The Feminine Connection: Freeing the Female Psyche [Paperback]

Gayle Owens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2004

Dr. Owens' experience as a clinician, researcher and woman convinced her that most women struggle with their self-esteem, and she believes a root cause is that women don't like and accept themselves as women. The patriarchy has deprived women of the knowledge that hidden within their psyche is a treasure trove - the feminine archetype. Women reject the feminine, harming themselves over and over again without even knowing it, because this injury has become the norm. But such feminine qualities as passion, "letting go," gentleness and intuition are essential to healthy human functioning and offer an essential contrast and balance to the masculine. On a physical level, her body -- both the earth and the human -- carries and nourishes new life. On a psychological level, she is the unconscious, giving birth to consciousness. Consequently, a continuing interplay between consciousness and the unconscious is crucial to having vibrant, developing minds. In The Feminine Connection, Dr. Owens inspires women in every walk of life to rediscover the value of the feminine. She delves into the psychological theories of Carl Jung and relies on historical perspectives of societies and religions from the dawn of time. By understanding their feminine side, she believes women can assuage problems like midlife crises, codependency and other emotional problems. Only when women recognize and honor the feminine will they be able to honor themselves.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

By learning to appreciate their feminine identity, Dr. Gayle Owens believes women can assuage problems like midlife crises, codependency and other emotional problems. Delving into the psychological theories of Carl Jung and relying on historical perspectives of societies and religions from the dawn of time, Dr. Owens sets out her discoveries in her release, The Feminine Connection. She opposes the use of terms like "weak" and "irrational" to define the word "feminine" and discusses why so many women still feel unfulfilled even after achieving career goals and a comfortable standard of living.

About the Author

Gayle Owens, Ph.D. is board certified in social and counseling psychology. As a single parent with two young children, she completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Trinity University and her first Ph.D. at The University of Houston. Later, she completed her second Ph.D. at The University of Missouri in Kansas City.

Dr. Owens was born in Crystal City, Texas, and grew up living on a ranch in south Texas which she describes as the "penultimate patriarchal culture". She spent her teenage years in southeast Arkansas and was deeply influenced by her first hand experience of the racial segregation of the South in the 50s and 60s.

In the early 80s, Dr. Owens worked as an administrator with the Texas Department of Human Services. For one year after that, she worked as an advocate for the developmentally disabled and then as a counselor in the chemical dependency field. In 1993, she started a private psychotherapy practice in Austin, Texas, where she continues to practice full-time. She is a widow with two adult children and five grandchildren.

Dr. Owens is a member of the American Psychological Association, the Texas Psychological Association and the Capital Area Psychological Association, where she currently serves as president. Dr. Owens found that, despite her many accomplishments, she doubted herself as a female because she did not like what the feminine archetype meant to her. This realization was the catalyst for The Feminine Connection.

"Such feminine qualities as passion, letting go, gentleness and intuition are essential to healthy human function," says Dr. Owens. "Because Western culture denigrates the feminine, women must come to terms with the feminine aspect of ‘self’ in order to have self-confidence. So much about our society leads people to dislike themselves, to feel inferior, to be performance oriented to the detriment of their mental health."

Dr. Owens has had articles published in various professional journals. She enjoys studying Jungian psychology and dream analysis and hopes to continue lecturing and writing.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: TurnKey Press (August 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0974466891
• ISBN-13: 978-0974466897
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,963,223 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Empowering, June 15, 2010

By 

red_fang (Monterrey, NL, MX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Feminine Connection: Freeing the Female Psyche (Paperback)

The author adequately disentangles the roots of female identity rejection from a psychoanalytic perspective. The book is very easy to follow, though, and it offers relief for anyone who feels burdened by femininity or the female gender role. The author suggests through the book that some women are vulnerable to the subtle but persistent cultural conditioning that teaches to value the masculine and reject the feminine, giving place to feelings of worthlessness. I felt very empowered with the book's dialogue, that discusses thoroughly all the wonderful meanings and facets of femininity without enclosing it in any one of its dimensions. Recommended!

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Self esteem is an issue for most women, October 21, 2004

By 

Gayle Owens (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Feminine Connection: Freeing the Female Psyche (Paperback)

Hello. I am actually the author of the book. If you as a woman struggle with your self esteem, this book may inspire you to value and honor your feminine identity, something that women who are successful by patriarchal standards have to contend with. The second theme of the book is to envision a society with the masculine and the feminine qualities in balance.