“Until you make the unconscious conscious,
it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
—C. G. Jung
This program is an opportunity for newcomers to receive a solid introduction to concepts of Jungian psychology and for more seasoned learners to refresh or deepen their understanding. Each topic will last approximately 30 minutes, including time for questions.
What is Jungian Analysis? This presentation will cover Jung’s ideas about the purpose of psychoanalysis/psychotherapy; techniques including dreams, active imagination and consideration of life stage. Also included will be a brief discussion of the arc of Jung’s life and work in context to the times in which he lived.
Symbols will be explained as the language of the unconscious and the best possible expression of something that can never be fully known. A few common dream symbols and their possible meaning to the dreamer will be discussed.
The Structure of the Psyche will describe Jung’s concepts of Persona, Ego, Shadow, Anima, Animus and Self and how they operate within the individual psyche.
The Individuation Process will be reviewed, along with a right relationship between Self and ego and reconciliation of the opposites in the psyche’s move toward wholeness.
The Dream segment will explore the Jungian process of working with dreams, association and amplification of symbols, “big” dreams and mundane dreams, and considering the life of the dreamer. Also discussed will be the need for open-ended interpretation and respect for the living symbol.
Jung’s ideas of Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious and Archetypal Image will be discussed, including how these concepts are useful in understanding human experience.
The concept of Complexes as splinter-psyches with their own emotional energy will be discussed, along with how the analyst can help the client identify them.
Jung’s concepts of Eros, Logos, Libido and the flow of Psychic Energy will be described.
Participants will be able to:
- Contrast Jungian analysis with solution-focused therapies.
- Explain Jungian perspectives about symbols as the best expression of something unknown to consciousness.
- Describe Jung’s view of the structure of the psyche.
- Define the goal of individuation.
- Describe how the Jungian process of working with dreams involves association and amplification of symbols.
- Describe at least two examples of Jung’s concept of archetype and archetypal image.
- Explain how complexes are like splinter psyches and have their own emotional energy.
- Define what Jung meant by Eros, Logos and Libido.