Finding Help: Therapy, Recovery, & Community

Mythology, Spirituality, & Therapy: Transforming Suffering into Poetry with Mitchell Smolkin, MACP, RP

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A Jungian psychotherapist who approaches the most seemingly ordinary human experience with the curiosity and reverence of a philosopher and a poet, Mitchell Smolkin, MACP, RP, is a profoundly interesting conversation partner.  We work through some big questions in this episode. Specifically, we discuss how therapy can intersect with spirituality in moments of great suffering to be a profound meaning-making tool in our lives.

How do we find dignity in suffering? [1:30]

  • Accepting suffering and resisting violence to the individual;
  • Carl Jung’s influence and his “appetite for mythology” as a tool for making meaning;
  • 12 Step Recovery as a framework.

    • How can we use art and religious narratives to make meaning? [8:45]

    • The Art of Marc Chagall;
    • Religious narratives as a tool for making sense out of daily life;
    • Video games as mythological frameworks.

      • Why is it so difficult to talk about spiritual and religious identity? [13:30]

      • Complexities of religious identities;
      • Jewish rituals of collective mourning after the crusades;
      • Spiritual practice as a collective connection rather than the modern idea of self-development.

        • How do you work with religion and spirituality in the therapy room? [20:00]

        • Transforming suffering into poetry;
        • Charles Darwin - no single organism is exactly the same as another;
        • Carl Jung - everyone has their psychology.

          • How can we acknowledge and work with our cultural and spiritual inheritance in therapy? [27:30]

          • Forgiving frailties of the individual human psyche, re: group fanaticism, mob mentality;
          • Mass graves of Indigenous children in Canada and the Catholic Church;
          • Reckoning with the realities of history without judging.

            • What would you say to people who are suffering right now? [36:30]

            • Healing involves connection, and connection requires risk;
            • Intimacy comes with pain because it touches against our wounds;
            • Going deep into the lexicon of our pain

              • For Mitchell’s podcast, look up "The Dignity of Suffering" wherever podcasts are found. Also, you can visit Mitchell at https://mitchellsmolkin.com/

              For more of Matt Shedd's work, visit https://mattshedd.com. 

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              Finding Help: Therapy, Recovery, & CommunityBy Matt Shedd
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