The Middle Passage: From Misery to Meaning in Midlife (Studies in Jungian Psychology By Jungian Analysts)

"I am a student of Eastern philosophy and I looked at this book insofar as what it has to say from a Western, Jungian perspective. I was curious. At it's core Middle Passage explains Jungian theories of personality development and complexes that grow and change over time. The problem of the mid-life crisis, according to Hollis, is that we tend to hang on to ego-centric dynamics that worked in the past, perhaps out of necessity, but no longer work. The coping techniques run their course and rather than letting them go, growing, and accepting responsibility for our well-being and spiritual development, we cling to our former selves and projections on other. The book, however, tends to be abstract, more theoretical than practical. It explains more about HOW we get into mid-life in crisis and precious little about WHAT to do about it. But this is just the intersection with Buddhist teachings on essentially the same subject. Buddhism, in a sense, picks up where Jung leaves off. The Four Noble Truths, for instances, starts with the premise that human beings are prone to suffering for all the reasons Hollis gives in Jungian terms. It does not explain so much HOW we get into trouble with too much ego. Yet in 2,500 years of history, Buddhism and it followers have developed a rich set of tools centered around meditation for "staying awake" and living in the present as a practical anecdote for the ego -- namely, WHAT to do about it. In fact, toward the end of Middle Passage, meditation is one of the suggestions Hollis recommends for working through mid-life crisis. So I would say after reading this book take look at the writings of Pema Chodron, my favorite being Comfortable with Uncertainty. Get her seminar, How to Meditate, and see for yourself if this doesn't line up with Hollis and Middle Passage. "
~ Written on 2008-05-29

"I had read all the reviews for this book before I purchased it but in the past that has not always been a guarantee. This was also the first Hollis book for me. Happy to say it won't be my last. I have a minimal amount of psychology studies (I minored in it) but am starting a master's program this summer. I picked it up mostly because I'm turning 50 this summer and felt the urges to put some "order" to the chaos I've been chasing the last decade or so in my life. It hasn't really been traumatic for me as much as it has been unsettling but I needed a name for it and Hollis names it well - the Middle Passage. I look back now and understand more clearly now why I seek out what I do and why I needed to reconcile what wounded me in the past. It gave me tremendous hope for the second half of my life and Hollis has a way of writing that is not intimidating. Too bad it's not a "must read" for every adult hitting 40 or 50. Marriages might have a better chance of staying stronger. People in general might not be wired so tight with superficial undertakings as they mature in life. I am grateful I found this author and intend on reading his other works."
~ Written on 2008-03-20

"This book was recommended by a friend who read it when she was going through her own mid-life passage. I found it extremely helpful and continue to use it as a reminder to myself when I am feeling like I 'm floating in outer space. James Hollis writes very succinctly, in Jungian terms, what takes place in the psyche of a person in the second half of life. I found it comforting, useful, and true for me. I highly reommend it to anyone who needs a light of hope and a map through the terrain of mid-life transformations."
~ Written on 2007-09-24

"I have had the priviledge of sitting through hours of James Hollis' lectures at Houston's Jung Center. His writing style is very compact but pacts a punch (Hemingway for Jungian Wanderers, if you will). He takes the notion of the "mid-life crisis" to the appropriate realm of "mid-life transformation" by illustrating the WHY of the formerly named "crisis". Taking his words (and always keeping in mind TS Eliot's "The Wasteland") will help any reader better understand why they feel "unfullfilled". His book will also give them tools to direct them back to that path of command/control of their own lives. Additionally arming them with the notion that there will be plenty more goofy (read unconscious) activities with which to deal in the future.

This book is a tool and a useful tool indeed."
~ Written on 2007-06-17

"An amazing number of people in Vancouver are reviewing midlife crisis books ... is that city going through it's own midlife crisis ?

This book is perhaps the best one out there. The reasons are many as others have pointed out, but in my estimation is this: Hollis does not jump into the mechanics of the midlife period, in fact this is not the main emphasis at all. He starts with an in-depth retrospective on childhood and does a thourough analysis of our early years, then guides us into our present state and our future.

Highly recommended, yes."
~ Written on 2005-09-30