The Broken Mirror: Refracted Visions of Ourselves

By: James Hollis

Narrated by: James Conlan

The Broken Mirror: Refracted Visions of Ourselves explores the need to know ourselves more deeply, and the many obstacles that stand in our way. The various sections illustrate internal obstacles such as intimidation by the magnitude of the project, the readiness to avoid the hard work, and gnawing self-doubt, but also provide tools to strengthen consciousness to take these obstacles on. Additional essays address living in haunted houses, the necessity of failure, and the gift and limits of therapy.

Most of all, Hollis addresses the resources we all have within, or can obtain for ourselves, to lead a more abundant life and to step into larger possibilities for our unfolding journeys.

James Hollis, Ph.D. is a Zürich-trained Jungian analyst in private practice in Washington, DC where he lives with his wife Jill, whose art has provided four Chiron covers. The Broken Mirror, his 18th book, includes “notes toward a memoir” that illustrates the benefits a review of one’s life may bring the listener.

Contents:

• Chapter One: Fear, Skepticism, Lassitude: The Recovery of an Inner Life
• Chapter Two: The Zen Paradox: What You Have Become is Now Your Chief Problem
• Chapter Three: Necessary Fictions: Therapy as the Critique of “Stories”
• Chapter Four: Down and Out in Zürich: For Those Who Think Becoming a Jungian Analyst is a Cool Thing
• Chapter Five: Shipwreck: The Importance of Failure in Our Lives
• Chapter Six: Doing Difficult Therapy
• Chapter Seven: Living in Haunted Houses: The Latest News from the Madding Crowd Within
• Chapter Eight: The Gift , and the Limitations, of Therapy
• Chapter Nine: Invisible Means of Support: The Theogonies of Stephen Dunn
• Chapter Ten: The Resources Within Each of Us
• Chapter Eleven: Notes Toward a Personal Memoir
• Afterword: On the Matter of Soul

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2021 Chiron Publications, LLC (P)2022 Chiron Publications, LLC

Slow down please

Thankfully there is a speed setting on the app - I’m used to James Hollis reading his own work - inserting thoughtful pauses and inflections - reading at a pace that provides time to ingest and process the potent material. The only reason I’m sticking with this performance is because Hollis’ content is always helpful and needed.

perhaps Hollis' best book

Hollis is a prominent Jungian scholar and his work is recommended as generally good.
One caveat, however:
1. he was a humanities professor. His prose is turgid and professorial with many fifty-dollar words. I like it, but some may differ.
This book does NOT present the awful, cloying progressive/Leftist interludes of past works.

Always Great

I love the way he explains his beliefs with his thoughts and the thoughts of others. He strings his books together with a unique rhythm that makes very deep ideas easy to digest.

The narrator sounds like a robot

I can not begin to keep my concentration on this title with such a dry inflectionless narration. It’s like a robots reading the book.
I bought the print version to read instead as I’ve heard good things about the books from several friends and therapist.

Openness

Transparency of the writer, leaving open for each individual to sit and pause and reflect on their own story with grace and compassion