We would do well to abandon from the start any attempt to apply ready-made solutions and warmed-up generalities of which the patient knows just as much as the doctor. Long experience has taught me not to know anything in advance and not to know better, but to let the unconscious take precedence. Our instincts have ridden so infinitely many times, unharmed, over the problems that arise in life that we may be sure the transformation process which makes the transition possible have long been prepared in the unconscious and are only waiting to be released. – C.G. Jung, CW 9-I, par. 528
Jungian analysis is a psychotherapeutic process that utilizes theories and methods developed by the Swiss psychiatrist Dr. Carl Gustav Jung. Jungian analysis or psychotherapy investigates the conscious and unconscious psyche to help remove or mitigate troubling symptoms or blocks to a healthy and fulfilling life. Jung believed that the origin of most symptoms or blocks lies in the unconscious; therefore, attempting to access what the “unconscious has to say” through dreams, associations, and fantasies is an important aspect of this kind of psychotherapy. Attention to conscious thoughts and feelings and the everyday elements of one’s life are also important focus areas. Jung did not promote rigid techniques; he believed the process of psychological development to be unique to each individual. Therefore, a Jungian analysis will vary considerably according to the needs of each client.
All psychoanalysts, including Jungian analysts, look for the cause of one’s present difficulties in childhood, past experiences, and the personal unconscious. In addition, Jungian analysts look for meaning hidden in current problems to help find direction for one’s ongoing life and connect with the larger meaning of life. Jungian analysts investigate both the personal and the collective unconscious.
- Jungian analysts emphasize the therapeutic relationship.
- Jungian analysts are active in the therapeutic dialogue.
- Jungian analysts look to the unconscious (fantasies and dreams) as a guide in the overall process.
- Jungian analysts work with archetypal imagery and look to dreams and patterns of one’s life through mythological parallels.
- Jungian analysis is viewed as a collaborative process.
For further information about C. G. Jung and Jungian analysis, please visit our bookstore and library at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles. The library and bookstore staff are always happy to recommend appropriate and helpful reading material. Check also Psychological Perspectives, our quarterly journal of Jungian thought, and our YouTube Channel, which includes video recordings of lectures given at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles and films in the Remembering Jung series.
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