Up: [[Analysis]] Created: 2024-12-14 Updated: 2026-03-18 > [!Orbit] [[James Hillman]] > Not just any talk is conversation; not any talk raises the [[consciousness]]. Good conversation has an edge: it opens your eyes to something and quickens your ears. And good conversation reverberates: it keeps on talking in your mind later in the day; the next day, you find yourself still conversing with what was said. That reverberation afterwards is the very raising of consciousness; your mind’s been moved. You are at another level with your reflections. I agree and I don’t agree with this quote from post-Jungian analyst, James Hillman. I agree because talk that raises consciousness is truly life giving. I love the insights that arise both in the moment and in reverberations days after an analytic session. I love being keenly aware of my mind being moved. But I also disagree with Hillman. Or, more accurately, I object to him setting the bar so high in his definition of a “good” conversation. It’s hard work to have a conversation at this level. I benefit from access to a highly skilled therapist with more than thirty years of experience, and I have a friend with whom I can occasionally speak at this level. But I don’t want to discount all conversations that take place outside the consulting room or with a frequency greater than “once in a blue moon.” Sometimes a “good” conversation can be edge free, such as times when sharing an experience, or laughing together. I’m all for moving my mind to new levels as often as possible, but as I age I’m also really seeing the benefit to good conversations that feel like a warm hug.