The Journal of Analytical Psychology‘s newest issue presents a rich collection of contemporary scholarship examining dreams, synchronicity, clinical practice, and the evolving landscape of Jungian thought. Editors Arthur Niesser and Carolyn Bates introduce an issue that bridges classical Jungian theory with modern empirical research and emerging cultural perspectives.
Christian Roesler’s open access article Jung’s Theory of Dreaming and the Findings of Empirical and Clinical Dream Research offers a crucial examination of how Jung’s foundational dream theory holds up against contemporary empirical and clinical findings. This piece serves as an essential bridge between Jung’s original theoretical framework and modern neuroscience and psychology research on dreams, evaluating which aspects of Jung’s dream theory remain validated by current scientific evidence and which elements require reconsideration or expansion. Roesler’s work is particularly significant for clinicians who work with dreams in analytical practice, as it provides evidence-based grounding for Jungian dream interpretation while acknowledging where the field has evolved beyond Jung’s original formulations.
The second open access article, Synchronicity in Post-Jungian Astrology: A Cosmological Quest by Jingchao Zeng and Nathan Fraikin, explores one of Jung’s most controversial and fascinating concepts through the lens of astrological practice. This piece examines how synchronicity functions within post-Jungian astrological frameworks, investigating the cosmological implications of acausal meaningful coincidences. The authors delve into how contemporary astrologers and Jungian practitioners understand the relationship between celestial movements and psychological phenomena, moving beyond simple cause-and-effect thinking to embrace Jung’s principle of synchronicity as an organizing framework. This article represents an important contribution to understanding how Jung’s more esoteric interests continue to inform contemporary practice and theory.
Henrique C. Pereira contributes The Analysis of a Catastrophic Dream and The Hypertrophy of Modern Consciousness, examining how catastrophic dreams may reflect the excessive development of rational consciousness in modern life. Pereira’s clinical analysis suggests that such dreams serve compensatory functions, pointing toward neglected or underdeveloped aspects of the psyche that require attention. Barry D. Proner presents Thoughts on Dependency, Trust, Perversity and Addiction in the Analytic Relationship, exploring the complex dynamics that emerge between analyst and analysand, particularly around issues of dependency and trust that can manifest in perverse or addictive relational patterns within the therapeutic container.
Clare Simmonds offers Towards a Socio-Analysis of the Psychotherapy Field, which examines the social, cultural, and institutional forces shaping psychotherapy practice itself. This meta-analytical approach considers how the field of psychotherapy operates within broader societal structures and power dynamics. Sulagna Sengupta’s Cultural Crossings, Critical Dialogues and the Emergence of Hybridity explores how analytical psychology engages with cross-cultural encounters, examining how hybrid identities and perspectives emerge from critical dialogue between different cultural frameworks.
The issue includes an interview conducted by Nora Swan-Foster with Mary Dougherty, offering insights into contemporary analytical practice and thought. The book review section features substantial reviews of several significant recent publications. Derron Santin reviews Aniela Jaffé and Elena Fischli’s Reflections on the Life and Dreams of C. G. Jung, providing access to intimate perspectives on Jung’s personal life and inner world. Jane Phillimore examines Luisa Zoppi and Martin Schmidt’s edited collection The Complexity of Trauma: Jungian and Psychoanalytic Approaches to the Treatment of Trauma, which brings together multiple therapeutic perspectives on trauma work. Steve Eliezer Zemmelman reviews Aryeh Maidenbaum’s Jung and the Jewish Experience: Reflections of a Jungian Analyst, which addresses the important and sometimes fraught relationship between Jung’s work and Jewish identity and experience. Diane Finiello Zervas reviews Dedicated to the Soul: The Writings and Drawings of Emma Jung, edited by Ann Conrad Lammers and others, which illuminates Emma Jung’s own significant contributions to analytical psychology beyond her role as Carl Jung’s wife and collaborator. The issue concludes with Stephen Garratt’s list of books received and contributor biographies, along with a comprehensive index for the entire 2025 volume, making this a valuable reference issue for the year’s scholarship.