Jung’s primary template for describing the delicate transference phenomena of the analytic relationship is depicted in the symbolism of an alchemical opus, the Rosarium Philosophorum, which he discovered at age seventy-one. His selection of this opus engenders many questions. For instance, why did he choose arcane, sometimes distant, drawings to describe the most personal aspect of his theories for how analysts are to help our patients heal? What is the subjective confession behind Jung’s choice of the Rosarium drawings as a template for our deep work with patients? Did Jung’s personal relationships with three ex-female patients, Sabina Speilrein, Maria Moltzer, and Toni Wolff, influence his choosing the Rosarium Drawings?
In this seminar, Dr. Cohen will strive to answer these questions by exploring the power of Eros in Jung’s life with these patients and in the ways that it shaped his theories of transference, countertransference, and individuation. We will discuss Dr. Cohen’s intimate use of the drawings, Jung’s shadow, daimon, his life with these patients, and his views on marriage. Dr. Cohen proposes that these aspects point to Jung’s personal confession.