Astrology in Psychotherapy

A discussion about incorporating astrology into psychotherapy, and explaining what it looks like to use astrology as a tool in a therapeutic context, with astrologers Shawna Marie McGrath and Chris Brennan.

The premise of the episode is that despite a huge amount of literature on psychological astrology, astrology in psychotherapy is rarely discussed.

Nearly all literature written on the topic of therapeutic astrology is either geared toward “counseling skills for astrologers” or “how to read a birth chart therapeutically”.

Though these are valuable topics, neither address the practical application of astrology in therapy over time (what does it look like, what should clinicians/clients know, what are the pros, cons, risks, etc.).

This is what we set out to discuss in this episode, by answering the question "what does it look like to incorporate astrology into psychotherapy?"

Within this context we get into astrology as a tool for psychotherapists to conceptualize and understand their client, as well as astrology being used more openly as a psychotherapeutic tool that is discussed with the client directly.

We also discuss a number of the ethical considerations surrounding the use of astrology in psychotherapy, and talk about some pros and cons, in order to help clarify situations where astrology might be a helpful or appropriate tool to use versus when it might not be.

Shawna is a a psychotherapist and astrologer based in California, and you can find out more about her work on her website:

https://www.theastropsyche.com

This is episode 418 of The Astrology Podcast:

https://theastrologypodcast.com/2023/09/11/astrology-in-psychotherapy/

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00:00:00 Introduction
00:02:22 Shawna McGrath's background
00:07:19 Bringing astrology into therapy
00:11:16 An astrologer's purpose vs. purpose of therapy
00:12:44 What you can vs. should say with astrology
00:14:56 Carl Jung's use of astrology
00:18:36 Writings about using astrology in therapy
00:22:04 Using astrology passively
00:29:50 Astrology as a model for understanding a client
00:31:51 Transference and countertransference
00:36:39 The provisional nature of astrological predictions
00:38:40 The consultation chart
00:41:50 Following the client's lead in discussing astrology
00:47:20 Using astrology as a common language with the client
00:48:40 When the client has a different approach to astrology
00:54:40 Importance of not generating fear with astrology
00:57:40 Situations where astrology is not helpful
01:02:05 Astrology as a psychotherapeutic technique
01:05:30 Astrology as a symbolic language of the psyche
01:08:22 The empirical component in astrology
01:12:05 Ethical considerations
01:23:18 Getting to know clients over time
01:36:34 Types of therapy more well matched with astrology
01:46:40 Review overall pros/cons of incorporating astrology into psychotherapy
02:08:40 Shawna's website and upcoming work
02:10:53 Patrons and sponsors

Видео Astrology in Psychotherapy канала The Astrology Podcast