Jungian analysis is the form of psychotherapy developed by Carl Gustav Jung, one of the leading pioneers of modern depth psychology.  From the Jungian viewpoint, analysis is essentially a dialogue between two people - the analyst and the analysand.  Its aim is to help the analysand get in touch with his/her own inner sources of healing and growth, and thus to arrive at individual answers and solutions.

        Because Jungian analysis is adapted to the needs and goals of the individual, it may in practice be any number of things: short-term counseling on a specific problem; sympathetic support through a difficult period; help in resolving conflicts and eliminating symptoms; guidance in developing creative potentials or discovering new life possibilities.

       Although Jung’s “analytical psychology” has its own distinctive viewpoint, it is, in the final analysis, less a school of psychology alongside others than a fundamental perspective and methodology capable of accommodating a many-sided truth, and thus of integrating the empirical findings of many disciplines, giving them in the process a richer context and new dimensions.  Because analytical psychology sees the psyche as structured in terms of opposites, the Jungian viewpoint is characterized by many polarities.

  • It stresses, on the one hand, the basic preeminence of the individual over and against the forces of society and culture, but on the other hand devotes the closest attention to exploring the ways in which the life of the individual is shaped by collective factors in the unconscious.

  • It regards the attainment of the greatest possible consciousness as the goal of psychic development, and at the same time recognizes the instinctive wisdom of the unconscious and the need to live in harmony with that wisdom.

  • It emphasizes that there can be no psychic health without a recognition of the dark side of human nature, but also maintains that an ethical way of life is ultimately essential to individual fulfillment as well as the common good.

  • It maintains that the development of individual consciousness ultimately is the foundation of developing cultural consciousness and that every growing person contributes to the “healing” and “wholeness” of all life.

  • It sees the creative encounter with the inner world of feelings and symbolic imagery as the heart of therapy, yet never forgets the necessity of putting inner experience to the test in the everyday world.

  • It understand the process of “healing” or “becoming whole” as something which is ultimately of a religious nature, but it knows at the same time that the only values and ideals which can heal are those which are based on direct personal experience of the spiritual dimension of life.

  • Though it has discovered many hitherto unknown “laws” of psychic life, it does not make a dogma of these discoveries, but maintains an unprejudiced openness to all manifestations of the human psyche.

        In its application to psychotherapeutic practice, one of the central and distinguishing features of the Jungian viewpoint is that it sees more in emotional conflicts and symptoms than merely technical breakdowns of functioning. Thus Jungian analysis is not content with the mere alleviation of symptoms, as seriously as it takes that task.  It also seeks to prevent their recurrence by dealing with their deeper causes, which are usually a matter of basic and far-reaching difficulties: lack of self-knowledge, failure to develop creative potential, doubts about the meaning of life, or absence of a spiritual orientation.

        The basic outlook of Jungian psychology makes it possible to offer help in these areas, not in the form of any specific ideology or doctrine of salvation, but through assisting the individual to discover the meaning lying in his/her own soul.  As Jung often stressed, it is finally within the individual, and not on the level of collective social measures, that the problems of our age must be met and the foundations for a healthy democratic society preserved and strengthened.

        The spirit of Jungian analysis and therapy is perhaps best captured in Jung’s own words: “The prime task of psychotherapy today is to pursue with singleness of purpose the goal of individual development.  So doing, our efforts will follow nature’s striving to bring life to the fullest possible fruition in each individual . . . The labors of the doctor as well as the quest of the patient are directed towards that hidden and as yet unmanifest ‘whole’ man, who is at once the greater and future man." 

An Analyst's Training

        The training of a Jungian analyst is separate and different from the normal training to become a psychotherapist.  Normal professional training is generally considered to be the foundation for the further training of becoming an Jungian analyst.  Analytic training generally requires an additional five to seven years depending on the individual and the training institute.  The status of being an analyst is recognized by having a diploma from one of the internationally accredited C. G. Jung Institutes.  In addition to other requirements, there are two important ingredients in the training of a Jungian analyst that are not generally present in psychotherapeutic training programs.

  • Training to become a Jungian analyst encompasses not only the principle of depth psychology but also the integration of creative expressions of the unconscious such as dreamwork, art, mythology and fairy tales and of many related disciplines such as comparative religions and ethnology.

  • Training to become a Jungian analyst also includes extensive personal analysis.  This personal experience of one’s own analysis prepares the analyst for their work by deepening their own inner experience and self-knowledge as well as clearing their own garden of some of the “weeds and stones” that could possibly interfere with the healing/creative field that will exist between them and their future analysands.

Pursuing a Jungian Analysis

       Ideally, a Jungian analysis involves weekly face to face meetings between the analyst and the analysand, where a personal relationship can be fostered.  There is usually at least one Jungian analyst in most metropolitan areas.  If you are having difficulty locating an analyst in your area you may contact me and I will forward the names, addresses and telephone numbers of analysts near you who are currently members of the International Association of Analytical Psychologists.

         Sometimes, however, circumstances of geographical place, distance, time and cost can make such face to face meetings extremely difficult if not impossible.  In such cases alternative means, such as telephone or video-conferencing, can provide another avenue of contact.  If you are interested in exploring this possibility, we can discuss it further. 

You may contact Howard Tyas at: htyas@jungiananalyticpraxis.com

 

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