Polly Young-Eisendrath (born 1947) is an American psychologist, author, teacher, speaker, Jungian analyst, Zen Buddhist, and the founder of ''Dialogue Therapy'' and
Real Dialogue
' and creator of the podcast ''Enemies: From War to Wisdom''. She has been a featured speaker at the Aspen Ideas Festival, TED-X, and is the recipient of the Otto Weininger Award for Lifetime Achievement in Psychoanalysis. Young-Eisendrath is the originator of ''Dialogue Therapy'', designed to help couples and others transform chronic conflict into greater closeness and development. In 1983, she and her late husband, Ed Epstein, designed ''Dialogue Therapy'' as a new form of couples therapy that combined psychoanalysis,

Jungian Analytical psychology (, sometimes translated as analytic psychology; also Jungian analysis) is a term referring to the psychological practices of Carl Jung. It was designed to distinguish it from Freud's psychoanalytic theories as their s ...

theory, psychodrama, and gender theory. She has published two books on ''Dialogue Therapy'' (1984 and 1993), detailing its theory and methods for clinicians and the general public. She has now re-visioned and updated ''Dialogue Therapy'' to include the distinctive combination of psychodrama, Object Relations, and Mindfulness. In 2019

Shambhala Publications Shambhala Publications is an Independent publisher, independent publishing company based in Boulder, Colorado. According to the company, it specializes in "books that present creative and conscious ways of transforming the individual, the societ ...

released ''Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path'', a book that offers her vision of personal love as a spiritual path and draws on her experience of 30 years as a Dialogue Therapist and Jungian analyst. In September, 2021

Routledge Routledge ( ) is a British multinational corporation, multinational publisher. It was founded in 1836 by George Routledge, and specialises in providing academic books, academic journals, journals and online resources in the fields of the humanit ...

released
Dialogue Therapy for Couples and Real Dialogue for Opposing Sides: Methods Based on Psychoanalysis and Mindfulness.
' She maintains a clinical practice of Jungian analytic psychotherapy and psychoanalysis in Vermont, United States.

Life and career

Raised as a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

, Polly Young-Eisendrath was born and grew up in

Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...

, where she graduated first in her class from Akron East High School. As a teenager, she worked as a long-distance telephone operator. Young-Eisendrath attended

Ohio University Ohio University (Ohio or OU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Athens, Ohio, United States. The university was first conceived in the 1787 contract between the United States Department of the Treasury#Re ...

where she met, among other scholars,

Huston Smith Huston Cummings Smith (May 31, 1919 – December 30, 2016) was a scholar of religious studies in the United States, He authored at least thirteen books on world's religions and philosophy, and his book about comparative religion, ''The World's R ...

. Smith's work in comparative religions had a profound and transformative influence on her, leading her to search for a religion that was not fundamentally ritualistic or dogmatic, but experiential and connected with daily life.

Buddhism

Young-Eisendrath began

Zen 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 phil ...

training in 1970 at the Rochester Zen Center with Philip Kapleau. She became a student of Shinzen Young in 1998. She is currently a Mindfulness and

Dharma Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...

teacher in the tradition of Shinzen Young, and practices both Soto Zen and Vipassanā, and has also practiced

Phowa ''Phowa'' (, ) is a tantric practice found in both Hinduism and Buddhism. It may be described as "transference of consciousness at the time of death", " mindstream transference", "the practice of conscious dying", or "enlightenment without medit ...

with Ayang Rinpoche and Anyen Rinpoche. She directs Waysmeet Sangha, a friendship-based Buddhist

sangha Sangha or saṃgha () is a term meaning "association", "assembly", "company" or "community". In a political context, it was historically used to denote a governing assembly in a republic or a kingdom, and for a long time, it has been used b ...

, which she hosts in Vermont.

