Last September, I had the pleasure of attending a two week depth psychology training in Switzerland which focused on the psychological theories of Carl Jung and Marie Louise Von Franz. Since then, many people have asked me what I learned that I can integrate into my counseling practice. I’ve noticed that whenever anybody asks me the question I struggle to give a good answer for a variety of reasons. I’ve thought about this a lot, realizing that one of the reasons that I have difficulty is because by its nature, Jungian psychology is distinct from many modern therapeutic techniques. Not that Jungian psychology is opposed to the many advances that we have made in the realm of mental health, it just takes a much different approach. In fact, Jungian psychology warns against being too attached to any one approach, including its own. Now that I have had a few months to let the experience sink in, I think I can express to some degree why I have embarked on the journey to become a Jungian analyst, and how I think this can help me become more effective at producing positive change in my clients and myself.
I was talking to an acquaintance about my upcoming trip a few months before I left, explaining that I would be doing two weeks of training in Jungian psychology. They told me that Jung’s theories and modalities had been proven obsolete, a statement that seemed so absurd to me that it literally left me speechless. (Not a common occurrence.) All I could do was chuckle and excuse myself from the conversation. In hindsight, it’s obvious that In order for her opinion to be true concepts like extrovert and introvert would be meaningless, terms like archetype and collective consciousness would be removed from the lexicon, and the Myers-Briggs personality test would disappear. Most importantly, it would mean that 12 step recovery is irrelevant to the millions of people who have found release from crippling addictions.
Jung was considered a silent co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous because he informed a patient he was treating that he’d reached the limits of his ability to help him to stop drinking. He knew that alcoholism was a complex, multi-layered psychological problem that can be supported by science, but not cured. He understood that there was a hidden dimension of addiction that cannot be quantified. That hidden dimension is the Spirit, or if you prefer, the Self. The humility that Jung demonstrated set in motion a chain of events that would culminate in the modern recovery movement.
This idea that Jung himself proposed that his psychology was insufficient for someone in active addiction was further impressed upon me at the training I attended in Europe at the training. A Swiss psychologist who’d heard I was an addictions counselor pulled me aside one day to ask me if I could help her with a client who was struggling with alcoholism. She told me she’d tried many different ways to reach this person but found herself feeling hopeless and frustrated, unable to facilitate the change both she and her client desired. I was glad to help in the way that I could, emphasizing that even with twenty years of working with substance abuse I often feel quite powerless myself. This interaction did not cause me to question the validity of Jungian Psychology, only to see its limitations. Trauma therapy, specifically EMDR, is one of the most beneficial tools we have at our disposal to lessen anxiety, reduce PTSD, and turn down the volume on intrusive thoughts. However, it will not arrest or eliminate an alcoholic’s desire for intoxication or an opiate users’ craving for oblivion. There is not a single modality, drug, technique, school of psychology, psychedelic, or self-help book that can entice someone who longs for constant escape from their individual reality to turn and face their agitated self who is trapped in psychologically unbearable circumstances. This is why our society’s attempts to solve the addiction problem always results in moderate progress at best. As with the fentanyl crisis today, the so-called crack epidemic in the 80’s, and the heroin crisis in the early 2000’s, too much attention is given to a specific drug and not enough attention to our relationship too intoxication itself. As a country, and in the family of origin, people talk about the tragedy of the thousands who die of fentanyl overdoses while finishing off their fourth glass of wine while popping another THC gummy. But that’s a whole other conversation.
My interest in depth psychology is not so much for the benefit of the person still in the midst of their addiction, there are strong resources for those locked in its grip. The place where I think it can have the most impact is for those of us who have years or decades in recovery but still struggle to find balance, peace of mind, and successful romantic partnerships. Through the process that Jung called individuation, I believe that people can come to know their true Self and tap into the power of a fully realized personality. This process begins with identifying different parts of the personality that have been suppressed below consciousness, such as the shadow, the anima and the animus. Jung believed that these splintered parts of our personality were observable through the process of analysis and a relationship with the unconscious, through dreams, active imagination, and even artistic creativity. And though the process of individuation is quite demanding, the rewards for myself have been quite striking.
So far on my journey I’ve been a student of Buddhism, Christian mysticism, psychodrama, trauma therapy, 12 step recovery, and many more. Last year I even did ice baths for about six months straight. All of these have added to my happiness and well being. As I mature, I become more and more wary of anyone or any technique that claims to have the quick fix to mental health and recovery. There is no one thing that will work for everyone. We are human beings, not machines. As such, we cannot be fixed, only healed, nurtured, and awakened as the individuals we are.
Beginner's Mind, Writers Mind 