The people behind the shelves
Figures
90 analysts, philosophers, classicists, and researchers Seba reads from. Each portrait is an orientation into the work, never a substitute for it.
Held books answer as evidence; the concordance and guides orient. One search, and it tells you which is which.
All 90 figures · A–Z
A
- Alfred Adler 1870–1937 Austrian psychiatrist who founded Individual Psychology emphasizing social interest, inferiority feelings, and family dynamics over Freudian sexual determinism.
- Carol K. Anthony
- Aphrodite Ancient Greek goddess of love, beauty, and desire, central to mythological narratives and depth-psychological symbolism of the feminine.
B
- John Beebe b. 1939 American Jungian analyst and psychiatrist who developed the eight-function model extending Jung’s typology theory.
- Patricia Berry Archetypal psychologist who explores mythological figures and the imaginal body in depth psychology.
- Wilfred Bion 1897–1979 English psychoanalyst who extended Kleinian theory through work with psychotic patients and developed innovative conceptual tools including the Grid.
- Eugen Bleuler 1857–1939 Swiss psychiatrist who coined schizophrenia and shaped early depth psychology through psychoanalytic integration and unconscious symptom research.
- Robert Bly b. 1926 American poet and Jungian-influenced psychologist who pioneered the mythopoetic men’s movement through shadow work and masculine mythology.
- Robert Bosnak Dutch Jungian psychoanalyst who developed embodied imagination as a therapeutic method for working with dreams.
- John Bowlby 1907–1990 British psychiatrist who pioneered attachment theory, emphasizing actual maternal relationships over fantasy in child development.
C
- Douglas Cairns b. 1961 Classicist specializing in Greek ethics, emotions, and literature; challenges shame-culture paradigm through psychological and conceptual metaphor analysis.
- Joseph Campbell 1904–1987 American mythologist who mapped the archetypal hero’s journey across world cultures via the monomyth framework.
- Joan Chodorow b. 1937 American Jungian analyst and dance/movement therapist pioneering embodied active imagination through Authentic Movement.
- Thomas Cleary 1949–2021 American translator of Buddhist, Taoist, Confucian, and Islamic classics who brought Eastern philosophical traditions to English-speaking audiences.
- Henry Corbin 1903–1978 French Iranologist and philosopher who recovered mystical and esoteric dimensions of Islamic thought through hermeneutics and creative imagination.
D
- Demeter Olympian goddess of harvest and agriculture; central figure in Eleusinian Mysteries promising initiated souls a happy afterlife.
- E. R. Dodds 1893–1979 Irish classicist who synthesized psychoanalysis, anthropology, and philosophy to illuminate irrational forces in ancient Greek culture and religion.
- Gerhard Dorn 1530–1584 16th-century alchemist and Paracelsian advocate whose mystical philosophy of inner transformation influenced Jung’s depth psychology.
E
- Meister Eckhart 1260–1328 Medieval German Dominican friar, theologian, and mystic who pioneered vernacular spiritual instruction and faced papal heresy charges.
- Edward Edinger 1922–1998 American Jungian analyst and psychiatrist who systematically applied depth psychology to literature, mythology, and religious symbolism.
- Mircea Eliade 1907–1986 Influential historian of religion who theorized hierophanies, eternal return, and sacred/profane distinction in human experience.
- Clarissa Pinkola Estés b. 1945 Mexican-American Jungian psychoanalyst and mythologist known for archetypal analysis of women’s psychological development.
F
- Marsilio Ficino 1433–1499 Italian Renaissance humanist who revived Neoplatonism and translated Plato’s complete works, founding the Florentine Academy.
- Michael Fordham 1905–1995 English child psychiatrist and Jungian analyst who pioneered infant research — developed object-relations informed depth psychology, distinct from Zurich.
- Marie-Louise von Franz 1915–1998 Swiss Jungian analyst renowned for psychological interpretations of fairy tales and alchemical manuscripts, collaborator with Carl Jung.
- Sigmund Freud 1856–1939 Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis, originator of theories of the unconscious, repression, and the tripartite psychic structure.
G
- Eugene Gendlin 1926–2017 Philosopher and psychotherapist who developed Focusing and the felt sense as bridges between bodily experience and explicit meaning.
- Wolfgang Giegerich b. 1942 German Jungian analyst who reframes psychology as the discipline of interiority and the study of soul rather than the individual.
- Liz Greene b. 1946 American-British astrologer who pioneered psychological astrology by integrating Jungian depth psychology with horoscopic interpretation.
- Stanislav Grof b. 1931 Czech-American psychiatrist and founding president of transpersonal psychology — pioneered therapeutic LSD and developed holotropic breathwork.
- Adolf Guggenbuhl-Craig 1908–2008 Swiss Jungian analyst who explored the shadow in helping professions and the erotic dimensions of marriage.
H
- James Hall b. 1933 American analytic philosopher and professor of philosophy at University of Richmond specializing in epistemology and philosophy of religion.
- Karen Hamaker-Zondag Dutch Jungian analyst and tarot scholar integrating depth psychology with divinatory practice.
- Heraclitus Ancient Greek pre-Socratic philosopher of flux, fire, and logos who saw harmony in strife and constant becoming.
- Hermes Olympian herald and psychopomp who mediates between divine and mortal realms, patron of messengers, travelers, and thieves.
- James Hillman 1926–2011 American Jungian psychologist who founded archetypal psychology, relocating depth psychology from the Self to the multiplicity of soul and psyche.
- Stephan Hoeller b. 1931 American neo-Gnostic bishop and author integrating Gnosticism with Jungian depth psychology.
- James Hollis American Jungian psychoanalyst and author exploring myth, shadow work, and meaning in the second half of life.
