Wild Freedom
The Princess Who Found Her Name — On Fairy Tales, Imagination, and the Creative Mind
Once upon a time, during a personal crisis, novelist, poet, and essayist Dale M. Kushner wrote a fairy tale to survive it. Decades later, she returns to that story to ask a larger question: what do fairy tales teach us about creativity, trauma, and transformation?
That inquiry became Wild Freedom: The Princess Who Found Her Name - On Fairy Tales, Imagination, and the Creative Mind, a hybrid work of fairy tale, memoir, and reflection that explores imagination as a vital psychological and spiritual practice. Kushner argues that the creative self is essential, even if it does not always peacefully coexist with family, identity, motherhood, and desire.
A student of psychiatrist Carl Jung, the author invited notable Jungian thinkers Henry Abramovitch, Kenneth W. James, Dariane Pictet, and Murray Stein, to write essays to accompany the fairy tale, suggesting readers partake of their own journeys of self-discovery.
In an era marked by political, ecological, and emotional burnout, Wild Freedom argues that imagination is not escapism — it’s survival.
“A fairy tale she wrote during a time of crisis and rediscovered years later is the spark for Dale M. Kushner’s illuminating meditation on the roles art and creativity play in forging identity and shaping the self. The book also includes three essays by prominent Jungian thinkers who provide their own fascinating insight into the fairy tale. These essays, Kushner’s wise and revelatory analysis, and the charming yet challenging fairy tale at the heart of the book will speak to and inspire not only writers and artists, but anyone fascinated by the mysteries of the mind, the process of creating, and the power of stories.”
—Judith Claire Mitchell, Author of A Reunion of Ghosts
“As a published poet and writer with a liberated soul that contains multitudes, this brilliant author of a fabulous fairytale and three creatively wise Jungian interpreters teach us to trust our psyche’s healing images and awaken our Omni-Nameable Princess, who calls us each to become free from bewitchment.”
—Steven Herrmann, Jungian psychoanalyst, poet, and author of Emily Dickenson: A Medicine Woman for Our Times
“This is a magical tale of a unique and universal princess in search of her true name. It features animal guides, a lost and found heart, and words that weave wonder. Finding freedom from people pleasing is a surprising ride into aliveness and connection with the authentic self. Three interpretive essays by Jungian analysts plus Kushner’s reflective essay on writing as self-enchantment enlarge and deepen the meaning of the tale. Wild Freedom: The Princess Who Found Her Name. On Fairy Tales, Imagination, and the Creative Mind is a spectacular combination of encounter with psyche and its rendering into consciousness. I’m smitten.”
—Deborah C. Stewart, LCSW Jungian Analyst, This Jungian Life podcast
Publisher: Chiron Publications
ISBN: Coming Soon
Release Date: May 2026
Author Appearances
Invite Dale M. Kushner to speak to your audience about the compelling themes of Wild Freedom, The Conditions of Love, and M.
Areas of ExpertiseWriting (Novels, Poems, Essays)
Jungian Depth Psychology
Dreams and Creativity
Mother/Daughter Relationships
Intergenerational Trauma
The Divine Feminine
Spirituality and Personal Transformation