Jungian Depth Psychology | Tarot-Assisted Healing | Archetypes for Self-Discovery

The archetypes aren’t predicting anything. They’re reflecting you to yourself.

Most of the patterns running your life aren’t conscious. You know this, even if you’ve never framed it quite that way. Like when the version of yourself that shows up when you’re stressed isn’t the version you want to be. Or when there’s a gap between the self you present to the world and the self that exists underneath it. You know, somewhere deep, that healing isn’t about “fixing” anything – as much as it’s about remaining present with yourself even when you’re deeply uncomfortable.

That’s the heart of Jungian depth psychology. And it’s one of the most meaningful frameworks I bring to this work.

What Is Jungian Depth Psychology?

Carl Jung believed that the psyche is far larger than our conscious awareness – that we carry within us not just our personal history, but patterns and images that are woven into human experience itself. He called these archetypes: the Caregiver, the Rebel, the Sage, the Wild Woman, the Wounded Healer, the Crone, the Trickster. These aren’t abstract concepts – they’re living patterns that show up in your dreams, your symptoms, your relationships, and the stories that pull at you.

Jungian therapy invites you to develop a relationship with the unconscious parts of yourself – including the Shadow, which holds everything you’ve repressed or disowned. Not to be ruled by these forces, but to stop being ruled by them without knowing it.

Archetypes and the Second Half of Life

Jung had a particular interest in midlife as a time of psychological transformation – what he called individuation. He believed the second half of life calls us toward a different kind of development: less about building and performing, more about becoming authentic, integrated, and whole.

This maps uncannily well onto what I see in my clients. Women in their 40s and 50s who have spent decades performing roles – mother, wife, professional, good daughter – and who are now feeling the call toward something more essential. Something that’s theirs.

Archetypes give us a language for this process. They help us name the patterns we’re moving through, the parts of ourselves we’ve neglected, and what might be trying to emerge.

Tarot as a Therapeutic Tool

I use Tarot in my clinical work, and I want to be direct about what that means and doesn’t mean. Even in my personal life, I don’t use Tarot to predict the future. In sessions, I use it as a projective tool – similar in some ways to a Rorschach test – that can help surface unconscious material quickly and richly. Tarot becomes a pathway for building intuition and self-trust. 

Tarot imagery is deeply archetypal. When a client draws a card and something in it resonates – or repels them – that reaction is information. It’s a way of accessing the unconscious that can be faster and more generative than many purely verbal approaches.

You don’t need to “believe in Tarot” for this to be useful. You just need to be willing to be curious about what comes up.

What This Work Might Look Like

Depth psychology work tends to be slower and more exploratory than solution-focused approaches. We’re not trying to fix symptoms as quickly as possible – we’re trying to understand what the symptoms are trying to tell you, and to develop a relationship with the deeper parts of yourself that are driving the show.

This might involve dreamwork, archetypal exploration, Tarot, somatic work, and deep attention to the imagery and metaphors that show up in your language and your life. It’s not for everyone. It’s for people who want to go deep and are open to alternative tools.

Is This Right For You?

• Jungian depth work tends to resonate with women who feel like something important is trying to emerge in their life and they want support navigating it.
• Who sense that their symptoms or patterns have meaning, not just causes.
• Women who are drawn to working with dreams, symbols, or imagery.
• Who want therapy that doesn’t just problem-solve but actually transforms.

Sessions are virtual, 55 minutes, $180 self-pay. I’m licensed in Indiana, California, and Texas. Book a free consultation to see if this approach feels right for where you are.