Dawn Altman Psychotherapy and Wellness

12/02/2025

When I moved into my office almost 9 years ago, this little plant had been left in the waiting room, with no sunlight or water for three months. She was dry, brittle, left for dead. I brought her into my office, placed her in bright sunlight, watered her each week, and watched her slowly come back to life. Her leaves began to green and perk up, and to my shock, 6 months after I found her, she bloomed bright pink flowers that overflowed the leaves. Each December, she has bloomed to abundance, a full 9 years after she was left alone to die. Isn't this true for all of us, too? We can feel dry, brittle, tired, and feeling deadened, but with nourishment, we can always bring ourselves back to life. This reminds me of one of the profound teachings of my mentor, Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estes. No matter what we have experienced in our lives, the soul and the child spirit can never be killed. This beautiful and soulful little plant, left to die in a dark room for months, refused to die. If you have suffered, if you feel deadened, cut off from soul, may you emulate this plant and find a way to bring yourself back to life.

09/26/2025

Henry protested being left alone too long by shredding the Freud article I painstakingly read and highlighted for a case I’m writing. Guess he’s a pure Jungian.

09/26/2025

Henry protested being left alone too long by shredding the Freud article I painstakingly read and highlighted for a case I’m writing. He’s a true Jungian.

09/15/2025

"Don't get another dog" they said. "You're an empty nester. They take too much time. A dog will inhibit your ability to travel, blah blah, blah" One thing I know about myself is that my soul is not complete without a dog. Having a dog allows me to spend my mornings here at the dogpark, watching the sunrise, watching the joy of Henry run with other dogs, and talking with strangers who become friends. Life is busier with a dog, but it is infinitely better. 🐶

09/09/2025

Lately, I have been feeling overwhelmed with pedestrian responsibilities, analytic training deadlines, and information and news overload. I craved respite, silence, time to replenish my soul and spirit in solitude. I craved time alone, time to think, time to be, and time to do nothing. At the urging of my soul, I booked myself a last minute room at a bed and breakfast in Spring Lake, NJ. I had never been to Spring Lake, but heard that it was peaceful and beautiful, and most importantly for me, offered a beach experience that was unfettered by boom boxes, a screaming boardwalk scene, and crowds of rowdy people. This magical place was just perfect. I sat on the beach for the entire afternoon watching the water and listening to the sound of the waves. I ate a hamburger on the boardwalk and fought off the throngs of seagulls that were fighting for my fries. There was no puppy to walk, no family members to feed, and for just one night I was unencumbered. My room was on the top floor of the inn, my sleigh bed tucked into a turret that was surrounded by four windows. By 5:00 p.m., I was in my pjs in the bed, as a thunderstorm rolled in. I wrote in my journal, I watched a new episode of Call the Midwife, (which is sacred medicine in and of itself) and was asleep by 9 p.m. I went to bed exhausted, depleted, and introverted, and I awoke refreshed, replenished, and ready to rejoin my chaotic world. It was just the exact medicine I needed - solitude, quietude, introspection, and a complete disconnection from the internet. If you are feeling lost, disconnected from yourself, or overwhelmed with input from the outside world, I gently urge you to consider giving yourself the gift of a night away. It doesn't have to be expensive or grand; just a simple place to be entirely alone with your soul.

07/26/2025

Jungian Psychology is the Psychology of the Soul. I'm proud to be aligned with this field of psychology and practicing from this lens.

The celebrations of Carl Gustav Jung’s 150th birthday (happening all over the world this year) echo the lasting power of his ideas and perhaps the growing need for his psychology. Jung was one of the most fearless, original, and irreverent thinkers of the past two centuries. His psychology boldly challenges the dominant scientific and reductionist view of life by reintroducing the notions of soul and mystery into our understanding of the human experience. In a world increasingly shaped by materialism and hyper-technology, Jungian psychology stands as a small but steadfast island—a place of refuge for the curious, the contemplative, and for those called to deeper meaning.
– Luis Moris, PhD. Jungian analyst at ISAPZurich

07/15/2025

I've been away in Maine for the last two weeks at my little hovel by the sea. On our first night here, while eating dinner on the deck overlooking the ocean, a bald eagle flew right in front of our faces, landing in a tree not twenty feet away where he or she proceeded to eat its prey. It was magnificent and awe-inspiring, a true encounter with the numinous. While somewhat disturbing to watch, we could not look away, knowing we were in the presence of magnificence. What is the spiritual significance of this encounter? From what I have read, the eagle represents power, focus, and freedom. Its close presence may be an invitation to step into your personal authority, to trust your instincts, move forward with courage, and claim your space. An eagle may be a reminder of inner strength, particularly if you've been doubting your path, the eagle brings assurance that you possess the resilience and insight to navigate it. I never cease to be inspired and awe-stricken by the power of the unconscious and the invitation of psyche to become whole. While here in Maine, I had every intention of writing work that I have to submit by September for my analytic training. Instead, I have been sitting by the ocean, listening to the birds, procrastinating, and questioning my path. This eagle, so close and so timely, is an invitation to trust myself, and focus on my work.

05/19/2025

Feeling the poignancy and the passage of time with my daughter’s college graduation. I’m feeling it all-happy, sad, proud, joyful, melancholy. Wasn’t it just yesterday that my husband drove myself and our tiny newborn daughter home from the hospital after her birth, driving so slowly that he was a hazard to other drivers? It is such a cliche, but cliches are often grounded in the truth. These life transitions are so poignant. We are letting go of something or someone in order to open up to something new, even if it is just a newness to an old relationship. Yesterday I was proud and joyful. Today I am still proud but a little melancholy too, wanting to hold on to her just a little bit longer.

02/25/2025

Light beach reading for my upcoming trip. Can't wait to dive into this one!

01/15/2025

In the quiet and sacred space of my consultation room, we are simply two souls, working to come into a deeper relationship with the Self. What a sacred privilege this work is to me.

01/14/2025

Bathed in the light of the moon 🌖 Feels like the watchful eye of The Great Mother