Jose Luis is a Jungian and systemic psychotherapist who works with teens and adults in Mexico who agreed to talk with me about his work. He writes a column for Thresholds, an online publication based in the United Kingdom. Regarding writing the column, Jose said, “My aim … is to have this space where we don’t have answers; it’s just a lot of questions, and then perspectives that we can take wherever we want.” He approaches psychotherapy from a spiritual and psychoanalytical lens, which allows him to combine spiritual and mental health.
I could hear Jose’s passion for his work in everything he shared with me. He has immersed himself in the field and is highly knowledgeable, and his willingness to share his knowledge through his writing is so important.
Jose incorporates fairytale interpretation into his practice, which is a topic I was only somewhat familiar with before speaking with him. He teaches this method in seminars each year, and because of COVID-19, he has transitioned to doing this online. Basically, he uses clients’ interpretation of well-known fairy tales to gain insight into the client’s needs and unconscious. Through this interpretation, he develops metaphors that fit with the client’s life and gain insight through this translation. “If we don’t translate it, … it never transforms into anything else.”
At his practice, Jose and his colleagues offer specialized services for sexuality, gender, and pornography addiction. In addition to providing this service, they create seminars to teach about these important issues.
In his Thresholds column, Jose has written about endings in therapy. His recent piece focuses on the experience of a client whose therapy was terminated abruptly via email between sessions. He sought to “answer the complexities of ending,” particularly when this ending happens without closure or no reason is given. As he continues to write for this publication, “the column is specifically focused on the intersection of spirituality and psychotherapy.”
More information about Jose’s professional work is available on his website and in his CV. He shared that he would like to write a book on his fairy tale interpretation work. I for one will be keeping an eye out for his upcoming seminars, especially with the opportunity to attend online.