About Michal Brimm

I first studied and taught in the biological sciences, but I was unable to shake the persistent feeling that there was something else at play in regards to the human psyche that no one was talking about. As such, I pursued a master’s degree in Therapy with a Depth Perspective (Jungian) focus, followed that with a PhD in Mythology, Religion and Depth Psychology with an Archetypal focus, and then developed a private practice where I kept close record of all that I observed. The result of my varied background is Wiring: Exploring the Powerful Influence of Survival Traits, a work that ties a series of seemingly disconnected offerings–evolutionary explorations, ancient mythology, early human history, contemporary client stories, and a dash of neuroscience–into a comprehensive resource crucial to better understanding the basic human behaviors that have been shaped by the past and will in turn shape the future.

That’s the question I have been asking for as long as I can remember. I experience a constant hunger to more deeply understand how things around me work, particularly when it comes to human behavior. This question has shaped my life, my career and, now, my book. The degrees I hold reflect this sweeping interest in the world around me: a bachelor’s degree in Biological Sciences (zoology with an emphasis in ethology and primate behavior), a master’s degree in Counseling with a Depth Perspective, and a PhD in Mythology, Religion & Depth Psychology.

My early experience in psychology left me unsatisfied. I felt a nagging awareness that not only was I unable to identify the essence and the motivations of those around me, but I did not even understand my true self, and where that self came from: driven, determined, curious, sensitive, intuitive, maternal, and protective of all things vulnerable. When I considered how and where I was raised, when I looked at my larger-than-life Navy Seal father and my beauty queen, archeologist mother, I saw bits and pieces of my essential Self, but knew there was a key piece missing.

This desire to better understand myself and others landed me at Pacifica Graduate Institute where I trained based on the work of Carl Jung. Jungian psychology includes an archetypical orientation, a depth approach to understanding the grand forces influencing, shaping, and inspiring the psyche. That was a key experience in opening my mind to the invisible fields of influence on each of us, individually and collectively.

From there, I started my own private practice in psychology. Over the 34 subsequent years of working closely with clients from around the world, I developed an understanding and a capacity to make sense of both the biological traits and archetypal influences at play in shaping their–and my own–behavior.

And thus, my Theory of Original Configuration was born, a concept that begins with book one, Wiring. The goal of this first book is to bring consciousness and awareness that many of our everyday responses are survival behavioral traits found on the XX or XY chromosome. In the books that follow, we will explore the influence of archetypal energy in shaping not only our bodies, but our orientation, our personality, and our specific energy field.