Love and Relationships as a Spiritual Path in the 21st Century: A Jungian Perspective

In her forthcoming book, Love Between Equals: Relationship as a Spiritual Path, Jungian analyst, Polly Young-Eisendrath, expresses hope about love in the 21st century, but she also feels significant concern due to the enormity of the challenge we are facing.

Personal love—that is, love that we feel within—has changed over time, according to Polly. In this day and age, we seek some very specific outcomes in our relationships that have not always been sought in “traditional” relationships.

Unfortunately, relational trauma can occur when we perceive that the partner we have chosen to witness us is failing us. Dissatisfaction then leads us to see the “other” as the source of our unhappiness. Trauma, however, can allow new developments to take place as old structures break down. We need to “bump up against one another” in relationships in order to become conscious—to see the patterns at work in our lives, to understand ourselves, and to define meaning.

If we look at it from a larger spiritual framework, we can perceive that love between equals allows us to work more closely with consciousness as a relational field…

Listen to the full audio interview: Bonnie Bright with Polly Young-Eisendrath

About Bonnie Bright, Ph.D.

Bonnie Bright, Ph.D. holds M.A. degrees in Psychology from Sonoma State University and Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, where she also completed her doctorate. She is a certified Archetypal Pattern Analyst™ and Transpersonal Soul-Centered Coach, using Somatic, Symbolic, and Shamanic perspectives to guide clients through spiritual awakening, integrate mystical experiences, and overcome creative blockages. She founded the Institute for Soul-Centered Psychology and Coaching™ in 2020. Bonnie is accredited through the International Association of Coaches, Therapists, & Mentors (IACTM) and has extensive training in dream work, Holotropic Breathwork, and the Enneagram. She also completed a 2-year training in Indigenous African Spiritual Technologies with elder Malidoma Somé, has lived with indigenous Shipibo people in Peru as part of a shamanic initiation to learn medicine and healing modalities , and has worked with shamans and healers in the Africa, and North and South America. In 2010, she founded Depth Psychology Alliance™, an online organization with over 5,500 members, and served as Executive Editor of Depth Insights™ journal for six years. Bonnie is the editor of "Earth, Climate, Dreams: Dialogues with Depth Psychologists in the Age of the Anthropocene" (2019) and "Depth Psychology and the Digital Age" (2016). Her journey into soul-centered work began with a mystical experience in 2006, which continues to inform her daily quest for awakening and helping others find their own path to soul.