The unconscious mind or Shadow is much wiser and has more control over us than we can imagine. Let's discuss eleven ways to partner with the unconscious for personal evolution and healing. Many people in the modern world ignore or deny the existence of the...

I think it is important to talk about the fact that masculine and feminine energies are not gender bound, as this can be confusing. When we speak about masculine and feminine aspects of the psyche, we are referring to energies that exist in us and in the whole of...

I’m an all or nothing type of a girl, I used to say. Addictive tendencies and obsessive qualities have been a central part of my life. I felt its presence, like something was wrong from the age of about 14 - puberty awoke the hungry serpent. I metamorphosed from a...

How do we become aware of the survival strategies and coping skills that we have become so attached to? How can we let go of the unconscious survival strategies that have their roots in ancestral trauma and prevent us from living our fullest, most creative lives? Let...

by Florian Birkmayer, MD   A friend recently sent me this very sad and touching article from the NY Times about people who have lost their sense of smell due to Covid-19. Smell doesn’t just tell us whether food may be spoiled or conversely makes us enjoy its...

Statue of Yamantaka, Vanquisher of Death (wikipedia)   by Florian Birkmayer, MD Many of us were disturbed but not surprised by the events of January 6, 2021, a day of domestic terrorism, exposing for all to see the dangers of a fascist-in-all-but-uniform...

I want to share an experience that I am currently integrating and that has helped me to carry on healing the mother wound that I carry and see the importance of preparation and protection when sitting or holding space for people with stories that resonate with one’s...

Have you ever driven a familiar route in your car, one you drive regularly to work for example, and when you got to the destination, you couldn’t remember driving it at all? Well that’s because you were operating under the influence of a network in your brain called...

by Florian Birkmayer MD   Jung resurrected the term ‘Enantiodromia‘ from Heraclitus to refer to the hidden patterns by which the psyche evolves. Enantiodromia literally means things turning into their opposite. While Heraclitus felt that this applied to the...