​Psyche was incubated by composer/librettist Cindy Shapiro during an artist-in-residency at Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris in the Fall of 2011. The text written by Apuleius, along with Erich Neumann’s rich and deep analysis, was utilized to help inform the work. Additionally, the composer took advantage of the many opportunities in Paris to gaze at, and meditate on, great artworks about Psyche and her story. The free journaling that took place during these outings allowed the emotional connections of other artists from other times to permeate her work. The piece is bounded by the statement: Dreams are private myths. Myths are public dreams. This quote is the first text that the audience sees displayed on the supertitle. This opera, therefore, is a fantastical public dreamscape.