Jung in the World | Jung, Wonder Woman, and the Psychology of Myth with Laura Vecchiolla

In this episode, Patricia Martin interviews Laura Vecchiolla, clinical psychologist and graduate of the Jungian Psychotherapy Program at the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago. Their discussion touches on:

• Jung’s obsession with mythology
• Mythology – Freud vs Jung
• What does archetypal mean?
• Image vs story
• Wonder Woman
• Hero’s journey
• Glory seeking vs caretaking
• Underestimation of women
• Harry Potter/Hermione
• Androgynous archetypes
• Mainstream representation
• Healing mythology

Laura Vecchiolla, PsyD is a 2018 graduate of the Jungian Psychotherapy Program at the CG Jung Institute of Chicago. She is also an active member of the Association for Death Education (ADEC) and she specializes in working with death, dying, and traumatic loss. Laura has always had a great appreciation for the mythopoetic nature of the psyche and the undeniable, surprising, and enduring use of stories in service of individuation and healing and has published several chapters discussing the intersection of pop culture and psychology including pieces on Star Wars, Game of Thrones, Wonder Woman, and Daredevil. Laura stays active in social justice matters, working to make mental health spaces safer and more inclusive for all identities, abilities, and economic statuses. Part of this work entails understanding and dismantling the systems of oppression and privilege within the methods of healing that she uses within her own practice, including analytical and transpersonal psychologies.

Patricia Martin is a cultural analyst, consultant, and the author of three books on cultural trends. As a consultant, Martin has worked on teams at Discovery Communications, Dannon, Microsoft, Ms. Foundation for Women, Oracle, Unisys, The Art Institute of Chicago, and the New York Philharmonic, to name a few. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, USA Today, and Advertising Age. A blogger since 2002, Martin was a regular contributor to Huffington Post during its start-up years. She earned a B.A. in English and sociology from Michigan State University and an M.A. in Irish literature and culture from the University College Dublin. Later, she built a foundation for her cultural analysis by studying Jungian theory and depth psychology at the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago, where she is currently a Professional Affiliate and member of the program committee. In 2017, she harnessed artificial intelligence to uncover the effects of the internet on our sense of self. A book on her findings entitled Will the Future Like You? is due out later in 2021. Martin speaks worldwide about cultural changes that are shaping the future and the impact of the digital culture on the collective. A native of Detroit, Martin works in Chicago and lives in an ancient forest near the shores of Lake Michigan with her husband and countless deer.

Thank you to everyone who has shared a little about themselves. If you’d like us to know who you are, click this link, and I’ll read your submission on the podcast!

You can support this free podcast by making a donation, becoming a member of the Institute, or making a purchase in our online store. Your support enables us to provide free and low-cost educational resources to all.

This podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. You may share it, but please do not change it, sell it, or transcribe it.
Executive Producer: Ben Law
Host: Patricia Martin
Contributors: Judith Cooper & Daniel Ross
Music: Michael Chapman