"When we are threatened with genocide, totalitarianism, dystopianism, and paranoia, there are different overlapping ways of keeping hope for the future alive: thoughtful reflection, direct political action, and the creative imagination. Barbara Morrill's devotion to studying the life and work of Etty Hillesum resonates with us today because they both offer us the most extraordinary example from the Holocaust of the indomitable spirit of the individual keeping hope for the future of humanity alive."
Thomas Singer, MD and Jungian analyst, editor of Cultural Complexes and the Soul of America and Mind of State: Conversations on the Conflicts Stirring US Politics and Society
Dr. Morrill's recounting of the life and philosophy
of Etty Hillesum is exactly the medicine needed for our time. Etty's words and life offer profound guidance about how to stay connected with the soul's wisdom in the midst of the most harrowing of outer circumstance. Morrill draws on Jungian psychology to help us navigate our own experiences of collective trauma. Etty's life and wisdom guide us in how to stay connected with the compassionate truth that lives at the center of our beings.
Shoshana Fershtman, Jungian analyst and clinical psychologist, author of T
he Mystical Exodus in Jungian Perspective: Transforming Trauma and the Wellsprings of RenewalIn her exploration of Etty Hillesum's writing and life, Morrill deepens our understanding, not only of Hillesum, but also of Europe under the Nazi's and the contemporary rise of authoritarianism and xenophobia. While a psychologist, deeply interested in Etty's inner development during an extraordinary time, Morrill also provides a sociological view, illuminating the intersection between the individual and their culture. Morrill builds upon Hillesum's exquisite writing to challenge us to think deeply about cultivating individual growth amid societal trauma.
Judie Wexler, president emerita, California Institute of Integral Studies, and president, Congregation Sherith Israel
