Geri Grubbs PhD

Reflections of a Jungian Analyst: Dreams, Death, and the Unconscious

As a Jungian analyst, my vocation is rooted in the belief that the psyche is a living entity, always seeking wholeness, and that the great paradoxes of life—darkness and light, endings and beginnings—are not opposites, but partners in our evolution.

Among the many facets of analytic work, dreams occupy a central place in my practice. Jung viewed dreams as spontaneous self-portrayals of the unconscious mind, revealing hidden truths and guiding individuals towards psychological wholeness. I have found them to be the psyche’s way of communicating truths that are often hidden from waking awareness. My own relationship to dreams is both professional and personal. I keep a dream journal by my bedside, faithfully recording the nocturnal images that visit me. Some are fleeting, ephemeral wisps; others are numinous experiences that linger for days.

The passing of my son, Michael, in 1984 brought grief so profound that it defied language, shaking my foundations as a parent and as a person. In the aftermath, dreams became my companions through the darkest nights. In my sleep, I encountered images that, at first, were filled with sorrow and longing—a landscape shrouded in winter, a house emptied of warmth, sometimes glimpses of my son as he once was, laughing or looking back at me from the other side. With time, these dreams began to shift. The bleakness gave way to symbols of comfort and transformation: a gentle light at the end of a hallway, a garden growing where there had sometimes even joy.

Through these dreams, I was able to mourn, to say what could not be uttered by day, and gradually, to rediscover meaning in a life touched by absence. As I walked this path, I found that dreams carried messages not only of loss but of healing. They reminded me that my bond with my son, though changed, was not erased. The images that emerged—sometimes ambiguous, sometimes radiant—served as a bridge between my waking sorrow and deeper, unseen processes of integration and acceptance.

Looking back, I see my vocation not as a career, but as a calling—to bear witness to the mysteries of the psyche, to accompany others through the dark woods of transformation, and to honor the wisdom embedded in dreams and the inevitability of death. My hope is that my work helps others approach their own depths with curiosity and courage, trusting that within the darkness, there is always the promise of renewal. In my life and practice, dreams are not mere stories; they are guides. Death is not an enemy; it is a threshold. To be a Jungian analyst is to consent to a lifetime of dialogue with what is mysterious, painful, and ultimately, life-giving in the human soul.

My Clinical Practice

Since 1987, I have practiced depth psychology as a psychotherapist, Jungian analyst, and sandplay therapist. I completed my training at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zurich, Switzerland, obtaining certification in 1998. Alongside my education as a Jungian analyst, I also studied with Dora Kalff, the founder of Sandplay Therapy. Most importantly, I have been a devotee of Paramahansa Yogananda since 1998, so spirituality has been an important aspect of my personal life and work as a Jungian analyst.

My clinical practice is currently based near Portland, Oregon, and for those wishing on-line therapy/analysis, I am licensed in Washington and Oregon.