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Ashok Bedi , M.D. B.J. Jakala, PH.D. From February 7th through 18th, a group of soul seekers will travel in India to experience the land of Mahatma Gandhi through Jungian lens of Analytical Psychology. This experience is sponsored by the New York Jung Foundation. For the next several days, the faculty member of the group, Jungian Analyst Ashok Bedi and a Depth Psychotherapist Dr. Robert J. Jakala will compose a daily blog of their reflections about the experience. Other group participants have been invited to contribute to the blog and may join us from time to time. We are glad to share our experiences and reflections. Enjoy!        By B.J.Jakala   Blackbuck stag blending into the habitat    Camouflage provides protection from visual attention. Within my own psyche I have areas that are naturally hidden and those that I need to hide from the world. What a glorious moment, when I trust myself and the world enough to reveal myself to it, and the world supports who I am.    \ Stepping out into the world of community.    Nature has its way of selecting the strong to survive; survival of the fittest. My internal environment is similar. I can engage competing parts within myself. It helps when I remember natural selection within my own psyche-not always pretty or easy–but overall– life affirming.   Striped hyena – a predator –as it naps BJ Jakala, PhD is a participant in this year’s Journey to the Land of Gandhi through the Jungians Lens led by Dr. Bedi.  Reflections by Ashok Bedi Our ego consciousness has to be authentic yet discerning to balance what is revealed and what must be concealed to be revealed at an appropriate time with adequate preparation. It is the task […]

Ashok Bedi , M.D. B.J. Jakala, PH.D. From February 7th through 18th, a group of soul seekers will travel in India to experience the land of Mahatma Gandhi through Jungian lens of Analytical Psychology. This experience is sponsored by the New York Jung Foundation. For the next several days, the faculty member of the group, Jungian Analyst Ashok Bedi and a Depth Psychotherapist Dr. Robert J. Jakala will compose a daily blog of their reflections about the experience. Other group participants have been invited to contribute to the blog and may join us from time to time. We are glad to share our experiences and reflections. Enjoy!      By B.J.JakalaBelow is an example of a simple stitch used on a book cover The Calico Museum of Textiles is a treasure of three hundred year old works of textile art. Pieces would often take three years for one person to make. The embroidery adds texture and color to simple fabric; it adds depth and meaning. Each stitch gives dimension and color to an otherwise plain fabric and contributes to the vision of the artist. Perhaps the work of the textile artist parallels life. If we start out as plain fabric and bring life’s experiences in and out, much like the stitch, then the world can see our life in the art of living. The important question: Who is the artist? BJ Jakala, PhD is a participant in this year’s Journey to the Land of Gandhi through the Jungians Lens led by Dr. Bedi. Reflections by Ashok Bedi Every life is woven by three artists. Our ego or outer consciousness, our Soul and the timeless flow of the universe- the Brahman. The Brahman […]

Ashok Bedi , M.D. B.J. Jakala, PH.D. From February 7th through 18th, a group of soul seekers will travel in India to experience the land of Mahatma Gandhi through Jungian lens of Analytical Psychology. This experience is sponsored by the New York Jung Foundation. For the next several days, the faculty member of the group, Jungian Analyst Ashok Bedi and a Depth Psychotherapist Dr. Robert J. Jakala will compose a daily blog of their reflections about the experience. Other group participants have been invited to contribute to the blog and may join us from time to time. We are glad to share our experiences and reflections. Enjoy!  By B.J.JakalaIndia provides an opportunity as she unlocks the door between inner and outer mystery. Her Hindu mythological platform gives a solid foundation to understanding various aspects of the psyche.     I believe the most important aspect of her mythology is how relational it is. Much like Jung’s concepts of conscious and unconscious, Hindu mythology favors the dynamics. The encounter in India facilitates a blatant relationship between known and unknown, familiar and foreign.  We visited a Jain temple and the Gandhi ashram. It was a perfect pairing of nonviolent ideas. It afforded me to consider how an ancient tradition intersects with modern life of living more fully and purposefully. As Gandhi said, “My message is my life.”    BJ Jakala, PhD is a participant in this year’s Journey to the Land of Gandhi through the Jungians Lens led by Dr. Bedi. Reflections by Ashok Bedi:In every civilization, there comes a time to make a fundamental and profound change. When an individual or a culture is in midst of such a transformative experience, it needs a guide, a guru and alchemist to […]

Ashok Bedi , M.D. B.J. Jakala, PH.D. From February 7th through 18th, a group of soul seekers will travel in India to experience the land of Mahatma Gandhi through Jungian lens of Analytical Psychology. This experience is sponsored by the New York Jung Foundation. For the next several days, the faculty member of the group, Jungian Analyst Ashok Bedi and a Depth Psychotherapist Dr. Robert J. Jakala will compose a daily blog of their reflections about the experience. Other group participants have been invited to contribute to the blog and may join us from time to time. We are glad to share our experiences and reflections. Enjoy!   By B.J.Jakala BJ Jakala, PhD is a participant in this year’s Journey to the Land of Gandhi through the Jungians Lens led by Dr. Bedi Today entailed a visit to the archeological site of Lothal. The civilization dates back 4,000 years. These remnants of this town invite the imagination to “remember” the early life of trading beads and jewelry. It seemed a utilitarian existence. The day still touches an ancient part of me. It feels more than looking into a reflecting pond. It is it more like stepping into the reflective waters of history: imagine to remember; to immerse into a dream of the past.  Reflections by Ashok Bedi: The Lothals were an advanced civilization with commerce, trade and social infrastructure. However, what really made them advanced was social responsibility. They had five levels of organic filters in their sewer system before they would discharge this waste into the ocean! This social awareness came from an active Transcendent function. They had respect for the Numinous. They worshiped four gods: the Sun god, the fire god, the sea god and […]

Ashok Bedi, M.D., ISSN 1939-3407  Contemporary Western medicine is disease-based and focuses on the work of specialists rather than generalists. It is reactive rather than proactive, crisis-oriented rather than holistic, physician-directed rather than interactive, and focused on curing illnesses rather than promoting wellness. Medical treatment is delivered via a chaotic, disconnected matrix of urgent-care facilities, emergency rooms, hospitals, and specialists. The presumed driver of this care, the family physician, is at the bottom of this pyramid.  The emerging integrative medicine of the 21st century will be patient-focused, empowering individuals to take care of themselves through a balanced lifestyle that uses their unique personal resources and attributes, and invokes the traditions of their ancestral wisdom and their souls’ guidance. In this model, patients will map out, not only their illness profiles, but also their wellness plans. In this new paradigm, the emphasis is on accessing the Healing Zone to move from a focus on illness to a goal of enhancing wellness.  According to the National Center for Complementary Medicine, 42 percent of Americans use at least some of the methods of wellness medicine we will discuss (Spiegel, n.d.). More patients visit practitioners of these complementary methods of treatment than visit primary-care doctors. Among the main reasons for seeking these alternatives are pain, pediatrics, and self-care for stress and weight loss. Fifty percent of cancer patients and AIDS survivors consult complementary-care providers. Seventy-two percent of these patients don’t talk about it with their doctors, yet studies show that 83 percent of patients combine alternative with conventional medicine.  The Healing Zone is a place of awe and mystery. It is not a linear phenomenon, but a quantum field where energy and matter become interchangeable. My recently published […]