

This Jungian Life Podcast
Joseph Lee, Deborah Stewart, Lisa Marchiano
Eavesdrop on three Jungian analysts as they engage in lively, sometimes irreverent conversations about a wide range of topics as they share what it’s like to see the world through the depth psychological lens provided by Carl Jung. Half of each episode is spent discussing a dream submitted by a listener.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Nov 5, 2025 • 10min
[SUBSCRIBER BONUS] Should I Marry My First and Only Partner?
A listener grapples with pre-wedding doubts about marrying their first love. The hosts explore the pros and cons of dating others for perspective. They normalize these feelings and discuss the importance of mutual values in a partnership. Tips include journaling about fantasies to understand deeper anxieties and considering the cost of exploring new relationships. Marriage is framed as accepting lost possibilities, with a call for thoughtful reflection and honest discussions before commitment. Ultimately, they reassure that ambivalence is a common part of the journey.

Oct 30, 2025 • 1h 18min
Shadow, Evil, and Individuation: Jung’s View of the Devil
DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!The devil archetype carries three qualities: it promotes bestial violence of every kind, it tries to convince us that the material world is the only reality, and it fools us into thinking we can spiritually ascend through intellect alone. On a personal level, it gathers our disowned infernal traits—envy, rage, greed, and the wish to dominate —and seduces us into believing those qualities are virtues. Once we face our own devilishness and grant it a symbolic form, we can assume a choiceful stance. Lacking that, we try to evacuate our own evil by projecting it onto others and then punishing them. As Jungians, we understand that our inferior function will first present as an imp. Still, with kind concern and thoughtful opportunities, it can transform into an uncanny ally that rescues us from malignant innocence. In its subtle form, the demonic attitude tempts us into literalism as it attacks our capacity to reflect and hold a symbolic attitude. Join us as we circumambulate The Devil in honor of Halloween.Read along with the dream.LOOK & GROWJoin THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOLDo you have a topic you want us to cover?WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.We've got totally NEW MERCH!We’d like to take a crack interpreting your dream.If you’ve been struggling in the dark, trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, help has arrived. Order your copy of Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams from the hosts of This Jungian Life podcast and open the secret door.

Oct 23, 2025 • 1h 23min
Horror as a Mirror: What Netflix’s MONSTER Makes Us See
DREAM WITH US, and we’ll teach you how to interpret them!The new controversial Netflix series MONSTER: The Ed Gein Story offers a window into the devouring mother archetype, a transformation fantasy gone horribly wrong, and the human capacity for monstrous behavior. Gein’s crimes inspired the Hitchcock movie Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Silence of the Lambs. It challenges the audience to confront its fascination with evil and begs the question, where do the monsters hide in our own Psyche? To help us wrestle with these questions, we’re joined by Joey Pollari—actor, musician, director, editor, and the man who plays Anthony Perkins in the show. We’ll explore how intimacy with darkness affects a performer, how public persona and private pain intersect, and why we continue watching when the camera reveals what we’d rather not know. Trigger warning: this episode discusses violence, death, criminality, and severe mental illness.Learn More about Joey Pollari:Listen to Joey’s new song, I’ll Be Romance Joey’s MusicJoey’s Directing and Editing WorkJoey’s Acting RolesREAD MORE ABOUT THE EPISODE.LOOK & GROWJoin THIS JUNGIAN LIFE DREAM SCHOOLDo you have a topic you want us to cover?WE NEED YOUR HELP! Become a patron to keep TJL running.We've got totally NEW MERCH!We’d like to take a crack interpreting your dream.If you’ve been struggling in the dark, trying to find the keys to unlock your dreams, help has arrived. Order your copy of Dream Wise: Unlocking the Meaning of Your Dreams from the hosts of This Jungian Life podcast and open the secret door.

Oct 23, 2025 • 1h 24min
Horror as a Mirror: What Netflix’s MONSTER Makes Us See
In this discussion, Joey Pollari—an actor, musician, and director known for his role as Anthony Perkins in Netflix's *Monster*—explores the psychological depths of horror. He shares how Jungian ideas shaped his artistic process and discusses the complex interplay between personal trauma and public persona. The conversation addresses the nature of monsters within us, the allure of horror, and the impact of embodying monstrous characters. Joey also reflects on the lessons of resilience learned through rejection in the acting world.

Oct 16, 2025 • 1h 10min
SUBLIMATIO: Jung’s Alchemical Method Turning Problems into Archetypes
Explore the psychological process of sublimatio and how it transforms problems into archetypal insights. Discover the power of naming emotions to relieve anxiety and the role of myths and symbols in amplifying understanding. Learn how tools like astrology and tarot offer broader perspectives in navigating emotional distress. Delve into dream analysis, highlighting the significance of imagery and messages from the unconscious. Reflect on the balance between intellectual insights and embodied feelings in the path to personal growth.

29 snips
Oct 9, 2025 • 1h 21min
People Pleasing Is Making You Sick!
People-pleasing can mask your true self, leading to emotional depletion and a false persona. The hosts explore how family dynamics create this habit, often driven by a need for safety at the expense of authenticity. They discuss practical tools for breaking the cycle, like taking time to reflect before saying yes. The conversation highlights the importance of inner authority and the courage to embrace your true desires, even at the risk of disapproval. Additionally, they touch on dream interpretation as a powerful means of reconnecting with one's core self.

Oct 5, 2025 • 11min
[SUBSCRIBER BONUS] How Do the Negative Mother and Negative Animus Collude?
The hosts delve into the dynamics of a woman's psyche, exploring how the negative mother and negative animus can collude. They discuss dreams that illustrate these complex relationships and connect them to fairy tale motifs. Absent father figures represented in tales reflect harmful omissions in the psyche. The inactive animus is shown to hinder the ego's fight against destructive forces. The discussion highlights the medicinal qualities of dreams, emphasizing that negative figures might indicate deeper inner conflicts.

Oct 2, 2025 • 1h 19min
If Looks Could Kill: The Death Mother Archetype
Explore the fascinating Death Mother archetype, a force that suppresses joy and initiative under the guise of care. Discover its mythic origins and how it mirrors nature’s duality of life and death. Unpack the everyday manifestations of this archetype, from conditional intimacy to the somatic impacts on children. Delve into intergenerational wounds and cultural pressures surrounding motherhood. Ultimately, learn about confronting this archetype and the journey towards individuation.

18 snips
Sep 25, 2025 • 1h 18min
Projection & Play: What Dolls Do to Psyche
Explore the fascinating world of dolls and their psychological significance. Discover how children use them for play and identity exploration while adulthood brings controversies over lifelike 'reborn' dolls. Learn about the historical rituals attached to dolls and the impact of AI as a modern substitute. Delve into the symbolism of dolls, comparing them to dream figures that enrich our inner lives. The hosts emphasize the importance of engaging with symbols to foster imagination and navigate grief, all while inviting listeners to dream alongside them.

24 snips
Sep 18, 2025 • 1h 6min
MYTHS: Maps of the Collective Unconscious
Dive into how myths serve as the collective dreams of cultures and shape our attitudes. Discover the power of archetypes through stories like Oedipus and contemporary narratives. Explore the concepts of night-sea journeys, showcasing themes of hubris and humility, illustrated through mythic examples. Experience how personal myths can emerge in a postmodern world, expanding our perspectives. Engage with the idea of interpreting dreams, unveiling unconscious treasures and insights.