- Alfred Huang
J
- Jolande Jacobi 1890–1973 Swiss Jungian psychologist and expositor of analytical psychology, influential architect of Zurich’s Jung Institute.
- Mario Jacoby 1923–2007 Swiss-German Jungian analyst pioneering the integration of transference and human relationship in depth psychology.
- Pierre Janet 1859–1947 Pioneering French psychologist who established dissociation and traumatic memory as foundational concepts in depth psychology.
- Alejandro Jodorowsky b. 1929 Chilean-French avant-garde filmmaker and mystic who blends surrealism, alchemy, and psychomagic in violently visionary cinema.
- Robert A. Johnson 1921–2018 American Jungian analyst and author who made depth psychology accessible through mythological interpretation and popular works.
- Hans Jonas 1903–1993 Existentialist philosopher of gnosticism, biology, and technological ethics who reformulated moral responsibility for the technological age.
- Carl Jung 1875–1961 Swiss psychiatrist who founded analytical psychology after his break with Freud — developer of the archetypes and the collective unconscious.
- Emma Jung 1882–1955 Swiss Jungian analyst and author who financed Carl Jung’s work and became a noted analyst in her own right, particularly on the animus and anima.
K
- Donald Kalsched
- Karl Kerényi 1897–1973 Hungarian classical philologist and mythologist who bridged ancient Greek religion with depth psychology through collaboration with C.G. Jung.
- Melanie Klein 1882–1960 Austrian-British psychoanalyst who pioneered child analysis and object relations theory through play technique.
- Bessel van der Kolk b. 1943 Dutch-American psychiatrist and trauma researcher who pioneered neurobiological approaches to post-traumatic stress and complex developmental trauma.
L
- Jacques Lacan 1901–1981 French psychoanalyst who reformulated Freud through structuralist linguistics, logic, and topology, radically transforming psychoanalytic theory and practice.
- Peter Levine b. 1942 Somatic psychologist who developed Somatic Experiencing as a body-based approach to trauma resolution.
- Rafael López-Pedraza
M
- David Miller 1942–2024 English philosopher and exponent of critical rationalism who developed defects in Popper’s verisimilitude theory.
- Robert Moore 1942–2016 American Jungian psychoanalyst who integrated archetypal psychology with masculine development and depth work.
- Thomas Moore b. 1940 Contemporary depth psychologist integrating soul-centered care, mythology, and Ficinian astrology into therapeutic practice.
N
O
P
- Jaak Panksepp 1943–2017 Neuroscientist who founded affective neuroscience, mapping primary emotional systems in the brain across species.
- Paracelsus 1493–1541 Swiss Renaissance physician and alchemist who pioneered observation-based medicine and toxicology, influencing early modern medical practice.
- Wolfgang Pauli 1900–1958 Quantum physicist and collaborator with Jung on dreams and synchronicity, bridging physics and depth psychology.
- Esther Perel b. 1958 Belgian psychotherapist known for work on desire, infidelity, and relational dynamics in contemporary relationships.
- Persephone Greek goddess of spring, grain, and the underworld; central to Eleusinian Mysteries and vegetation cycles.
- Robert M. Place b. 1947 American artist and tarot scholar known for historical research on tarot symbolism and creation of multiple tarot decks.
- Plato Arcadian mythological prince killed by Zeus for his father’s impiety and cannibalistic transgression.
- Plotinus 204–270 Hellenistic Greek philosopher and founder of Neoplatonism, systematizing metaphysics through the One, Intellect, and Soul.
- Rachel Pollack b. 1945 American tarot scholar and transpersonal psychologist who integrated Jungian depth psychology with divination practice.
R
- Otto Rank 1884–1939 Austrian psychoanalyst who broke with Freud over birth trauma theory and pioneered relationship-centered, existential-humanistic therapy.
- Rudolf Ritsema 1918–2006 Dutch Jungian scholar and director of Eranos Foundation who produced foundational I Ching translations bridging East-West depth psychology.
- Dane Rudhyar 1895–1985 Pioneer of humanistic and transpersonal astrology who synthesized Jungian depth psychology with astrological symbolism.
S
- Andrew Samuels b. 1949 British Jungian psychotherapist and analyst integrating depth psychology with political and social theory.
- Robert Sardello
- Howard Sasportas 1948–1992 Astro-psychological theorist integrating depth psychology with natal chart interpretation and archetypal symbolism.
- David E. Schoen
- Francine Shapiro 1948–2019 American psychologist who developed Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a controversial exposure-based psychotherapy for trauma.
- Daniel Siegel b. 1957 Neuroscientist and psychiatrist who integrates interpersonal neurobiology, attachment theory, and mindfulness — brain development and relational health.
- Karen A. Signell
- Murray Stein b. 1943 Contemporary Jungian analyst and scholar interpreting archetypal psychology and individuation for modern depth work.
- Rick Strassman b. 1952 American psychiatrist who pioneered legal human research with DMT and sparked the modern psychedelic renaissance.
T
V
W
- Jan Wiener
- Hellmut Wilhelm 1905–1990 German Sinologist and I Ching expert who brought classical Chinese divination and thought to Western audiences through comparative cultural study.
- Richard Wilhelm 1873–1930 German sinologist and theologian who bridged Chinese philosophy and Western depth psychology.
- Donald Winnicott 1896–1971 English paediatrician and psychoanalyst who pioneered object relations through the true self, false self, and transitional object.
- Toni Wolff 1888–1953 Swiss Jungian analyst and primary intellectual collaborator who helped Jung develop core concepts including anima, animus, and psychological types.
- Marion Woodman 1928–2018 Canadian Jungian analyst and mythopoeic author who integrated feminine psychology, dream theory, and psyche-soma exploration.