«I have been from here, from Zaragoza all my life, but due to personal circumstances I went to live in Gerona in 2012 and I have my practice there. I have an eleven year old son. I am a psychologist and work as a psychotherapist. I do mindfulness, meditation, many workshops. This is how Julieta París (Zaragoza, 1976) portrays herself, who today signs Antígona, in the afternoon, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., at the Book Fair.
Besides all that, she is an anthropologist, right?
Yes, I work a lot on archetypal, more ‘Jungian’, psychology. I do very deep psychotherapy, I work with adults. And I also have a specialization, which was what I was best known for here in Zaragoza, which is sports psychology. For that profession I was in the Beijing Olympics.
That last name suggests that it has to do with the Paris family.
My father, Carlos París, is an athlete coach, and Fernando, who has held numerous positions, is my uncle. As he sees, we are a family closely linked to sports. That’s why the book has very symbolic and direct language throughout.
“It is not a self-help book, I am very interested in symbols and human stories. To those who are profound, I seem superficial; to others I seem very deep. But I try to be consistent with my feelings and my knowledge”
Excuse me. Does his book have to do with the ‘Me Too’ phenomenon?
Zero ballplayer. I am very far from radical feminism. Title? I felt that this had to be as a tribute to the number of female patients I have had in the 22 years I have been practicing. One of the big surprises that the book is giving me is that many men are reading it and they are liking it. We are going for the second edition. It talks about humanity, grief, love, death, betrayal…
What has happened in these 22 years? What have you seen?
I have seen a lot of resignation, I see a lot, a lot of poorly managed loneliness and I see that many women, above all, forget about themselves. There is like an unidentified disorder, because it does not exist as such, that I would call ‘Nostalgia for oneself’.
Explain that to us, please.
When there is nostalgia for oneself, one suffers and, of course, the reality experienced from there is nonsense.
Why are we strangers to ourselves?
There is a lot of hurry, a lot of automatism, we live in a society very focused on doing and having. And not in being and contemplating, which is where life is. And then there are words that are essentially human, like humility and beauty, and they have disappeared, we have turned them into something bizarre and emptied of their meaning.
Now it’s almost frowned upon to be humble, isn’t it?
By humility I understand the ability to learn everything at all times. For me, humility is not that we don’t talk about ourselves, but rather having the curiosity to be able to learn from each person we talk to. There is a lot of ego, we live in a very narcissistic society, and that is what explains that when we stop and look in the mirror we find Dorian Gray.
Nice phrase, but it’s scary…
Excuse me: it’s my first book and I’m trying to be honest. It is not a self-help book, I am very interested in symbols and human stories. To the deep ones, I seem superficial; To others I seem very deep. But I try to be consistent with my feelings and my knowledge.
How did the book come about?
Siglantana is a modest and very professional publisher. I used to write my reflections on Instagram, phrases, aphorisms, thoughts, conclusions from my work, and that interested them. I know that I am very visual, that I give a lot of importance to the image. They read to me and asked me for a book. Deep down, I had been thinking about it in my head for months. I am a great reader: I like authors like Joseph Campbell, Mircea Eliade, Victoria Cirlot, and the novels of Vernon Lee. I am a fan of Atalanta, Acantilado and the Argentine label El Hilo de Ariadna.
“There is a lot of haste, a lot of automatism, we live in a society very focused on doing and having. And not on being and contemplating, which is where life is. And then there are words that are essentially human, like humility And beauty”
What did?
The first thing I proposed to them was the title, ‘The Power of the Awakened Woman’. I was clear about it, and at the same time I was worried that it would be interpreted as a phrase of female empowerment, which it is not, but I felt that it was a letter of gratitude to my patients, whom I have seen return to their being; hence the subtitle is, ‘An invitation to remember returning to life’. And it is also, literally, living with your eyes open. The first sentence was also clear: “We all have a new life just one decision away.” That phrase encompasses everything. Every microdecision of the day opens up a possibility for a new life.
Did they accept it?
It cost, it cost. It is a book about infidelity, love, menstruation, motherhood, menopause, vulnerability and grief.
What gives the greatest indication of our fragility?
The consciousness of death. All lives are infinite, except one, ours.
