Dr. Mitchell received his doctorate in 1967 based on his dissertation entitled "Hypnotic Susceptibility and Response to Distraction." Subsequently, he trained at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles from which he graduated and received certification as a Jungian analyst in 1974. He served as treasurer of the C.G.Jung Institute of Los Angeles for over twelve years, as vice president for one year, and subsequently, from 1991 to 1993, held the office of president of that Institute.

            Meanwhile, at the University of California at Los Angeles Extension Division, he instructed one of four courses every quarter from 1975 to 1986 and again in 1990: "Myths and Fairy Tales: Keys to the Psyche," "Heroes and Victims," "A Jungian Approach to Dreams," and "Intuitive Listening for Hidden Levels of Meaning." In time, "Heroes and Victims" became "Hero or Victim?", the course which inspired the writing of his book.

            From 1971 to 2001, Dr. Mitchell conducted weekly private workshops. Initially, topics included "Analysis of The Gilgamesh Epic," C.G. Jung’s Man and His Symbols, "The Psychology of Maleness/Femaleness," "The Analysis and Value of Fairy Tales" -- with special emphasis on the meaning of the hero in fairy tales. Since about 1976, the title of these workshops was "Dreams and Other Expressions of the Unconscious," where attendees worked on their own and others’ unconscious material, usually -- but not exclusively -- as revealed in dreams.