James Hollis

James Hollis, PhD., was born in Springfield, Illinois, and graduated from Manchester University in 1962 and Drew University in 1967. He taught Humanities 26 years in various colleges and universities before retraining as a Jungian analyst at the Jung Institute of Zurich, Switzerland (1977-82).

He is presently a licensed Jungian analyst in private practice in Washington, D. C. He served as Executive Director of the Jung Education Center in Houston, Texas for many years and now is Executive Director of the Jung Society of Washington. He is a retired Senior Training Analyst for the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts, was first Director of Training of the Philadelphia Jung Institute, and is Vice-President Emeritus of the Philemon Foundation. Additionally he is a Professor of Jungian Studies for Saybrook University of San Francisco/Houston.⁽¹⁾

In His Own Words

“In What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life, I suggest that the single most important task of the second half of life is the recovery of personal authority, namely, the discovery of what is true for us, really true, and mobilizing the courage and resources to live our truth in the world. Sounds simple, but it is the most difficult thing we will ever do. Yet how could we ever make sound choices about the course of our life, the values which matter to us, and what our life means to us without this personal authority?”⁽²⁾

“It is troubling to me that so many of us, so many of our days, succumb to fear and lethargy. Some days we spend mindlessly distracted by the diversions of popular culture. Some days we are numbed by the press of duties, legitimate claims of work and relationship, and little is left over. Some days we simply forget to show up. But how are we to “show up,” and in service to what, remain compelling questions, and worthy of periodic reflection.”⁽³⁾

“One of the most powerful shocks of the Middle Passage is the collapse of our tacit contract with the universe–the assumption that if we act correctly, if we are of good heart and good intentions, things will work out. We assume a reciprocity with the universe. If we do our part, the universe will comply. Many ancient stories, including the Book of Job, painfully reveal the fact that there is no such contract, and everyone who goes through the Middle Passage is made aware of it.” ~James Hollis, The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife

“It has become clear to me, for example, that aging itself does not bring wisdom. It often brings regression to childishness, dependency, and bitterness over lost opportunities. Only those who are still intellectually, emotionally, spiritually growing inherit the richness of aging.” ~James Hollis, What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life⁽⁴⁾

“To become a person does not necessarily mean to be well adjusted, well adapted, approved of by others. It means to become who you are. We are meant to become more eccentric, more peculiar, more odd. We are not meant just to fit in. We are here to be different. We are here to be the individual.” ~James Hollis, Through the Dark Wood: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life⁽⁴⁾

Publications

• Living an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey (2018)
• What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life (2009)
• Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life: How to Finally, Really Grow Up (2006)
• Under Saturn’s Shadow (STUDIES IN JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY BY JUNGIAN ANALYSTS) (1994)
• The Eden Project: In Search of the Magical Other (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysis, 79) (1998)
• Middle Passage, The (STUDIES IN JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY BY JUNGIAN ANALYSTS) (1993)
• Swamplands of the Soul (STUDIES IN JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY BY JUNGIAN ANALYSTS) (1996)
• Hauntings: Dispelling the Ghosts Who Run Our Lives (2013)
• Tracking the Gods (STUDIES IN JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY BY JUNGIAN ANALYSTS) (1995)
• Creating a Life: Finding Your Individual Path (Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts) (2001)
• Why Good People Do Bad Things: Understanding Our Darker Selves (2008)
• On This Journey We Call Our Life (Studies in Jungian Psychology in Jungian Analysts, Volume 103) (2003)
• Through the Dark Wood: Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life (Audio CD 2014)
• The Archetypal Imagination (Carolyn and Ernest Fay Series in Analytical Psychology) (2002)
• Mythologems (Studies in Jungian Psychology by Jungian Analysts) (2004)
• Mirrors of Transformation: The Self in Relationships : Essays (The Paja Papers) (2004)

Featured Media

Source:
(1) https://www.jameshollis.net.
(2) www.huffpost.com.
(3) www.huffpost.com.
(4) www.goodreads.com.