Education and career

Young-Eisendrath attended Ohio University (OU) from 1965 to 1970 and graduated with a major in English literature. While at OU, she was an Ohio Fellow and a student in the Honors College. She earned a Masters of Arts from Goddard College, a Masters of Social Work in Clinical Social Work and a Ph.D. in Developmental and

Counseling Psychology Counseling or Counselling psychology is an international discipline. It is practiced in the United States and Canada, the United Kingdom and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong and Korea, and South Africa. Counseling psychology in th ...

from Washington University. She is also a diplomate Jungian analyst and completed her training through the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts. She has maintained an independent clinical practice as a psychologist since 1982: in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

from 1982 to 1994 and in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

since 1992. She has been a clinical associate professor in

Psychiatry Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior. ...

at the University of Vermont Medical College since 1994 and is a clinical supervisor at the Norwich University Counseling Service. A prolific writer, Young-Eisendrath has published 19 books and numerous academic articles. She is influential in the fields of

Jungian analysis Analytical psychology (, sometimes translated as analytic psychology; also Jungian analysis) is a term referring to the psychology, psychological practices of Carl Jung. It was designed to distinguish it from Freud's psychoanalytic theories ...

feminist psychology Feminist psychology is a form of psychology centered on social structures and gender. Feminist psychology critiques historical psychological research as done from a male perspective with the view that males are the norm.Crawford, M. & Unger, R. ...

, and the application of

Buddhist concepts to

psychoanalytic theory Psychoanalytic theory is the theory of the innate structure of the human soul and the dynamics of personality development relating to the practice of psychoanalysis, a method of research and for treating of Mental disorder, mental disorders (psych ...

. Translated into 12 languages, her books have been characterized as "scholarly and thoughtful, yet totally accessible", and "incisive, persuasive, practical and wise". With her late husband, Ed Epstein, she created ''Dialogue Therapy for Couples'', a time-limited

couples therapy Couples therapy (also known as couples' counseling, marriage counseling, or marriage therapy) is a form of psychotherapy that seeks to improve intimate relationships, resolve interpersonal conflicts and repair broken bonds of love. History Marri ...

done by one or two therapists, designed to help couples to handle their conflicts respectfully through the use of a combination of psychoanalysis, mindfulness and

psychodrama Psychodrama is an action method, often used as a psychotherapy, in which clients use spontaneous Adaptation (arts), dramatization, role playing, and dramatic self-presentation to investigate and gain insight into their lives. Developed by Jaco ...

. Epstein died of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease and the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in remembering recent events. As the disease advances, symptoms can include problems wit ...

in 2014 and Young-Eisendrath's memoir of the experience narrates the process of the disease from the lens of a practicing

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, offering insight into methods of coping with loss, death and grief. Young-Eisendrath is the director of the Mustard Seed Project: Research and Application of a Buddhist Model for Transforming Loss and Bereavement, and the founder and director of Enlightening Conversations: Psychoanalysts and Buddhist Teachers Talking about Enlightenment and Awakening, which was described by Mark Matousek in ''Psychology Today'' as "fascinating, potentially life-changing".Matousek, Mark.
Two Ways to Listen: A Visit to "Enlightening Conversations
, ''Psychology Today'', 10 July 2014. Web. 31 Aug. 2016

Bibliography

*O’Connor, Kevin
''Books: What One Vermonter Found When Her Husband Lost His Memory''
Seven Days. 18 Feb. 2015. Web. 27 Oct. 2016 *Rice, Rebecca
''The 9 secrets of happy couples''
Redbook Feb. 1997: 92+. PowerSearch. Web. 27 Oct. 2016
''Are you kidding?''
Maclean's 10 Nov. 2008: 10. PowerSearch. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. *Herman, Bethany
''Is envy getting the best of you? Nowadays, people divulge tons of private life details. But TMI can create covetous feelings that wreak havoc on self-esteem''
Cosmopolitan Nov. 2008: 170+. PowerSearch. Web. 27 Oct. 2016. *Satow, Roberta
''Review: Female Authority: Empowering Women through Psychotherapy by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Florence Wiedemann''
Gender and Society 5, no. 1 (1991): 134-38 *Smith, Roger
''Review: The Cambridge Companion to Jung by Polly Young-Eisendrath, Terence Dawson''
''The British Journal for the History of Science'' 32, no. 3 (1999): 377-78

Published works

*Young-Eisendrath, P. (2021).
Dialogue Therapy for Couples and Real Dialogue for Opposing Sides: Methods Based on Psychoanalysis and Mindfulness
'' London, England: Routledge. *Young-Eisendrath, P. (2019).
Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path
'. Boulder, CO: Shambhala Publications. *Young-Eisendrath, P. & Hill, D. (under contract). ''Enlightenment and Idealization: Views from Buddhism and Psychoanalysis''. London, England: Routledge. *Young-Eisendrath, P. (2014)
''The Present Heart: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Discovery''
– September 2, 2008. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Press. *Young-Eisendrath, P. (2011
''Over 60 and Looking for Love: Why Not? The desire for intimate love never dies''
Psychology Today, Posted Nov 17, 2011 *Young-Eisendrath, P. (2008).
The Self-Esteem Trap: Raising Confident and Compassionate Kids in an Age of Self-Importance
'. New York, NY: Little, Brown. *Young-Eisendrath, P. and Dawson, T. (Eds.) (2008)
''The Cambridge Companion to Jung: New and Revised''
Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. *Young-Eisendrath, P. (2004)
''Subject to Change: Jung, Gender, and Subjectivity in Psychoanalysis''
London, England: Routledge. *Young-Eisendrath, P. and Muramoto, S. (Eds.), (2002)
''Awakening and Insight: Zen Buddhism and Psychotherapy''
London, England: Routledge. *Young-Eisendrath, P. and Miller, M. (Eds.), (2000)
''The Psychology of Mature Spirituality: Integrity, Wisdom, Transcendence''
London, England: Routledge. *Young-Eisendrath, P. (1999)
''Women and Desire: Beyond Wanting to be Wanted''
New York: Harmony Books. *Young-Eisendrath, P. (1997)
''Gender and Desire: Uncursing Pandora''
College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press. *Young-Eisendrath, P. (1997)
''The Resilient Spirit: Transforming Suffering into Insight, Compassion and Renewal''
Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, Longman. (Previously entitled The Gifts of Suffering in hardcover. *Young-Eisendrath, P. and Dawson, T. (Eds.), (1997)
''The Cambridge Companion to Jung''
Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. *Kapleau, P. (1997
''Awakening to Zen: Teachings of Roshi Philip Kapleau''
P. Young-Eisendrath and R. Martin, (Eds.) New York: Scribners. (Paperback by Shambala Press) *Young-Eisendrath, P. (1993)
''You’re Not What I Expected: Learning to Love the Opposite Sex''
New York: William Morrow. (Re-issued by Fromm International Press, 1997). *Young-Eisendrath, P. and Hall, J. (1991)
''Jung's Self Psychology: A Constructivist Perspective''
New York: Guilford. *Young-Eisendrath, P. and Wiedemann, F. (1987)
''Female Authority: Empowering Women Through Psychotherapy''
New York: Guilford. *Young-Eisendrath, P. and Hall, J. (Eds.) (1987)
''The Book of the Self: Person, Pretext, Process''
New York: New York University Press. *Young-Eisendrath, P. (1984)
''Hags and Heroes: A Feminist Approach to Jungian Psychotherapy with Couples''
Toronto: Inner City Publications.

References

External links

www.young-eisendrath.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young-Eisendrath, Polly Jungian psychologists American women psychologists 21st-century American psychologists American psychology writers American Zen Buddhists Writers from Akron, Ohio Ohio University alumni Goddard College alumni George Warren Brown School of Social Work alumni 1947 births Living people American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American psychologists Washington University in St. Louis alumni 20th-century American Buddhists 21st-century American Buddhists