JUNG 101/102: The Fundamentals of Jungian Psychology

PART 1 SEPTEMBER 17 CLASS DESCRIPTION – Carl Jung: An Overview presented by Owen Ward

This 2 hour seminar will provide an overview of Jung’s life and theory of the psyche including the nature of complexes, psychopathology, anim-a(-us), individuation and synchronicity. The format will follow the presentation of diagrams for each concept assisting comprehension for beginners in the study of Jung.

PART 1 SEPTEMBER 24 CLASS DESCRIPTION — A Jungian Approach to Dreams presented by Maggi Colwell

Dreams have been a fascinating pursuit since the beginning of human history. Science has proven that everyone dreams, whether or not everyone remembers their dreams. In this course, dream pattern analyst Maggi Colwell will explore the nature of dreams through a Jungian psychology lens. This 2-hour lecture will cover the following objectives:

1. Identifying the psychological purpose of dreams according to Carl Jung.
2. Exploring how complexes and shadow appear in a dream.
3. Describing the 4 parts of the dream including the threshold, the development, the crisis, and the lysis.
4. Specifying the relationship of time to dream content as a macrocosmic model of the universe.
5. Discussing aspects of dream work in analysis and in group settings.
6. Learning at least 3 methods for starting a personal dream practice.

PART 1 OCTOBER 1 CLASS DESCRIPTION – Psychological Types presented by Stephen Weed

At the heart of Carl Jung’s theory of psychological types is the postulation that humans generally fall into one of four psychological Function-Types: Thinking Types, Feeling Types, Sensation Types, and Intuitive Types. This session will focus on Jung’s original descriptions and observations of these four general psychological types, with emphasis on learning to identify these types in others, and in oneself, in everyday activities.  Further, we will look at the two variations of each of these types when the dominant superior function is oriented by one of two attitudes: in either an objective, extraverted direction or a subjective, introverted direction.

Participants will be encouraged to discuss observations and examples of each of these eight Jungian psychological types from their experience in relationship with others. The program will conclude with a brief Q&A session and recommendations for further reading and activities.

Session Objectives:

1. Engage with Jung’s four original Function-Types and identify a preference for one or two of the four types — in relation to friendships and within oneself.
2. Explore the extraverted and introverted dimensions of the dominant superior function of each Function-Type, with emphasis on understanding both internal structures and behavioral differences.
3. Identify a personal preference for using one or two of the original eight Jungian functions more often — and with greater confidence — in your everyday activities.
4. Take-home reflection: Identify whether either of these functions plays a more dominant, auxiliary, or inferior role in your daily conscious life.

PART 2 FEBRUARY 11 CLASS DESCRIPTION – Understanding & Befriending Complexes presented by Wayne Babcock

In this we session we will endeavor to explore the concept and value of complexes illuminated by practical clinical examples. Participants will explore one of the most profound and practical concepts in Jungian psychology—the psychological complex. While complexes are often experienced as sources of distress, conflict, or emotional reactivity, Carl Jung understood them as meaningful, autonomous expressions of the psyche that can become powerful allies in the process of psychological growth. Presented from the perspective of a fellow traveler rather than an authority, this session encourages participants to approach the psyche with curiosity, humility, and compassion. Rather than seeking to eliminate complexes, attendees will explore how cultivating a conscious relationship with them can deepen self-awareness, strengthen clinical insight, and support the lifelong journey toward greater psychological wholeness.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to: Define the Jungian concept of a psychological complex and explain its significance within analytical psychology. Describe how psychological complexes develop through emotionally significant experiences and interact with the ego, the personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. Recognize the cognitive, emotional, behavioral, and interpersonal signs that suggest a psychological complex has been activated in oneself or others. Evaluate how befriending rather than suppressing or identifying with psychological complexes can promote greater emotional regulation, self-awareness, resilience, and psychological integration. Integrate practical Jungian methods—including reflective dialogue, symbolic exploration, dream work, active imagination, and mindful self-observation—into personal growth or psychotherapeutic practice.

PART 2 FEBRUARY 18 CLASS DESCRIPTION – Beyond Personality: Individuation and the Journey from Ego to Self presented by Yvette Nepper

This seminar introduces participants to the Jungian process of individuation—the unfolding movement toward psychological wholeness through engagement with conscious and unconscious dimensions of the psyche. Through discussion of core Jungian concepts such as the shadow, archetypes, dreams, and the Self, participants will explore how individuation invites a deeper relationship to the inner life and can support periods of transition, identity development, and the search for meaning and authenticity.

PART 2 FEBRUARY 25 CLASS DESCRIPTION – Integration: Honoring Subjective Experience presented by Mike Schaefer

Jung provides an effective language that helps us to explore Psyche through the study of dream images and structures like the four functions, and also through understanding the whirlwinds of complexes.  As Individuation beckons, learning from others is helpful, but it is not enough. How do I translate this knowledge into what I have experienced? How are these Jungian ideas playing out in my Psyche? What does authentic experience and expression look like and feel like for me?