at the Jung Center
$65, CEUs: 3

Life Writing for Healing and Growth

When we write from the heart, we discover our most authentic voice. This supportive and interactive class explores life writing as a path to personal insight, healing, and creative expression. Through guided prompts and reflective exercises, you’ll gain tools to reframe your experiences, deepen self-understanding, and unlock your creativity—all in a confidential, encouraging space. If you are a clinician, this course offers CEUs and includes practical, writing based techniques you can use with clients to help them explore and process their emotions.

Recommended Reading

Keep Moving, Notes on Loss, Creativity and Change, Maggie Smith

About the Instructor

Dr. Baron is a writer, creative writing teacher, experienced psychotherapist, workshop facilitator and past academic.  She believes there is a strong connection between introspection and creativity. She is the author of twenty publications (essays and poems),and has co-authored two books: Living Art: Exercises for Igniting Creativity, and Conversations With My Younger Self. Dr. Baron has been teaching creative writing through Story Circle Network for the past three years and has recently relocated to Evanston, Illinois, after spending twelve years in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.

Part 1 – Life Context: Gaining a Perspective on Life

NEW 2-Day joint collaboration workshop
Kelley Williams
Saturday October 25 & Sunday October 26, 9 am – 12 pm; 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Held via Zoom, not recorded
$245 (includes Intensive Journal workbook), CEUs: 11

*Limited to 25 participants.

Begin a Journey in Your Life
Experience a life-changing process to give your life greater direction, vitality and purpose.

Developed in 1966 by Dr. Ira Progoff, this internationally-recognized program has helped 175,000 people lead more fulfilling lives.

Discover resources and possibilities you could not have imagined. The Intensive Journal method can help you:

• Gain a foundation and perspective to realize the continuity and direction of your life.
• Build a solid basis for future decisions.
• Connect more deeply with your personal relationships, career, interests, and body.
• Use dreams and imagery as a guide in your unfolding process.

The Journal can be your honest friend in the creative process of shaping your life.

About the Workshop
Life Context (Part 1)
Gaining a Perspective on Life

Day 1: 9 am-12 pm; 1:30-4:30 pm, Day 2: 9 am-12 pm; 1:30-4:30 pm, Prerequisite: None.

Learn how to use the Intensive Journal method through a direct experience in your own life.

Gain a perspective on your life. Develop awareness as you explore prior events, memories and feelings. Realize possibilities and interests.

Gain insights about major areas of your life such as relationships, career and special interests, and body and health.

*Please register by October 17th so that the Intensive Journal workbook can be shipped to you in time for the workshop. No refunds will be provided for late cancellations/no-shows. This is a joint collaboration with Dialogue House requiring a minimum attendance plus shipping materials expense. All cancellations after October 17th will be sent to Dialogue House for rescheduling into an alternative, future 2-day workshop.

Intensive Journal Method: Much More Than a Diary or Collection of Exercises

• The Intensive Journal workbook is an integrated system of writing exercises for accessing your feelings and experiences in an organized way.
• Issues that were difficult to describe become tangible and accessible to you.
• Approach your life from several perspectives to overcome obstacles and gain awareness.

Valuable and Unique Experience

• The leader will guide you through exercises step-by-step as you apply them to your life.
• Work in total privacy. No one comments on or judges your writing or life.
• You do not have to like writing or be a good writer. You write what comes from within, not a life story. Only you will read what you write.
• Take the workshop in the privacy of your home or in the energy of a small group.
• At a Journal Workshop, by Dr. Progoff, is the primary book for the program (considered to be “One of the 65 most significant books on psychology and spirituality of the 20th century.” Source: Common Boundary, Jan-Feb 1999).
• Use the method on your own afterwards. You may wish to consider taking other workshop modules on the Intensive Journal method.

About the Instructor
Kelley Williams is a certified instructor leading Intensive Journal workshops for 30 years primarily in the Midwest, including at the C.G. Jung Center in Evanston. Prior to relocating to the greater Phoenix area, Kelley served as Senior Editor of Publications in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and Managing Editor of the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics. Kelley is a published poet and fiction writer, stained glass artist, and former president of the American Medical Writers’ Association.

