Carl Jung:

A pioneer of the psyche 

Along with Freud, Carl Jung was one of the great explorers of the human psyche during the 20th century.  Although his psychology sometimes sounds esoteric -- because he uses words like anima and animus, shadow and archetype -- it  actually is eminently practical and focused.

Jung considered individuation, the work of becoming fully who we are, to be the great task of human life.  One way we achieve this is through careful self exploration, facilitated by an analyst who has engaged in her or his own deep inner journey.

Analysis does not offer a quick fix based on changes of behavior or habit, but seeks to help the analysand discover his or her own, unique Self and its blueprint for living.

(adapted from a North Pacific Institute for Analytical Psychology text)

What is

Jungian analysis?

Jungian analysis is a longer term psychotherapeutic endeavor that seeks to assist the analysand to individuate.  By individuation, Jung means a process of discovering and learning to live from our authentic selves. 

This process proceeds differently for each individual, but in general the aim of analysis is to increase our awareness of the fullness of our soul, bringing consciousness into a more dynamic relationship with the unconscious. 

There are many paths to achieve this goal -- from careful examination of the dynamics that play out between analyst and analysand to dreamwork accompanied by a process Jung called active imagination.  Yet every analysis is unique, because each person is unique.

One thing that makes analysis different from other forms of psychological work is the emphasis in analytic training on preparing analysts to work in the deep regions of others' psyches by exploring those regions in their own psyches.  The training of all psychological professionals -- including psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers -- always involves classroom work and case or clinical supervision.

It was the genius of Jung to add to those elements the "training analysis" and today this is central in all schools of pscyhoanalytic training.  That's not to say other therapists do not receive therapy; some do.  But it is seldom a required element of training in other programs.  And nowhere is it so central as in analytic training, where would-be analysts must have had analysis before training, are required to remain in it during training, and may not graduate until they are deemed psychologically prepared for this work.

No system is foolproof and analysts are not necessarily better than other psychotherapists, but those who seek analysis often do so because analysts have undergone extensive training that prepares them to work at the deepest levels of the human psyche.