Body as Shadow: Jung's Method of Embodied Healing, Erica Lorentz, MEd, LPC, Diplomate Jungian Analyst (IAAP) (1 hr)
Description
In 1913, Carl Jung undertook a profound inner journey into the unconscious, an experience that became foundational to his life’s work and the development of analytical psychology. Central to this legacy is the understanding that the body, imagination, and psyche are inseparable, yet modern psychology has often relegated the body to the margins.
This presentation explores the concept of the body as shadow, drawing on Jungian theory and contemporary neuroscience, including the work of Iain McGilchrist. Participants will examine how instinct, emotion, intuition, and the somatic unconscious have been culturally and clinically devalued, and the implications of this split for psychological health.
Through film clips, readings, and clinical insight, this session introduces embodied active imagination as a method for engaging the embodied soul and facilitating psychological integration. Participants will gain practical understanding of how this approach can be applied to therapeutic work and support healing.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
Discuss Carl Jung’s concept of embodied active imagination.
List at least two factors contributing to the marginalization of the body in Western psychology and their clinical implications.
Apply at least one embodied active imagination or somatic awareness technique in clinical practice.
Erica Lorentz, MEd, LPC, is a Diplomate Jungian Analyst (IAAP) and author of Body as Shadow: Jung’s Method of Embodied Healing (Karnac, 2026). She is a training analyst at the C. G. Jung Institute of New England and has served as Curriculum Coordinator and Training Board Member. She has also been a training analyst with the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts and adjunct faculty at Antioch School of Professional Psychology.
Since 1986, Ms. Lorentz has maintained a private practice working with individuals, couples, and groups. She has lectured and led workshops throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and India, including recent presentations on decolonizing mental health. Her work has been featured on Pacifica Radio and the Jung Platform. Her clinical and teaching focus centers on the embodied mythopoetic process and the inter-active field in analysis.
Her exploration of Jung’s embodied active imagination process began in 1975 through the study of Authentic Movement with Janet Adler.