Mike Wilson

Mike is an experienced psychotherapist, counsellor (UKAHPP Acc. UKCP Reg.) and transpersonal psychology practitioner, with extensive experience in teaching and facilitating groups. His ongoing passion is the connection between psyche and nature, and in particular the expression of this through dreams and the imagination. Mike is a member of the Confederation for Analytical Psychology, and is a registered teacher with the General Teaching Council Scotland. He practises in Edinburgh and from his home in the Scottish Borders.

Read on ...

 


 

CONTACT DETAILS

Brooklyn Cottage
Church Street
Earlston
Berwickshire
TD4 6HS

Tel: +44 (0)1896 849811

 


 

 

 

 

2009 Programme

The Oracle Within: Dreams, Imagination, Synchronicity

This is one of the sacred duties of imagination: honourably to imagine your self." John O'Donohue

"The imagination awakens the wildness of the heart", writes John O'Donohue, "it returns us to our native wildness, to the natural and seamless fluency of our own nature." Following this theme, this soul making exploration will enable you to discern more fully what longs to be actualised in your life. From a perspective which emphasises imagination and dreams, and the phenomenon of synchronicity in relation to this, this experiential weekend will to consider the metaphor of "inner compass" or Oracle Within as a potential source of guidance. As the poet David Whyte puts it, this exploration will remind you how to "fall toward the centre of your longing", and to trust what might emerge as important indicators for your way forward in life. The weekend will include working with dreams and guided visualisations, balanced with relevant theory and poetry.

DATES: Saturday 31st January & Sunday 1st February 2009
TIMES: 10am to 5pm both days.
FEE: £120 (£40 non-returnable deposit).
VENUE: Edinburgh, 13 Smith's Place, EH6 8NT
Minimum 6 Places
Maximum 10 places

DATE: 9th May 2009 (this is a one day version of the workshop)
TIMES: 10am to 4pm
FEE: Please visit the link below for full detials
VENUE:
London, Please book via this website - www.ahpp.org/events/workshops.htm
Minimum 6 Places
Maximum 12 places


Redeeming the Spirit: Psychotherapy, Counselling and Spirituality

"Certainly there is within each of us a self that is…out of love with the ordinary; it is out of love with time. It has a hunger for eternity." Mary Oliver

By attending to the spiritual dimension of experience, psychotherapy and counselling acknowledges an intrinsic aspect of a person's life, which is not always recognised or lived. The consequences of this can be far reaching. And it is often through paying particular attention to spirituality in therapy that a person's life is given greater significance, sometimes profoundly so.

For the practitioner, widening the therapeutic frame to give priority to spirituality can be challenging as well as enriching, and often demands a way of working which requires an ability to attune to the spiritual in the unique life of another, as well as to adopt a non-reductive therapeutic focus.

This weekend offers an opportunity to consider the spiritual side of therapeutic practice from both practical and theoretical perspectives, and will include a consideration of the importance of the quality of the therapist's way of being and "presence", the use of imagination, specific therapeutic interventions and technique, working with dreams, and creative explorations which take body's wisdom into account.

DATES: Saturday 28th & Sunday 29th March.2009
TIMES: 10am to 5pm both days.
FEE: £120 (£40 non-returnable deposit).
VENUE: Wellspring, 13 Smith's Place, Edinburgh EH6 8NT. Please contact Moira Armstrong at Wellspring for booking a place on this weekend - 0131 556 6660.
mail@wellspring-scotland.co.uk Make cheques payable to Wellspring Scotland. Download PDF Booking Form.
Minimum 6 Places
Maximum 10 places


Authoring: A Path of Attainment

"Do you think that somewhere we are not Nature, that we are different from Nature? No, we are in Nature and think exactly like Nature." Carl Jung

""Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives." William James

What if the momentum of Nature was towards the actualisation of potential? What if, in some way, this was Nature's intention? What if you are in Nature and Nature is within you? What if this means that the unfolding of Nature also applies to you? Carl Jung considered the Self (or some may say soul) to be the blueprint of Nature within the psyche. What if you were also within soul or Self? Supporting this view of our non-separateness from Nature, and taking it a step further, Carlos Castaneda says that "intent is the force that exists in the universe. When sorcerers (those who live of the Source) beckon intent, it comes to them and sets up the path for attainment, which means that sorcerers always accomplish what they set out to do" (The Active Side of Infinity). This path becomes possible as a consequence of the practical application of particular principles, and the prioritising of specific mental processes and emotional states, often enhanced by the use of ceremony, ritual and voice. These practices constitute a way of creative living which enables you to become more of an active co-creator with Nature, and "author" of the authentic life.

This weekend offers an opportunity to consider the specific use of creative imagination on the path of attainment, through a series of explorations and meditations, balanced with theory which draws upon psychological and spiritual ideas and principles, and poetry. Consideration will also be given to naming key obstacles on the path, and ways of dealing with these.

DATES: Saturday 30th & Sunday 31st May 2009
TIMES: 10am to 5pm both days.
FEE: £120 (£40 non-returnable deposit).
VENUE: Edinburgh, TBA on booking.
Minimum 6 Places
Maximum 10 places

A pre-requisite for this weekend is attendance on The Oracle Within: Dreams, Imagination, Synchronicity.


Dreams: Theatre of the Soul

"It was a dream in which my greater self rose up before me…" Lucille Clifton

Dreams offer you an invitation to participate in the unfolding of your unique nature. Turning your attention toward dreams is a way of acknowledging that your life is perhaps greater than you think; perhaps richer than you live. Discerning what meaning the dream may hold for you is a challenging, yet important process in deepening an understanding of who you are.

This intensive weekend is an opportunity to work with dreams and deep imagination, and will consist of learning some theoretical and practical rudiments of dreamwork. The core theoretical model will be Jungian, but we will also include other approaches.

DATES: September 2009 (final dates to be announced)
TIMES: 10am to 5pm both days.
FEE: £120 (£40 non-returnable deposit)
VENUE:
London, TBA on booking.
Minimum 6 Places
Maximum 12 places


Print 2009 programme

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

For years, copying other people, I tried to know myself.

From within, I couldn't decide what to do.

Unable to see, I heard my name being called.

Then I walked outside.

Rumi, Open Secret, Coleman & Barks, Trans.

 


 

BEYOND SCOTLAND

London 2009

The Oracle Within: Dreams, Active Imagination, Sychronicity

Dreams: Theatre of the Soul

Milan 2009

Following in the Footsteps of Nature (11th Eurotas International Conference). An outline of the theme can be found here.

2010

information to follow late 2009

 


 

PREVIEW OF 2010 INTENSIVES

The Oracle Within: Dreams, Active Imagination, Sychronicity

Redeeming the Spirit: Psychotherapy, Counselling & Spirituality

Dreams: Theatre of the Soul

Following in the Footsteps of Nature

other intensives to follow

 


 

Clicking on the image above will take you to Psychospiritual Scotland. This part of the website is dedicated to promoting lectures, workshops, intensives, and trainings which hold together and continue the dialogue between psychology and spirituality.

Some lectures are supported by The Guild of Pastoral Psychology (Edinburgh Group).

 


 

This site was updated on 17.5.09