Arnold Mindell
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Arnold Mindell (January 1, 1940 – June 10, 2024) was an American author, therapist, and teacher in the fields of
transpersonal psychology Transpersonal psychology, or spiritual psychology, is an area of psychology that seeks to integrate the spiritual and transcendent human experiences within the framework of modern psychology. Evolving from the humanistic psychology movement, ...
, body psychotherapy,
social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Sustained at a larger scale, it may lead to social transformation or societal transformat ...
, and spirituality. He is known for extending Jungian dream analysis to body symptoms,Shafton, A. (1995). ''Dream reader: contemporary approaches to the understanding of dreams''. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. (p. 522-525)Caldwell, C. (1997) 'Dreams and the dreaming body. Amy and Arny Mindell' in C. Caldwell (Ed.) ''Getting in touch: The guide to new body-centered therapies''. Wheaton, IL: Quest. (p.61) promoting ideas of 'deep democracy,' and interpreting concepts from physics and mathematics in psychological terms. Mindell is the founder of process oriented psychology, or process work, a development of Jungian psychology influenced by
Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...
,
shamanism Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the spirit world through altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of this is usually to direct spirits or spiritual energies into ...
, and physics.Totton, N. (2003). ''Body Psychotherapy: An Introduction.'' Berkshire, England: Open University Press, McGraw-Hill House. (p.107-108)


Biography

Arnold Mindell was born in
Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...
. He studied applied physics at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
, and then at the
ETH Zürich ETH Zurich (; ) is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland. Founded in 1854 with the stated mission to educate engineers and scientists, the university focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ra ...
, Switzerland. Mindell was introduced to Jungian psychology in Switzerland following a chance encounter with Franz Niklaus Riklin, then president of the C.G. Jung Institute. Mindell subsequently entered analysis with Riklin and Marie-Louise von Franz and trained as a Jungian analyst at the Jung Institute. He had a Ph.D. in psychology from the Union Institute. Mindell received the Jungian analyst diploma in 1970 and worked at the C. G. Jung Institute as a teacher and
training analyst A training analysis is a psychoanalysis undergone by a candidate (perhaps a physician with specialty in psychiatry or a psychologist) as a part of her/his training to be a psychoanalyst; the (senior) psychoanalyst who performs such an analysis is c ...
until he left in 1985. In the early 1980s, Mindell and colleagues began the first training program for process oriented psychology, in Zürich; and in 1982 founded what is now known as the Institute for Process Work (Institut für Prozessarbeit IPA), an accredited training institute for psychotherapy in Switzerland. In the late 1980s, Mindell and his wife, Amy Mindell, moved back to the United States from Switzerland, causing some controversy in the small coastal town of Yachats, Oregon, with plans to build a seminar venue. In 1990, Mindell and colleagues established a center for teaching process oriented psychology in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, now known as the Process Work Institute, which in 2001 was the subject of a controversial ethics complaint. The Mindells settled in Oregon, and in 2013 were invited by the Yachats Academy of Arts and Sciences to present a lecture on their conflict resolution and open forum work around the world. Mindell features prominently in Micah Toub's 2010 memoir ''Growing Up Jung''.Toub, M. (2010). ''Growing Up Jung: Coming of Age as the Son of Two Shrinks''. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. See Ch 1 The Marginalized & Ch 2 Dreambody (pp. 15-68) Toub represents Mindell as a charismatic, unconventional post-Jungian teacher and psychotherapist who was a "a guru-like figure" for Toub's parents. Arnold Mindell died on June 10, 2024, at the age of 84.


Work


Overview

Mindell founded and developed process oriented psychology, or process work. Core ideas include his 'dreambody' concept and the application of psychology to social issues and conflict resolution in large groups, known as 'worldwork' and the principle of 'deep democracy.' Mindell's first book, ''Dreambody: The Body's Role in Revealing the Self'' (1982), linked 'the mind's dreaming process with illness and physical symptoms as well as with disciplines such as yoga and
tai chi is a Chinese martial art. Initially developed for combat and self-defense, for most practitioners it has evolved into a sport and form of exercise. As an exercise, tai chi is performed as gentle, low-impact movement in which practitioners ...
.' Mindell is known for suggesting that 'symptoms are dreams trying to come true.'
Stanislav Grof Stanislav Grof (born July 1, 1931) is a Czech-born American psychiatrist. Grof is one of the principal developers of transpersonal psychology and research into the use of non-ordinary states of consciousness for purposes of psychological hea ...
has described Mindell as one of the 'pioneers of transpersonal psychology.'Grof, S. (2010). The Consciousness Revolution. In V. V. Kozlov, V. V. Maykov, & V. F. Petrenko (Eds.), ''Consciousness Revolution: Transpersonal Discoveries That Are Changing the World. Materials of the 17th International Transpersonal Conference''. Moscow, July 23–27, 2010. (pp. 100–103). Moscow: Presidium of the International Academy of Psychological Sciences. Retrieved from http://ita2010.com/downloads/en/eng_17th_Conference_Theses.pdf (p.102) In 2012, Mindell was one of five people recognized with a Pioneer Award from the US Association of Body Psychotherapy. He is a holder of the World Certificate for Psychotherapy awarded by the World Council for Psychotherapy. In the 2017 critical exploration of the relationship between African Americans and C.G. Jung's analytical psychology, Fanny Brewster describes Mindell's dreambody work and his linking of body symptoms and psychological development. Brewster finds that Mindell's development of Jungian ideas are aligned with traditional African concepts of healing which link mind and body: : 'I believe that Mindell's approach to dreamwork with its emphasis on body healing mirrors the African system of healing's inclusiveness of body and mind in the process.' Mindell has been described as 'a natural interculturalist who excels at building relationships across cultural boundaries.' Mindell's intercultural skills include a focus on the importance of nonverbal elements of communication and the 'ability to switch viewpoints and join the other's reality.' Mindell has been the subject of two Thinking Allowed programs, the independent television series hosted by Jeffrey Mishlove. He has been interviewed on Shrink Rap Radio (2008), New Dimensions Radio (2009, 1995) and Somatic Perspectives on Psychotherapy (2009).


Criticism

Mindell has been criticised for teaching
New Age New Age is a range of Spirituality, spiritual or Religion, religious practices and beliefs that rapidly grew in Western world, Western society during the early 1970s. Its highly eclecticism, eclectic and unsystematic structure makes a precise d ...
concepts and practices that are unclear and unknown within the mainstream of psychology; and it is noted that he is not licensed as a clinical psychologist in Oregon. Mindell's dreambody work has been criticized as a form of 'metaphysical healthcare'; while another commentator referred to process oriented psychology as an example of a transpersonal psychology with the potential, he claimed, to be misused as a form of 'mind control.'


Key ideas

The 'dreambody' concept was developed in the 1970s while Mindell was a practicing Jungian analyst, derived from his observation of connections between people's dreams and their body symptoms and published in ''Dreambody: the Body's Role in Revealing the Self'' (Routledge, 1982). Mindell's therapeutic technique has been compared to
Fritz Perls Friedrich Salomon Perls (July 8, 1893 – March 14, 1970), better known as Fritz Perls, was a German-born psychiatrist, psychoanalyst and psychotherapist. Perls coined the term "Gestalt therapy" to identify the form of psychotherapy that he devel ...
: "The most striking difference, at least from Perls himself, is one of mood – Mindell's work is playful, supportive and permissive rather than confrontational." Another commentator writes: "Mindell … exemplifies both the good and bad of contemporary dreamwork. On the first score: there is a bit of flim-flam about Mindell. And he conspicuously overemploys the first person singular while extolling non-ego functions. Also, he interprets disease processes so positively that they begin to lose their catagogic authenticity. But on the second score: he is inventive, creative, intuitive, holistic, and affirmative. He breaks down prevailing categories and finds authentic meanings where our culture traditionally does not. And he helps people." In 1995, Mindell extended the dreambody concept to a theory and practice of working with people in coma and near death states; this work inspired a UK theatre production by Improbable theatre. In his 1988 book, ''City Shadows: Psychological Interventions in Psychiatry,'' Mindell presented his approach to psychiatric disorders, drug addiction and mental retardation. The book provides verbatim case studies describing interventions focused on the meaning of the patient's unusual communication, including non-verbal signals. Mindell's 1990 book, ''Working on Yourself Alone: Inner Dreambody Work,'' presents a meditation practice that focuses attention on subtle body experiences and amplifies them to reveal unexpected information and meaning for the meditator. It provides a model for creative spiritual practice involving inner reflection and personal development. In the 2002 work, ''Dreaming while Awake: Techniques for 24-hour Lucid Dreaming'', Mindell built on ideas of lucid dreaming, indigenous traditions and
Zen Buddhism Zen (; from Chinese: '' Chán''; in Korean: ''Sŏn'', and Vietnamese: ''Thiền'') is a Mahayana Buddhist tradition that developed in China during the Tang dynasty by blending Indian Mahayana Buddhism, particularly Yogacara and Madhyamaka ph ...
to create an awareness practice for daily life: paying attention to thoughts and perceptions that are normally dismissed, which he calls 'flirts' from the 'Dreaming.' Mindell also published books dealing with large group conflict resolution and leadership, notably ''The Leader as Martial Artist: An Introduction to Deep Democracy'' (1992) and ''Sitting in the fire: Large Group Transformation Using Conflict and Diversity'' (1995). Mindell advances a concept and principle he calls 'deep democracy' and the approach has been compared to the work of Danaan Parry.Totton, N. (2000). ''Psychotherapy and Politics.'' London: Sage Publications. (p.45-48) Mindell's group conflict work has been reported within a business setting and within large community forums working with racism and other social tensions.Peay, P. (July 5, 1997). Public therapy aims to heal rifts of racism. ''St Petersburg Times, FL''.Lattin, D. (May 1, 1992). Mediators target hot spots. ''San Francisco Chronicle''. Mindell's concept of 'rank,' published in his book ''Sitting in the Fire'', has been used to support greater gender awareness in mediation training. Mindell's work is known for proposing analogies between the concepts of mathematics, classical and quantum physics and psychological experiences; his books include simple exercises to guide the reader to explore their own experience of these ideas.


