MEMORIES, DREAMS, REFLECTIONS OF CHILDHOOD, Bonnie Damron

Friday, November 18th

An Evening With...

Bonnie Damron

As we approach the winter holidays, a time for children, both inner and outer, let’s take a moment to reflect on the image from childhood.  For most of the history of human kind, childhood was not thought of as a special time of life.  It was Charles Dickens who gave us the inner lives of children with the publication of Oliver Twist (in serial from 1837-1839).  Because of Dickens, we now realize that children have feelings, insights, grief, and struggles.  In the Jungian world, two early works come to mind.  The first is the ground-breaking book by Frances G. Wickes, The Inner World of Childhood.”  The second is Children’s Dreams: Notes from the Seminar Given in 1936-1940 by C.G. Jung, 100 years after the works of Dickens.

            During this program, we will consider childhood dreams, memories, and inner thoughts, understanding that childhood is not only a time of safety, play, and joy, but is often fraught with sadness, loss, and trauma.  As we consider the ideas of psychologists, writers, and educators, you will be invited to reflect upon your own experiences of childhood, and I will share some of my remembered thoughts and dreams. 

Bonnie L. Damron, Ph.D., L.C.S.W., is a Jungian-Oriented psychotherapist in private practice in Northern Virginia. Bonnie is a clinician, cultural anthropologist, artist, and storyteller. She teaches courses in mythology, fairy tales, Shakespeare, the Greek Classics, and readings in the writings of C. G. Jung. She also leads contemplative retreats, and conducts study tours in Crete. She holds a Masters of Social Work from Catholic University, a Doctorate Degree in American Studies from the University of Maryland, and has completed the Two-Year Pattern Analyst Certificate Program at the Assisi Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont.