Dr. Helen Slater

Helen Slater, Ph.D. is a scholar contemplative whose work bridges film, mythology, depth psychology, and the inner life. She has enjoyed a long career in film and television, while continually deepening her engagement with the symbolic and interior dimensions of lived experience.

Dr. Slater returned to graduate study at Pacifica Graduate Institute, where she earned a Ph.D. in Mythological Studies with an emphasis in Depth Psychology. Her dissertation explored the awakened heart and archetypal images of refuge, examining how images support psychic resilience in times of personal and collective uncertainty.

In addition to her scholarly work, Dr. Slater is an accomplished composer and recording artist, having released six albums. Several of these works are rooted in myth and folktale, including a musical interpretation of The Selkie and the Fisherman, a story she has cherished since her early twenties and continues to reflect on as a psychologically rich and sacred narrative.

Dr. Slater has taught courses in meditation practice and labyrinth walking, including offerings at a Pacifica Graduate Institute retreat, Goddess in the Age of the Autocrat. She has also studied extensively with Kim Gillingham, a lineage carrier of Marion Woodman’s work. Her ongoing studies integrate depth psychology, Buddhist writings, and contemplative practice, as she continues to explore how meaning is discovered in the texture of everyday life.