LITERATURE + LECTURES

The Jung Center of Houston presents Imagination, Fantasy, and the Inner Life.  In this lecture and workshop, therapist Anna Guerra reclaims imagination as necessary to the best of human experience.

Lecture—Fantasy:"The Music of the Night"
Friday, October 30
What is fantasy and phantasizing? What sense do we make of those things that stir our imagination? The musical "Phantom of the Opera" depicts the story of Christine Daae's struggle with the mysterious realm of night, the unconscious. What does this popular, award-winning musical tell us of our struggle to relate to this mysterious realm?

There are two central male figures in this story, both vying for Christine's affection. One is a man/ghost who lives in the darkest recesses of the Opera Popular, and the other inhabits the day world of ordinary, mundane existence. The musical shows us how the tension between these two men personifies the struggle of relating to these two realities. This lecture serves as an introduction to the themes of Saturday's workshop where fantasy, reverie, and imagination will be explored in greater depth.

Workshop—It's Just My Imagination . . . Running Away with Me
Saturday, October 31
What is imagination? Does it have value? We know all too well the conscious or unconscious voices that dismiss reverie, fantasy, and the imagination as irrelevant and meaningless: "It's just my imagination." Jung believed that the imagination is the source of all good ideas and creative work, and that "all that is greatest in life" we owe to fantasy. Using lecture, film clips, and group discussion, we will explore the meaning of imagination, and the attitudes we take toward our fantasies, reveries, and imaginings.

Anna Guerra, JD, MA, LPC, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Houston, Texas. She holds degrees in philosophy, law, and clinical psychology. She is currently a candidate-in-training to become a Jungian analyst with the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts.