Many of us eventually assume the role of caregiver: if not by becoming parents, then by caring for our aging parents, a partner experiencing burnout, an ill sibling, or a dependent family member.  This responsibility, which we take on without much questioning or reflection (perhaps because we have no other option), becomes a life-changing experience that we do not recognize immediately. 

Once we become caregivers, our perception of life, principles, beliefs, and priorities shifts. Caregiving affects us profoundly, awakening the hidden, dormant aspects of our psyche. Looking back, we can see our lives “before” and “after” becoming caregivers.

This profoundly human experience is both rewarding and quite demanding. This challenging journey provides the opportunity to encounter and integrate unconscious aspects of our psyche, a path toward a more conscious life – which Jung called the individuation.