Growing Up Jung: Coming of Age as the Son of Two Shrinks

As the son of two Jungian therapists, the young Micah Toub got a double dose of insight, ranging from the flaky to the profound. Dreamwork, archetypes, conflict resolution, the mind-body connection—Toub’s childhood was a virtual laboratory of psychology.

A mysterious growth on his father’s nose embodied the conflict that would lead to his parents’ divorce. Family meetings involved dream analysis and intense emotional unburdening. As a young adult, Micah chased his “anima” in the form of a fickle poetess who eventually broke his heart, but then a series of coincidences later identified as “synchronicity” led him to his fiancée.

Enriched with excerpts from Carl Jung’s own memoir, and informed by readings and conversations with Jungian gurus and unbelievers alike, Growing Up Jung intelligently examines the pros and cons of Jungian philosophy as we witness Toub embrace his “shadow” and meditate with his “ally” in that elusive quest for “individuation.” While tackling themes like the anima, the Oedipus complex, and transference, it addresses the question: is it possible for the spawn of two shrinks to reach adulthood mentally unscathed?

"Canadian journalist Toub writes 'The Other Half,' a biweekly column for Toronto's Globe and Mail about male-female interactions, psychology, and human behavior. Toub grew up in a tract housing suburb of Denver with two Jungian psychologists for parents, so he has particular childhood memories of dream interpretations, free associations, and describing shapes in the plaster of the ceiling. His New Age parents brought him into contact with the post-Jungian Arnold Mindell: 'I like to refer to him as my parents' ‘former guru.' ' In Toub's family, self-reflection was a highly valued trait, and throughout this engaging and illuminating memoir he interweaves his own autobiographical reflections with the writings of Arnold, Freud, and Jung. Where Jung found connections between physiology and the psyche, Mindell linked psychology and quantum physics, and regarded one's life and the environment as a manifestation of the unconscious. With such concepts permeating pages on 'Synchronicity and the Meaning of Love,' 'The Oedipus Complex,' and 'Getting Laid the Jungian Way,' Toub writes with wit, humor, and a penetrating honesty as he examines his family life, his relationships with various women and his marriage, along with sexual fantasies, masturbation, the I Ching, and meditation. (Aug.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Toub, who writes about psychology and other topics, presents a memoir of his life growing up as the son of two Jungian therapists that incorporates excerpts from Jung's memoir and discussion of Jung's life and philosophy. He describes how his parents infused his childhood with psychiatric concepts and details events in his life through Jungian terms, such as his parents' divorce, family meetings that involved analysis, the "anima" that caused his to chase a girl and the "synchronicity" that helped him find his fianceé, chasing his "shadow" in his problem with pornography, and individuation. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Wild personal history meets irreverent survey of Jungian psychology in this memoir about growing up as the son of two shrinks.

As the son of two Jungian psychologists, the young Micah Toub got a double dose of insight, ranging from the flaky to the profound. Dreamwork, archetypes, conflict resolution, the mind-body connection, our 'shadows' and our 'allies"Toub"s childhood was a virtual laboratory of psychotherapy. There was the time his mother lamented (in front of his girlfriend) that she was no longer his 'number-one woman.' Or the many times his father tried to resolve family conflict by urging Micah and his sister to 'see a figure or a story in the shapes of the plaster' on the ceiling.

Intensely funny and seriously smart about the pros and cons of Jungian analysis, Growing Up Jungtackles themes such as the anima, the Oedipus complex, and transference while addressing the question: is it possible for the spawn of two shrinks to reach adulthood mentally unscathed?

Micah Toubgrew up in Denver, Colorado, and now resides in Toronto, Canada, where he writes on psychology and other topics, including a biweekly column on relationships from a male point of view for The Globe & Mail.