James J. TracySeattle native Jim Tracy (aka James J. Tracy, Ph.D.) was baptized a Catholic, raised a Catholic, educated Catholic, and lived as a Jesuit for 10 years. Ultimately, he chose the vocation of a psychologist over that of a Catholic priest. His doctoral studies focused on morality and choice, a combination that had permeated his life as a Catholic.
After holding academic appointments at Bryn Mawr College and at the University of Washington Medical School, he chose full-time clinical work in independent practice. For over 30 years, he worked with a wide range of clients—pilots, police officers, and politicians. He also worked with couples grappling with the challenge of commitment. He came to believe that each of our lives is a journey filled with choices. Those choices, he asserts, can be understood and used as a springboard to achieve greater awareness and balance in living day-to-day. With insight and candor, Tracy recounts his own story of choices in his award-winning book, Faith, Doubt, Mystery: A Catholic Journey. |
"There are two kinds of mystery: what’s unknown and what’s unknowable. The first encompasses all those things we humans don’t know at the moment but are likely to discover eventually, things like cures for many of the cancers which befuddle us today and whether intelligent beings exist on distant planets. The second cluster of mystery drops us into the black hole of our limitations." |