This Jungian Life Podcast

In his new book, The End of the World, author and psychoanalyst JON MILLS considers the question of why humanity seems bent on self-destruction.

We face famine, climate change, obscene wealth disparities, and threats of global war and nuclear annihilation. Yet the majority of us seem to prefer living either in denial, or in irrational, active opposition to reading the writing on the wall.

This week Jungian analyst and co-host Lisa Marchiano interviews Jon about how we face up to impending catastrophe. Is there a viable alternative to the current situation in which we seem to be indulging a collective death wish, careening unconsciously toward a dangerous precipice?

Lisa and Jon discuss Jung’s emphasis on doing individual shadow work and how myth and fairy tale - a distillation of human nature and wisdom - might offer a spark of hope. If we can recognize and confront evil and hold the tension of opposites we can start a conversation with our shadow.

Follow Up for This Episode

Read Jon Mills’ new book, End of the World: Civilization and Its Fate.
Visit Jon Mills’ website.
Watch bonus mini-episodes on our Patreon channel.
Download our free Dream Recall Meditation Guide.

Why is it that we sometimes fail to rise to life’s most important challenges? Why do we instead procrastinate, withdraw, self-sabotage, or feel unable to move toward the life we want?

This week, at a listener’s suggestion, Jungian analysts Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart explore the concept of anti-libidinal forces in the psyche: those self-destructive impulses that oppose growth, pleasure, and forward movement.

We discuss the ways this phenomenon has been addressed within the profession, including Freud’s death drive, Melanie Klein’s concept of the bad breast, Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ predator in the psyche, and Donald Kalsched’s protector/persecutor.

Libido was understood by Jung to mean life energy, rather than being purely sexual. We explore how blocked libido can become depression, paralyzing fear, hoarding behavior, vicious self-criticism, or simply an inability to begin or complete what matters most.

Through stories such as Bluebeard, Jonah and the Whale, and Marduk and Tiamat, we consider inner monsters that threaten to devour vitality.

Anti-libidinal forces, however, are not the end of the story. We also discuss the heroic task of meeting fear, reclaiming disowned energies, and choosing life one step at a time.Read the dream we analyze in full on our website.

Connect With This Jungian Life
Download our free Dream Recall Meditation Guide.
Send a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠dream⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ for us to analyze on the show.
Check out our TJL ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast merch⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Follow This Jungian Life on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Our lives have already been altered by rapidly expanding access to artificial intelligence (AI). In this week’s episode, we consider how this latest technological revolution might be reshaping the human psyche.

Hosts Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart are joined by a special guest, the author and Jungian analyst Christina Becker, to explore the psychological impact of AI’s incursion into our work, home and relationships.

One of the major AI use cases has been for advice, self-reflection and companionship. Some users are even referring to this as “therapy”. This raises thorny questions: what happens when a sycophantic AI interface constantly mirrors us back to ourselves as being in the right? How does this affect our judgment, our relationships, and our connection to reality?

Christina Becker shares her work exploring the potential of AI to support Jungian dream analysis. Together we ask whether it is possible to use this powerful tool consciously, while also being aware of the fantasies and projections we bring to it, and maintaining the integrity of our inner lives.

Read the dream we analyze in full on our website.

Follow Up

Read Christina Becker’s book, Soul-Making: A Journey of Resilience and Spiritual Rediscovery

Request Christina Becker’s Jungian-based dream interpretation prompt on her website 

Read Lisa Marchiano’s article, “ChatGPT-Induced Psychosis and the Good-Enough Therapist”, Psychology Today, July 2025

Download our free Dream Recall Meditation Guide

Send a dream for us to analyze on the show.

The labyrinth is a powerful metaphor for psychological development and the path of individuation.

This week Jungian analysts Lisa Marchiano and Deborah Stewart consider how twists and turns in the path of life (especially in early adulthood), ask us to confront uncertainty, anxiety, and the unknown.

Ego may crave a straight, well-planned path, but life inevitably offers something else: a fiendishly difficult labyrinth. If we want to get the most out of the journey, we’ve no choice other than to give it all we’ve got.

Through the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, we reflect on the necessity of facing up to our darkness. Ariadne’s thread, which allows Theseus to return after slaying the beast, shows us the vital role of connection in helping us find our way back.

We also explore the story of Abhimanyu from the Mahabharata. Abhimanyu’s mother gives him some knowledge of the labyrinth, but doesn’t tell him the way out, leading to tragedy. If we’re going to crack the code and exit the labyrinth, we’ll require a soulful attitude towards life, and the right psycho-spiritual teachings.

Finally, we turn to the contemplative labyrinth. This is not a place to escape from, but a path toward the center. Here, the journey becomes one of surrender, reflection, and gradual movement toward wholeness.

Read the dream we analyze in full on our website.

Connect With This Jungian Life
Dream Studio: Our new ⁠Dream School program⁠ on dreams and art starts April 16.
Send a ⁠⁠⁠⁠dream⁠⁠⁠⁠ for us to analyze on the show.
Check out our TJL ⁠⁠⁠⁠podcast merch⁠⁠⁠⁠.
Follow This Jungian Life on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠.

Many people just can’t rally to do what’s necessary and improve their lives. Is it possible they just don’t carry much vitality, or is some inner conflict blocking their access? We share personal stories of ‘energy loss’ and offer insights into purposelessness.

Carl Jung tells us inner energy flows according to its own laws, but if we can’t harness it? Expect to learn why some people are naturally low-energy, which aspects of your psyche might be leaking energy, how over-aligning with cultural norms can cut off access to instinctive vitality, where we can look for solutions, and much more...

SPECIAL NOTE: This is the second dream we've interpreted from this listener. The first interpretation follows. This is an extraordinary opportunity to see how a dream sequence evolves!

Read along with our dream interpretations HERE.

Connect With This Jungian Life
Dream Studio: Our new Dream School program on dreams and art starts April 16.
Send a ⁠⁠⁠dream⁠⁠⁠ for us to analyze on the show.
Check out our TJL ⁠⁠⁠podcast merch⁠⁠⁠.
Follow This Jungian Life on ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠.