{"id":33162,"date":"2026-02-18T11:17:40","date_gmt":"2026-02-18T17:17:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jungchicago.org\/blog\/?post_type=product&p=33162"},"modified":"2026-04-20T09:15:54","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T14:15:54","slug":"shrouded-in-trauma-unthreading-the-fabric-of-our-political-psyche","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/jungchicago.org\/blog\/product\/shrouded-in-trauma-unthreading-the-fabric-of-our-political-psyche\/","title":{"rendered":"Shrouded in Trauma: Unthreading the Fabric of Our Political Psyche"},"content":{"rendered":"

Many are struggling to make sense of today\u2019s political climate. The events unfolding in the U.S. feel overwhelming\u2014bigger, more intense, and more alarming than anything we\u2019ve lived through. But what if this moment isn\u2019t unprecedented? What if today\u2019s turmoil is not an isolated crisis, but part of a recurring pattern woven throughout U.S. history?<\/p>\n

For anyone interested in understanding the sociopolitical climate, this program offers an accessible framework for exploring how history, psychology, and collective trauma shape these times. Instead of viewing current events as isolated, we\u2019ll consider how they fit into longstanding patterns in the American story that reflect deeper emotional and psychological dynamics within our national psyche.<\/p>\n

Donald Kalsched\u2019s trauma theory and concept of the archetypal self-care system is used to examine how early responses to overwhelming experiences appear in the collective in response to stress, change, conflict, and uncertainty. Recognizing this self-care system helps us better understand polarization, rising anxiety, and recurring national tensions\u2014and potentially anticipate how future cultural shifts may unfold.<\/p>\n

Through presentation, discussion, and reflective exercises, we will explore the threads of collective trauma defenses and pathways toward healing. Together we\u2019ll consider how imagination, relationship, honest dialogue, and the acknowledgment of painful history might soften defensive patterns and open space for collective growth.<\/p>\n

Learning Objectives<\/span>
\nThis course is intended to help you:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Describe the key elements of Donald Kalsched\u2019s theory of trauma and the archetypal self-care system, including its developmental origins and defensive structure.<\/li>\n
  2. Identify protective and persecutory dynamics within the archetypal self-care system as they appear intrapsychically and in collective behavior.<\/li>\n
  3. Explain how historical and contemporary sociopolitical events in the United States can be understood as expressions of collective trauma and the activated archetypal self-care system.<\/li>\n
  4. Analyze at least one current or historical sociopolitical phenomenon through the lens of collective enactment and the archetypal self-care system.<\/li>\n
  5. Identify psychological and relational factors that contribute to the softening or transformation of trauma-based defensive systems, supporting individual and collective healing.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Instructor<\/span><\/p>\n

    \"Headshot<\/a>Andrea Gaspar, PsyD<\/strong>, is a clinical psychologist practicing in the Chicagoland area with a focus on the treatment of trauma and sexual abuse utilizing Jungian and somatic approaches. She was a Fellow of the Jungian Psychotherapy Program (2018\u20132020) and graduate of the Jungian Studies Program (2014\u20132016) at the C G Jung Institute of Chicago and has served as the program\u2019s Co-Director since 2021. Dr. Gaspar also co-developed and co-directed the six-month training program Memories, Dreams, Reflections: Exploring the Depths with colleagues Adina Davidson and Daniel Ross. Her current research is focused on collective psyche, cultural complex, and the application of trauma theory to the sociopolitical climate and she has lectured on psychodynamic theory, trauma, and culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    In-Person Only
    \nAndrea Gaspar, PsyD
    \nApril 17, 2026 | 1-4pm
    \nC G Jung Institute of Chicago, 53 W Jackson Blvd Ste 438 (    MAP<\/a>)
    \n3 CEs Available<\/p>\n

    This program will not be recorded.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":33216,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"pwb-brand":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[665],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-33162","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-past-live-courses-events","member-discount","discount-restricted","first","outofstock","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-variable"],"exclude_global_add_ons":[],"addons":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nShrouded in Trauma: Unthreading the Fabric of Our Political Psyche - C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jungchicago.org\/blog\/product\/shrouded-in-trauma-unthreading-the-fabric-of-our-political-psyche\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Shrouded in Trauma: Unthreading the Fabric of Our Political Psyche - C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In-Person Only Andrea Gaspar, PsyD April 17, 2026 | 1-4pm C G Jung Institute of Chicago, 53 W Jackson Blvd Ste 438 (MAP) 3 CEs Available This program will not be recorded.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/jungchicago.org\/blog\/product\/shrouded-in-trauma-unthreading-the-fabric-of-our-political-psyche\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"C. G. 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