“Intensive Journal” is a registered trademark of Jon Progoff and is used under license by Dialogue House, the headquarters for the Intensive Journal program. For more information, see www.intensivejournal.org or read At a Journal Workshop by Ira Progoff, PhD. By registering you are agreeing to allow the Center to share your registration information with Dialogue House, which may provide occasional updates about future programs.

Part 2 – Powerlessness and Renewal*

November 8, 2025 – 1-3:30 pm*
Laura McGrew, LCPC & Ken James, PhD
Held via Zoom, not recorded
$55, CEUs: 2.5

*Max of 25. 5 volunteer spots available.

In a culture that prizes control, confidence, and personal agency, powerlessness is often feared, resisted, or pathologized. Yet, during moments of self-collapse, unexpected sources of wisdom, grace, and transformation can emerge. This two session course explores the inner landscape of powerlessness—not as a failure to be overcome, but as a gateway and crucible where deep psychological healing can arise.

Drawing on Jungian psychology and close readings from C.G. Jung’s Red Book, The Black Books, and Memories, Dreams, Reflections, we will examine powerlessness not as a pathological state (class one), but as an initiatory threshold (class two). In moments of psychic vulnerability, Jung discovered portals to archetypal meaning, mythic imagery, and the transformative Self. Together, we will explore how ego-defeat, decline, and surrender can paradoxically open the way toward healing and inner integration.

Rather than a lecture-based format, this course offers a shared journey of meaning-making. Participants are encouraged to bring their insights and questions into dialogue with the themes. Through contemplative listening to selected readings from The Red Book and The Black Books, facilitated discussions, and guided reflections, we will create a space where the necessity—and even the sacredness—of powerlessness can be more deeply understood and honored.

Who Should Attend: This course is designed for the general public. Clinicians, spiritual seekers, and all those who find themselves standing in the territory of powerlessness—either personally or in their work with others—are welcome. A willingness to reflect vulnerably and listen deeply is the only prerequisite.

*Attending Part 1, Powerless and Surrender, is not required to register for Part 2.

About the Instructors

Laura McGrew is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Chicago. She is the emeritus board chair of The C.G. Jung Center, and a tireless worker in and for the field of Analytical Psychology.

Ken James is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Chicago. He is a training analyst with the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago and has served on the board of the institute.

Held via Zoom on behalf of the Jung Center of Evanston. Meeting details sent via email after registration has been confirmed. For questions, contact jung@cgjungcenter.org.

Friday November 14, 7 pm – 9 pm
Jane Kamerling, LCSW
Held in-person at the Jung Center
$50, CEUs: 2

“The problem of evil is one of the central problems of modern man. No appeal to old values and ideals can shield us from the recognition that we live in a world in which evil in man is emerging from the depths of a gigantic scale and confronting us all, without exception, with the question: How are we to deal with this evil?” (Erich Newmann, Depth Psychology and a New Ethic, 1969, p. 25)

Depth Psychology and a New Ethic was first written in German in 1949, soon after the conclusion of the Second World War. Neumann, a Jew, contemplates the evil and destruction seen in the holocaust, inspiring a look at a new ethic of consciousness, leading humanity out of the darkness with hope for the future. Today worldwide terrorism threatens the safety of all and nearly weekly fills the news with countless numbers of innocent victims. Animal and plant species have been endangered to extinction and climate change threatens the ice caps of the north pole and the shores of the continents. Our psychic nature and dealing with ourselves and others is equally in peril.

The Self, the Jungian idea of wholeness, is addressed in this lecture focusing on the psychology of terrorism. For decades, the way we have unconsciously treated the environment and people have led us into the darkness once again, creating uncontrollable outcomes in our environment and societies. Continuing to remain unconscious is no longer an option. This workshop will begin our journey of understanding the psychology of the terrorist and terrorism in the context of environmental issues.

About the Instructor
Jane Kamerling, LCSW is a Diplomate Jungian Analyst and member of the Chicago Society of Jungian Analysts and Interregional Society of Jungian Analysts. She is a faculty member of the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago and has designed and co-directed the Clinical Training is a senior analyst who has lectured both nationally and internationality on the relationship of Jungian psychology to culture, mythology and religion. She has a full-time analytical practice in Chicago.