The Association of Jungian Analysts opens a new ten-week seminar series, The Living Symbol: The Foundations of Analytical Psychology, beginning Tuesday 13 October. It offers a structured overview of the key concepts, texts, and debates that shape analytical psychology today.
The series is designed for practising therapists and counsellors who want to enrich their theoretical foundations; individuals considering training as Jungian analysts; and anyone drawn to the symbolic, imaginative, and transformative world of Jungian psychology. It is introductory in the sense of mapping foundations, not in assuming no prior knowledge. It does not confer a qualification for psychotherapy practice or training, but it provides a broad and useful orientation to Jungian and post-Jungian territory. Past participants have described it as a way to gain “confidence in Jungian theory and ideas” and as “preparation” for further training.
The format is straightforward: ten seminars, held online on Tuesdays from 13 October to 15 December. Each week is led by a different speaker from a range of Jungian schools, offering diverse perspectives on theory and practice. Week 2 begins at 7.40pm. Week 8 will not be recorded for copyright reasons. Fees are £375, payable in full or in three monthly instalments of £125.
Week by week
Week 1 — 13 October: Jung’s psychology as a distinct discipline of psychotherapy with Katerina Sarafidou. The historical and philosophical foundations of analytical psychology and its departure from Freudian psychoanalysis from 1913 onwards.
Week 2 — 20 October, 7.40pm: The Red Book: the numinous beginning with George Bright. Jung’s model as it departs from Freudian psychology from 1912 onwards, and the wider implications for aims and techniques.
Week 3 — 27 October: From Complex to Archetype (pre/post 1913 Jung) with Richard Jenkins. The origins and originality of Jung’s discoveries, and their relevance for practice today.
Week 4 — 3 November: Dreams: the language of images with Dr Dale Mathers. Similarities and differences between Freudian and Jungian dream work, plus insights from neuroscience.
Week 5 — 10 November: Myth and fairy tales with Andy White. How myths and fairy tales provide a language for inner conflict, growth, and transformation.
Week 6 — 17 November: Alchemy: symbolic transformation with Brenda Crowther. Jung’s serious engagement with alchemy and how its stages weave into everyday life.
Week 7 — 24 November: Synchronicity: The world as symbol with Professor Roderick Main. Meaningful coincidence, acausal connections, and the symbolic reading of the outer world.
Week 8 — 1 December: Working with Images: from picture to symbol via imagination with Dr Sarah Hall. An experiential seminar on signs, symbols, and the transformative power of images. Not recorded.
Week 9 — 8 December: The Collective Symbol of our Time with Heba Zaphiriou-Zarifi. Symbols, opposites, sacrifice, and the question of whether a collective symbol can emerge today.
Week 10 — 15 December: AI and the psyche: the new ‘Other’ with Dr Orsolya Lukács. Artificial intelligence as psychological Other, and the archetypal motifs of creation, projection, and ambivalence.
People who have attended the course in past years have valued the availability of recordings if absent, the breadth of topics, and the chance to hear from different Jungian schools. George Bright’s Red Book talk was singled out, as were sessions by Katerina Sarafidou, Brenda Crowther, and Orsolya Lukács. One attendee wrote that the programme “motivates me to further pursue the Jungian path.” Others noted that they would have welcomed more on what it is actually like to work and train as a Jungian analyst—something prospective attendees may also want to keep in mind.
If you are looking to consolidate your understanding, encounter contemporary Jungian perspectives, and spend ten evenings with analysts and scholars who work closely with these ideas, The Living Symbol is worth considering. Booking is via the AJA website.
The series runs weekly on Tuesday evenings from 7.30pm to 9pm London time. To register and see the full programme details click here.
You can also register for their upcoming Tuesday webinar on narcissism in fairytales.