psychoanalysis

Problems, dilemmas, predicaments: a Jungian approach

As long as one is alive, sane and living in the world you can be sure of having to face and negotiate problems. Much like death and taxes, problems come with the territory. To quote the Bard, To be, or not to be, that is the question: Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take Arms against a Sea of troubles, And by opposing end them: to die, to sleep No more; and by a sleep,...

The Middle Passage, from Misery to Meaning in Midlife by James Hollis

This book review is by Lynelle Pieterse and will be explored in the bookclub. Follow this link to join the Jungian Bookclub. James Hollis received his Diploma in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, and is the Director of the C.G. Jung Educational Center in Houston, Texas. He is a frequent guest speaker who spends winters in analytic practice and writes during the summers. In his books, he elaborates on the theories of C. G. Jung. Contemplated...

COMPLEX, ARCHETYPE, SYMBOL in the Psychology of C.G. Jung by Jolande Jacobi

This is a book review by Lynelle Pieterse who manages the Jungian Book Club. Click here to buy this book. Complex/Archetype/Symbol in the Psychology of C.G. Jung (Bollingen Series (General))  

Introduction

In the foreword, Jung writes: “…the concept of the archetype has given rise to the greatest misunderstandings.” The book is a discussion about the intricate terms Complex, Archetype, and Symbol and specifically about how they are interrelated. Jolande Jacobi was an associate of C.G. Jung for many years. She is known for...

Lacan Beginner’s Guide – Lionel Bailly

Book review by Tasha Tollman In a recent Jungian Master Class, I was introduced by Stephen to the work of the controversial and charismatic psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Jacque Lacan, arguably one of the most influential critical thinkers of the 20th century. Considered the most important psychoanalyst since Sigmund Freud, Lacan’s teachings and writings explore the significance of Freud’s discoveries and deal with absorbing questions such as what it is that enables individuals to become aware of themselves as autonomous thinking,...

A tool to identify your transference: understanding your unconscious communication in relationships

Transference- countertransference, Lacan, Jung Transference as a technical term in depth psychology describes the process whereby unconscious content is shared between patient (analysand) and analyst in the context of their therapeutic relationship (analysis). Although used to refer to this specific relationship dynamic in analysis, transference is a very real dimension of all social interaction, it is by no means limited to the analytical couple (analyst and analysand). This is the third in a series of three short articles I have written on...

Introducing Jungian Psychology by Robin Robertson (book review)

Tasha Tollman reviews an Introduction to Jungian Psychology. In Introducing Jungian Psychology, Dr Robertson provides the reader with the overall feel of Jungian psychology, sketching out a basic outline of the concepts and providing modern day examples.The book introduces the concepts of conscious, personal unconscious and collective unconscious as Roberston unpacks the structure and dynamics of the psyche; the meaning of dreams; personality types and archetypes before presenting Jung’s more abstract concepts about the processes that interact as one struggles...

Trauma, Emptiness and Failure to Relate in Steve McQueen’s “Shame”

This is a guest post by Helena Bassil-Morozow. The opening scene of Shame (2011) is shocking in its colourlessness and stillness: the film’s protagonist Brandon (Michael Fassbender), with his hand almost on his groin, is lying in bed looking rather dead. The shot’s colour temperature is cold; the mis-en-scene’s minimalism – the still naked body against the background of blue-white sheets – evokes associations with hospital rooms and mortuaries. The bird’s-eye shot lasts half a minute and looks almost like...