Automatic writing has long lived at the crossroads of creativity, psychology, spirituality, and cultural myth. In this lecture, author and independent researcher Trent Phillis explores automatic writing through a deeply human practice with historical, scientific, and ethical dimensions.

Drawing from a newly developed workbook, participants are guided through the layered roots of automatic writing, from spiritualism and early psychology to modern neuroscience and contemporary research on reduced agency and subconscious cognition. The lecture looks at how figures like Carl Jung used automatic processes for radically different purposes, as well as what current brain-imaging studies say about altered states of authorship.

Designed for students, creatives, therapists, and the spiritually curious, this talk also addresses essential questions of safety, ethics, and discernment, including how automatic writing can be misused, how to recognize unhealthy dynamics, and how to approach the practice responsibly, especially for younger participants. Attendees will be introduced to the workbook that is designed to support intentional, creative, and psychologically informed exploration.

Ultimately, this lecture reframes automatic writing as a tool for understanding creativity, identity, and the subconscious, inviting attendees to widen their perspective while remaining rooted in research, preparation, and self-awareness.

Trent Phillis has a year and a half of dedicated automatic-writing practice with daily sessions, careful documentation, and steady research across psychology, creativity studies, and spiritual settings. Trent has worked to study the method in both structured and intuitive ways, learning how it expands inner growth and how it can be approached safely with curiosity.

Presenter’s Website: https://trentphillis.com

RVML’s Full Events Calendar: https://rvml.org/events

RVML’s Facebook https://www.facebook.com/RogueValleyMetaphysicalLibrary/events/

MeetUp https://www.meetup.com/rvml_ashland_events/