"When the illusions of our youth begin to crumble, we reach a turning point Dante called the 'dark wood,' " says James Hollis, a graduate of Zurich's Jung Institute, a licensed Jungian analyst practicing on Houston, Texas, and author of 13 books. On this 7-hour 14-minutes Sounds True Learning Course, he probes the second half of life as a period of important breakdowns and breakthroughs — a change of career; the death of a parent; the empty nest; dealing with physical limitations; and facing death. It is a time for letting go of beliefs and habits that no longer work, a time to deepen intimate relationships, and a time to explore spirituality.

Hollis has divided this learning course into six sessions on:

• The Middle Passage and the Project of the Second Half of Life
• Fantasies of Eden: The Psychodynamics of Relationships
• Swampland Visitations: Dealing with Adversity
• Healing the Souls of Men and Women
• Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life
• Constructing a Mature Spirituality

Here are some of the major themes dealt with on this Sounds True Learning Course

• the creation of the false self
• important questions for the second half of life
• the journey as our home
• dealing with grief, loss, and guilt
• the three categories of personal healing
• dreams and the second half of life
• the five tests of mature spirituality