presentations

6th “Trauma and Nightmare” International Interdisciplinary Conference
March 16–17, 2023

Protagonist Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane ... but only because his 47 hallucinatory ‘aspects’ carry his madness. And when Leeds’ intrapsychic control slips, his subpersonalities turn into nightmares. Leeds’ story is the focus of this presentation, an examination of Brandon Sanderson’s Legion trilogy through the lens of complex psychology. Here, we will consider Sanderson’s compelling portrait of a fictional disorder blending elements of both schizophrenia and dissociative identity disorder (DID). This fantasied model of the pluralistic psyche raises important questions about dissociation, loss, and, finally, the power of the imagination to help us cope and heal. ⇥  related paper
⎋  conference website

3rd Memory, Trauma & Recovery Conference
September 22–23, 2022

Many in the West will recall Mel Stuart’s 1971 film, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory — but how many remember it fondly? Frequently (and justifiably) labeled as ‘nightmare fuel,’ I suggest that this childhood fantasy serves as an allegory for the mind of the traumatized child. That, in fact, the action of the movie depicts a wounded boy and his psyche’s attempts to safeguard him from future pain, embracing psychological strategies including dissociation and complex formation. This presentation will consider viewers’ memories of the film, its form as a fantastical trauma narrative, and the way the tale vividly depicts the inner life of the wounded child in us all. ⇥  related paper
⎋  conference website

5th “Trauma and Nightmare” International Interdisciplinary Conference
March 17–18, 2022

Jung’s concept of the autonomous complex dovetails powerfully with questions of trauma. Many, perhaps all, complexes are born from traumatic experiences and, when constellated, draw us instantly and insistently back to the felt-sense of our wounding. Jungian thought, blended with newer approaches like those of Internal Family Systems therapy, offers tools for encountering and working with autonomous complexes. This presentation will cover these foundational concepts and tools, as well as asking the deeper ethical question, What do we owe to our traumatized complexes?