MJA Spring Salon Series: Music and the Psyche

As the Minnesota Jung Association continues its premiere Spring Salon Series, we welcome Laura Coale presenting "Music and the Psyche" on Saturday, May 16, 2026 from 2:00-4:00pm in-person at the Carondelet Center in St. Paul, MN.

Description: “Music certainly has to do with the collective unconscious--as the drama does too . . . . Music expresses, in some way, the movement of the feelings (or emotional values) that cling to the unconscious processes. The nature of what happens in the collective unconscious is archetypal, and archetypes always have a numinous quality that expresses itself in emotional distress. Music expresses in sounds what fantasies and visions express in visual images.” (Jung 1973 Letters, Vol. I , p. 542.)

During this experiential workshop we will explore how the Psyche/Soul communicates to us through music as a means of guiding us on our individuation path. We will also become curious how we may fine tune our whole selves to better receive the gift of music and expression that the psyche/soul has to offer.

During this experiential workshop we will ponder such questions as:

· How has music shaped my life?

· What story does my Pysche/Soul want to tell through music?

· How does music connect us?

· How does music carry us through hard times, and have the power to heal and transform?

The purpose of this workshop is to gather with people who share a passion for music, and to companion with each other as we journey to glimpse into the inner workings of the Psyche/Soul through music, movement, and storytelling.

This workshop will provide its participants with tools to help them work with their own psychic material. For example, engaging with music as we would dream material or as a form of active imagination, and using music as an access point for the inferior function. It is my hope that each participant will feel nurtured, supported, and empowered after our time together.

This group is for those who:

· Have a passion for music

· Have lost their connection to music and wish to find it again

· Are interested in using music as a tool for their own individuation

· Want to discover what their Psyche/Soul wishes to express

· Desire to connect with others in a creative and supportive way

· Wish to use their musical talents to serve the greater community

· Are curious about the inner workings of the Psyche/Soul

Bio: Laura Coale is a professional opera and choral singer, private voice teacher, and Jungian Life Coach in the Plymouth, MN area. She sings regularly with the Minnesota Opera Chorus and is the alto section leader for Chorus Polaris and Holy Family Catholic Church. From a young age Laura knew her ability to sing was a gift and a connection to a greater power. She has seen the process of working on her vocal technique as a metaphor for working on her inner life. At the end of 2020 Mrs. Coale had a profound dream that inspired her to go deeper into the world of myths and dreams, starting with reading many of the works of Joseph Campbell and then C.G. Jung. She saw many of her own experiences reflected in the text. This curiosity eventually led her to the Jung Platform where she took several courses on the anima and animus, journaling for the soul, dreamwork, and the Tarot from a Jungian perspective. She began to bring these teachings into her own singing and voice studio and came to recognize a calling to delve deeper into the connection between music and the psyche. In the Fall of 2024 Mrs. Coale received her certification as a Jungian Life Coach through the Jung Platform. She is passionate about using music, movement, storytelling, art, and dreams as tools in the individuation process. Mrs. Coale is currently training to be an Alexander Technique Teacher, with a focus on integrating music, depth psychology, and the Alexander Technique as pathways to wholeness for herself and her clients.

Also check out other Workshops in Saint Paul, Arts events in Saint Paul, Performances in Saint Paul.