London Analyst, Judy Cowell, writes:
Why study Ann Ulanov’s paper “Making the Unsayable Experiential”?
Ann Ulanov’s paper reverberates with a call to the Soul, addressing the Ukrainian community of Jungian Analysts directly as “you”, describing in no uncertain terms the immediacy of the violence and violation of war that is their situation. Calling for his Soul is also how Jung starts his confrontation with the Unconscious which he describes and elucidates in Liber Novus.
In her paper, Ann draws on both Liber Novus and the Black Books. She quotes Jung, referring to the First World War, “The gigantic catastrophes that threaten us today are psychic epidemics. At any moment several millions of people may be smitten by a new madness.”
Ann reflects deeply upon the Ukrainian’s “gigantic catastrophe” drawing forth humanity’s capacity to suffer and to cause suffering. She draws three parallel themes from Liber Novus – Individuation; the Personal and the Collective, and the Voice of the Feminine – in order to witness the emergence of Soul in the Ukrainian population arising, too, out of the crucible of war.
She writes “What is war doing to you….? You can register two processes going on simultaneously – the psychic epidemic with collective patterns, and the individuation process where you learn from the heart as well as book, from madness as well as reason, from soul aliveness despite loss of meaning, admitting into awareness everything you had scorned as evil that now soaks the world with blood.”
Much of the time, many of us naturally turn away from being confronted with directly experiencing news of the Ukrainian war. By studying this paper, we are supported and inspired by Ann to remain present, to witness what is only too real for the Ukrainian people, and ultimately, is unavoidably real for us all.
All of us are trying to make sense of war. Underlying each personal therapy, no matter which part of the world we live in, we discover the intergenerational effect of the two World Wars and of the displacements and loss of home and identity arising out of the colonial era. These reading groups will engage us with these powerful experiences through the immediacy of the Ukrainian War.
For Carl Jung, the First World War caused an eruption of disturbing psychic activity. He chose to engage with it, to consciously confront the manifestations of the collective unconscious. All his subsequent teaching guiding us to realise our capacity to be creative, to individuate, arose from that confrontation.
Ann Ulanov’s paper, Making the Unsayable Experiential, which is the subject of these reading groups, engages us with that same process, engages us with the profound disturbances of war and the potential for psychic development. Our Ukrainian colleagues have emphasised how important it is for them at this time to meet with the international community. It’s a profound experience of witnessing and support. Over 90 of them have signed up for the reading groups. We now invite you, if you can, to join us in meeting with them and working together on the prima materia thrown up by the war…” – Catherine Cox & Catherine Hinds, On behalf of the #WithUkrainianJungians Organising Committee
It is not necessary to have attended the event on 21st May 2022 to participate. The paper is available on withukrainianjungians.com
A maximum of 15 participants will meet on 3 occasions to discuss Ann Ulanov’s paper. Groups will be facilitated to ensure a safe space & there will be simultaneous Ukrainian & English translation.
Monday Group: 26 September, 10 & 24 October
Tuesday Group: 27 September, 11 & 25 October