Everyone has a psychological shadow: ego-ostracized parts of their psychic totality. Dr. Ellis recognizes Mary Shelley’s literary creation of Victor Frankenstein’s monstrous creation as a metaphor for those shadow libidinous psychic parts that if studied can accelerate one’s progress toward wholeness.
This book is designed to be a therapeutic adjunct for a man or a woman to explore the common motifs of intra-personal conflict confronted in therapy: specifically parental complexes, inner child, the feminine feeling archetype (animus, masculine in a woman), nurturing and justice functions, and the difficulty one has accessing their inferior processes.
The 1831 entire revised text of Frankenstein, the Modern Prometheus, is psychologically parsed as if the reader were a co-therapist with the author. They review and comment on Victor’s story. Analytic material from the author and others includes dreams, active imaginations, and provocative questions designed to teach the reader important techniques to enhance and accelerate the therapy process. www.ghellis.net
Studying the implications of Victor and his monster will: assist a therapist to direct mid-life therapy: aid analysands to accelerate progress; and decode for women the masculine psyche, men’s complexes, and the patriarchy. This book by gift, purchase, or recommendation will help anyone seriously engaged in self-fulfillment whether in current therapy or considering its initiation.