Gita Dorothy Morena, Ph.D., is a Jungian psychoanalyst in private practice in Santa Monica, California.
She holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology from San Diego State University and a doctorate in transpersonal psychology from Summit University of Louisiana. She later went on to train as a Jungian psychoanalyst with the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, graduating in 2022.
Since 1974, Dr. Morena has been practicing as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) and in the 1980s became a registered yoga and meditation instructor, having studied under the Indian mystic Osho at his ashram in Oregon. In 1994, she became certified as a Sandplay Psychotherapist and Teacher and is also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Named Dorothy at birth, Dr. Morena is a great-granddaughter of the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum (as well as the great-great granddaughter of the woman suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage, author of Woman, Church, and State). Dr. Morena has written numerous articles related to being a descendant of L. Frank Baum such as, “Living Inside the Oz Legacy,” “The Baum Legacy: Dorothy’s Journey as a Metaphor for Spiritual Awakening,” and “Traveling Through Oz: The Journey Home.”
Since 2002, she has held the position of Research Editor of the Journal of Sandplay Therapy which has published over a dozen of her articles including “Treasures of the Psyche: Exploring the Depths of Sandplay Process,” “Language of Imagery, Language of Connection,” and “Jung’s Practice of the Image: A Presentation by Sonu Shamdasani.”
In her practice, she blends Jungian psychology and Eastern spirituality, and works with children and adults to focus on issues of transition, trauma, grief, and individuation. She is a gifted teacher and seminar leader, and has traveled globally to conduct sandplay seminars and trainings.
Her book, The Wisdom of Oz: Reflections of a Jungian Sandplay Therapist, was published by Inner Connections Press in 1998.
This episode was recorded on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. It’s 57:26 long and 55.1 MB. You can stream it right here inside your web browser (click the play button below) or watch the video edition on our YouTube channel (includes lots of photos!).
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SHOW NOTES
The Wisdom of Oz: Reflections of a Jungian Sandplay Therapist by Gita Dorothy Morena, Ph.D.
L. Frank Baum This is his Wikipedia page. I rarely cite Wikipedia, but this page is very thorough and the best resource I could find on his life and work.
Matilda Joslyn Gage Digital Short, American Experience, PBS
Matilda Joslyn Gage Center Fayetteville, New York
Woman, Church, and State by Matilda Joslyn Gage
Osho Official website
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Deluxe Hardcover Edition) by L. Frank Baum, illustrated by W.W. Denslow (embossed foil cover)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Illustrated First Edition) by L. Frank Baum, pictures by W.W. Denslow (100th Anniversary Oz Collection)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Classic Edition) by L. Frank Baum, original illustrations by W.W. Denslow (paperback edition)
The Annotated Wizard of Oz (Centennial Edition) by L. Frank Baum, Edited with an Introduction and Notes by Michael Patrick Hearn, Preface by Martin Gardner, Pictures by W.W. Denslow
The Marvelous Land of Oz (Book 2) by L. Frank Baum (introduces the character of “Ozma”)
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (Book 7) by L. Frank Baum (features the character of “Scraps”)
L. Frank Baum books Hardcover, Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook
The Wizard of Oz Official website of the 1939 motion picture
Shirley Temple Was Almost Dorothy in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ by Rachel Chang, Biography.com, Aug. 25, 2025
The Hero’s Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell
C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles Los Angeles, California
‘It’s Dorothy!’ Trailer Official movie trailer
Stream ‘It’s Dorothy!’ Premieres on Peacock on March 13th
‘It’s Dorothy!’ World Premiere 2025 Tribeca Film Festival
ADDITIONAL LINKS
Gita Dorothy Morena Official Website
Dr. Morena reads The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Chapter 1
“Celebrating a Century of Oz, Wherever the Road Leads” by Dinitia Smith, The New York Times, Jul. 22, 2000
Matilda Joslyn Gage Dr. Morena’s great-great-grandmother, woman suffragist.
The International Wizard of Oz Club
The Baum Bugle: A Journal of Oz
Journal of Sandplay Therapy Search the abstracts
Sandplay: A Psychotherapeutic Approach to the Psyche by Dora Maria Kalff; Foreword to the English Edition by Lorraine Razzi Freedle and Gita Dorothy Morena