Works

* Mindell, A. (2019) ''The Leader's 2nd Training: For Your Life and Our World''. Gatekeeper Press. * Mindell, A. (2017) ''Conflict: Phases, Forums, and Solutions: For our Dreams and Body, Organizations, Governments, and Planet.'' CreateSpace. * Mindell, A. (2013) ''Dance of the Ancient One.'' Deep Democracy Exchange. * Mindell, A. (2007). ''Earth-Based Psychology: Path Awareness from the Teachings of Don Juan, Richard Feynman, and Lao Tse.'' Portland, OR: Lao Tse Press. * Mindell, A. (2004) ''The Quantum Mind and Healing.'' Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Road Publishing Company *Mindell, Arnold; Mindell, Amy (2002) ''Riding the Horse Backwards: Process Work in Theory and Practice (Foundation Series).'' Lao Tse Press * Mindell, A. (2000). ''Dreaming While Awake: Techniques for 24-hour Lucid Dreaming.'' Charlottesville, VA: Hampton Roads Publishing Company Inc. * Mindell, A. (2000). ''Quantum Mind: The Edge Between Physics and Psychology.'' Portland, OR: Lao Tse Press. * Mindell, A. (1995). ''Sitting in the Fire: Large Group Transformation Using Conflict and Diversity.'' Portland, OR: Lao Tse Press. * Mindell, A. (1995). ''Coma: The Dreambody near Death.'' Penguin Books (Arkana). * Mindell, A. (1993). ''The Shaman's Body: A New Shamanism for Transforming Health, Relationships, and the Community.'' HarperSanFrancisco. * Mindell, A. (1992). ''The Leader as Martial Artist: An Introduction to Deep Democracy'' (1st ed.). San Francisco: Harper. * Mindell, A. (1990). ''Working on Yourself Alone: Inner Dreambody Work.'' Penguin Group. * Mindell, A. (1989). ''The Year 1: Global Process Work -- Community Creation from Global Problems, Tensions and Myths.'' London: Penguin Books (Arkana). * Mindell, A. (1988). ''City Shadows: Psychological Interventions in Psychiatry.'' London and New York: Routledge. * Mindell, A. (1985). ''River's Way: The Process Science of the Dreambody.'' London: Routledge & Kegan Paul. * Mindell, A. (1982). ''Dreambody: The Body's Role in Revealing the Self.'' London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.


References


External links


Arnold Mindell website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mindell, Arnold 1940 births 2024 deaths American psychoanalysts Jungian psychologists Archetypal psychology Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Writers from Schenectady, New York ETH Zurich alumni Union Institute & University alumni Transpersonal psychologists American spiritual writers Shamanism of the Americas