RESEARCH STORIES

"Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion."

~ Barry Holstun Lopez

         HIGHLIGHTED

            DISSERTATION

Click here for published alumni writing and research

Click here to see our database of doctoral dissertations sorted by author, date, and methodology

In the Depth Psychology Program, we have an amazing dissertation completion rate -- at our last count, in the 90th percentile! Though our ABD students (which stands for complete "all but dissertation") struggle like dissertation students all over the world, at Pacifica the dissertations are a labor of love, a work of soul-making, and never just a mindless mental game or an academic hoop through which to jump.

"Writing my dissertation allowed me to commune with nature in a new way and to discover mysteries about an ancestral link that has guided much of my life. The journey was inspiring, challenging and at times surprising. It is a vivid experience that was one that fed my soul."

ADDI'S ABSTRACT:

     Desolate places hold a mysterious lure containing both fascination and fear.

There is a magnetic nature of place that often arouses our curiosity and entices

us to venture into unknown physical and psychological territory. Place surrounds

us. It has witnessed the evolving activity of the human species. Desolate places provide a landscape for us to explore a deeper silence not easily found in the

hustle of our modern world. Land, being present longer than most species on

this planet, holds memories and footprints that contain secrets.

The purpose of this study is to discover ways to listen into desolate place, and

to provide opportunities for the wisdom of the land to be heard. Through the use of five different lenses, an exploration into dialogue with the creative force of psyche makes available what I regard as innate, though often overlooked, knowledge embedded in the natural environment. By overtly engaging the connection that exists throughout the animate and inanimate world, we can experience an increase in feelings of respect, connection, and well-being. This is a journey toward health for ourselves and for the planet. With a larger perspective on our place in this world, we begin to feel a love for and responsibility to the land, and to all of its inhabitants.

This theoretical study uses a hermeneutic phenomenology method with organic inquiry to explore the different ways to seek the intelligence inherent in a desolate landscape. Through mythopoetic language, a creative spiral engages historical data, stories, ancestral markers, movement, film, poetry, and dreams. Meaning emerges as the interfaces between human and place are infused with the imaginal realm. As this engagement with desolate places brings forth a deeper understanding of the human-place relationship, the silenced voices find an audience. Having a sense of our place in this universe surfaces an appreciation of self and others, and a connection to the sacred. There appears to be value in the presence of quietude and barren desolation. The awe, the re-enlivening of all things, and the power of being witnessed suggests that the future vigor of our species would benefit from submerging into these landscapes.

Addi Brooks wrote a dissertation called The Lure of Desolate Places

Our students write dissertations linking depth psychology to so many different topical areas. Click here to see some of those topics they have explored.

The Depth Psychology program encourages non-traditional forms of representation in research, including poetry, memoir, film, theatre, coupled with an more traditional academic piece. Click here to read the abstracts from some of those creative formats.

Besides receiving her Doctorate in Depth Psychology, Jodi has written numerous unpublished articles concerning marginalization, institutionalization, homelessness, and incarceration.  Jodi holds a Master's degree from the University of Santa Monica in Psychology and with emphasis in Counseling, and a Master's degree in Depth Psychology from Pacifica.  Her undergraduate work is in Education with a credential in Social Psychology.  Jodi also has 20 plus in all aspects of nursing with heavy emphasis on gerontology.   

Jodi has been a consultant and trainer in senior care and housing, and has successfully started facilities in Ohio, California, Washington, and Oregon.  Her career in human services has led to corrections educator for the California Department of Corrections Rehabilitation and Contra Costa County Office of Education.

She currently resides in Berkeley, California where she continues her research on addictions and the pedagogy of incarcerated adult males.

Congratulations to another new doctor, Dr. Jodi McKenna!

Read the abstract of Jodi's dissertation titled  "Troubled Students: A Teaching Journey from Inside the Prison of Addiction to a New Landscape of the World Outside" by clicking here, in addition to some comments by her committee members Dr. Maurice Stevens and Dr. Craig Chalquist.

Congratulations Dr. Kathleen A. Barry! Read more about Kathleen's journey through her dissertation by clicking here

Kathleen has been a licensed Marriage and Family therapist since 1995 and has a private practice in Montecito, California.  Since commencing her dissertation, she has become very involved as a community activist in a variety of non-profit organizations. She is in the process of creating an educational documentary about her study. She is also working with a writing coach to transform her dissertation into a book for the general public about the role of authority in 21st century women’s lives. 

Jodi (proud new grandmother in the middle) with grandson Tosh, daughter Shanti, and son-in-law Michael Kelley.

Meet  Allie Smith, who's working title for her dissertation is On the Internet, Everybody Thinks I’m a Dog: A Depth Psychological Look at Dog Blogs.

Congratulations Dr. Phoenix Raine (left). Click here to read more about her work and dissertation.