We are very pleased to present the program for the “From a Jungian Perspective” series for the Summer Semester 2026. Once again, the series features three different lectures: one will be held in English, and the other two will be conducted in German.
The participation fee is €20 per event, or €10 for IAAP members and training candidates.
1. Alchemy & The Poetics of Matter | 24 April 2026
Speaker: Faranak Mirjalili (Netherlands) | Language: English
This presentation explores the “living encounter” between laboratory alchemy and depth psychology. Moving beyond Jung’s view of alchemy as a mere projection screen for the mind, Mirjalili argues that matter itself has agency. Based on a three-year study, she demonstrates how the physical work of a contemporary alchemist—manipulating plants and metals—acts as a direct catalyst for inner transformation, accelerating psychic differentiation and intensifying synchronicities.
2. The Tree: A Symbol of Coniunctio | 26 May 2026
Speaker: Anna Oberleitner (Austria) | Language: German
(Der Baum: Ein Symbol der Coniunctio) Following an introduction to alchemy and Sandplay therapy, Oberleitner examines the symbol of the tree as a bridge between heaven and earth and a provider of ancient wisdom. Using a clinical case study, she illustrates how the “Coniunctio” (the union of opposites) is expressed through tree symbolism and how therapists can work with patients to interpret these images within the therapeutic process.
3. Jungian Interpretation of AI-Generated Images: Is It Possible? | 30 June 2026
Speakers: Tanja Pachmann & Anna Maria Uhlich (Austria) | Language: German
(Jungianische Bildinterpretation von KI-generierten Bildern – Geht das?) This lecture addresses the psychological implications of Artificial Intelligence. Since AI images are harvested from the vast pool of collective human creation and triggered by human prompts, the speakers ask if they represent a “digital collective unconscious.” The session explores whether these algorithmic reproductions can evoke true soul-depth and emotional resonance, or if they lack the authenticity of an individual creative act.