What is comedy? Why is it so often paired with its dark twin tragedy? Why do we laugh? Is comedy healthy, or pathological? (Freud, who was rather dour, wrote a book on the subject, and Jung, known for his earthy humor and voluminous laugh, did not). How does comedy reveal both the admirable and repulsive in our nature, our vulgarity and our sublimity?

We are excited once again to host popular author and speaker, Dr. James Hollis, who presented two memorable events for the Nashville Jung Circle in recent years. Dr. Hollis will discuss the fresh topic of comedy through a Jungian lens, as described above.

James Hollis, Ph.D., a beloved speaker on Jungian topics, taught Humanities 26 years in various colleges and universities before retraining as a Jungian analyst at the Jung Institute of Zurich, Switzerland (1977-82). He is presently a licensed Jungian analyst in private practice in Washington, D.C. He served as Executive Director of the Jung Center in Houston, Texas for many years, as Executive Director of the Jung Society of Washington, D.C. until 2019, and now serves on the JSW Board of Directors. He is a retired Senior Training Analyst for the Inter-Regional Society of Jungian Analysts, was first Director of Training of the Philadelphia Jung Institute, and is Vice-President Emeritus of the Philemon Foundation. Additionally he is a Professor of Jungian Studiesfor Saybrook University of San Francisco/Houston.
He has written a total of seventeen books, which have been translated into 20 languages.