Jungian Psychology and Psychotherapy
Here is June’s gathering of blog posts on the topic of Jungian Psychology. These are some of the posts that caught my attention this past month and I pass them on to you here for your consideration. This month’s theme focuses on the practice of psychotherapy.
Despite, at times, elaborating on many seemingly abstract topics like alchemy, mythology, and religion, Carl Jung always insisted that he was primarily interested in “practical psychology,” that is, psychotherapy.
Though he put forth profound and important theories about psychology, Jung ultimately felt that the practice of psychotherapy was an art:
“Practical medicine is and always has been an art, and the same is true of practical analysis. True art is creation, and creation is beyond all theories. That is why I say to any beginner: Learn your theories as well as you can, but put them aside when you touch the miracle of the living soul. Not theories but your own creative individuality alone must decide.”
The following sample of blog posts is a testament to the “creative individuality” of each of these contributors to the field of Jungian Psychology.
What’s in a Space?
Cheryl Fuller at Jung at Heart raises an interesting question about the nature of the space in which therapy is conducted. In my own practice, the quality of the space in which I work is very important to me. I have been lucky enough to be able to create a welcoming space for my clients and I believe it has an important effect on the therapeutic work itself.
Fuller offers this intriguing observation about psychotherapy offices and theoretical orientation:
“Depth therapists thought about their offices in terms of how the space feels to be in and those more behaviorally oriented expressed more concern about parking and access to public transportation.”
My Psychotherapy Cottage.
Therapeutic Value of Metaphor
Kim Hermanson writing at the Depth List blog explores the power of metaphor in therapy. Through metaphor, she suggests, we are re-connected with the earth’s wisdom. Where language and thought can take us out of the experience of the world, metaphor “allows us to experience being deeply in the world.”
Therapeutically, metaphoric images that stem from the natural world can be extremely powerful:
“When my clients touch, and are touched by, the earth’s metaphoric images, profound shifts happen.”
Career Questions
As readers of this blog know, I write extensively about Jungian career counseling. The concept of individuation in Jungian Psychology naturally leads to questions of vocation and career.
At Vibrant Jung Thing, Brian Collinson offers a valuable post on questions to ask yourself in the midst of a midlife career change. Collinson makes the point that, from the perspective of depth psychology, a career exploration begins with an understanding of oneself.
One of the values of this kind of approach to career change is that it moves beyond merely economic considerations of work to questions of passion and even joy:
“What is it that my own deepest being calls me too, or wants me to do? What is it, that, when I do it, something in me feels a profound rightness about it, or rejoices in doing it? Sometimes, people really know what this is. Sometimes, it only becomes apparent through in-depth soulwork.”
Beauty in the Process
What do we do with positive experiences in psychotherapy? Can we only talk about what is difficult and painful, or is there a place for sweetness, for beauty, for happiness? These are questions that arise from time to time in the therapeutic process.
Richard Reeve, in a lovely post, offers a meditation on moments when therapy becomes “a delicate aria of isolated whispers.” These are moments of intimacy and mystery and, as such, they are difficult to talk about.
“In some ways, it makes perfect sense that the revelation of such beauty in process remains sealed behind a hushed awe.”
However, writes Reeve, if we fail to talk about these kinds of experience, we may be doing a disservice to the psyche and fail to recognize where the work of therapy is leading us.
The Therapeutic Relationship
Carl Jung had quite a lot to say about the practice of psychotherapy. Much of what he said is counter-cultural with respect to current attitudes about the nature of therapy. In my opinion, that is one of the things that is so valuable about Jungian Psychology — it stands as a corrective to the homogenization of much of today’s culture and asserts the importance of the individual’s destiny.
The Carl Jung Depth Psychology blog shares some of Jung’s therapeutic wisdom, including this comment on the value of the analytic relationship — the transference — for the psychological health of the patient:
“Transference is the natural vehicle by which the patient regains courage. We can only stand by ourselves if others are willing to stand by us. The analyst’s acceptance of the patient assures him that he can be borne and implies that he too can bear himself.”
Honorable Mentions
As usual, there are far more worthwhile posts on the topic of Jungian Psychology than I can include here. In addition to the posts that I’ve listed above, I would suggest dropping by Rose Holt’s blog to read about Invisible Reality and Dr. Andy Drymalski’s Jungstop blog for an examination of dreams and the afterlife.
And while you’re exploring the world of Jungian Psychology, I hope you’ll also take a moment to check out my own posts from this past month:
Jungian Therapy 101: Active Imagination
Carl Jung’s Words of Advice for the Depressed
The Definition of Authenticity
Enjoy.
And take good care.
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