- Fall 2009 - By Grief Transformed (Real Audio clip)
- Fall 2008 – Father Hunger: Jung's Dreams of His Father
- Spring 2007 – Panda-mania
- Fall 2003 – The Journey
- Summer 2001 – Lilacs in September
Susan L. Olson, L.C.S.W.
1778-B Century Boulevard N.E.
Atlanta, Georgia 30345
404-327-8777
susanolson42@earthlink.net
Susan Olson grew up in Wisconsin, graduated from Smith College in 1964, and earned her M. S. W. from the University of Georgia in 1975. She graduated from the C. G. Jung Institute (Zurich) in 1992, practices analysis in Atlanta, and is a training analyst in the Inter-Regional society of Jungian Analysts. Susan lectures and presents workshops on dreams and the mourning process, heroes and heroines in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and our soulful companionship with animals. She is the author of “The Phantom of the Opera: Angel of Music or Demon Lover?” (Spring Journal, 2005), and By Grief Transformed: Dreams and the Mourning Process (Spring Journal Books, 2010).
Articles & Audio
Books
By Grief Transformed: Dreams and the Mourning Process
Spring Journal Books, 2010
In her first year of analytical training, Susan Olson suffered the loss of her daughter in an auto accident. By Grief Transformed chronicles Susan’s journey through mourning, guided by a series of vivid and startling dreams. Jung's definition of the dream as "a harbinger of fate, a portent and comforter, the messenger of the gods" evolves from academic theory to embodied insight in this account of the transforming power of grief. From personal story, the book expands to include dreams from others, Jung's dreams, and selections from mythology and literature. Classical and contemporary writers offer relevant contributions, and illustrations from ancient and modern art enhance the text. On the archetypal level, the Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone depicts the universal experience of loss and renewal in the crucible of grief. The dreams and stories recounted here, together with some provocative hints from Jung's work, suggest that death may open the door into an imaginal world beyond time and space. Dreams of the dead challenge and comfort the bereaved, offer glimpses of the "hereafter," and evoke the eternal mystery of death and rebirth.
