Saturday, April 25, 2026; 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
THE NUMINOUS PATH OF THE TWELVE-STEP EXPERIENCE
“You see, ‘alcohol’ in Latin is spiritus, and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well for the most depraving poison. The helpful formula therefore is: spiritus contra spiritum.” -C. G. Jung, Letter to Bill W., 1961.
These lectures will discuss both the light and dark sides of the numinous as the alcoholic stumbles through the stages of addiction. From the magical and numinous transformation of the first drink to the black pit of “pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization,” as the “disease” progresses to an inescapable bottoming-out, then rebirth as the alcoholic finds, or rediscovers, a connection to a Higher Power as recovery progresses over the years. Alcoholism oscillates between the opposites of the light and dark, the ecstasy of the Dionysian revel with wine, dance, music, masks, and theatre, to its murderous conclusion with dismemberment and death. The Twelve-Step program is, like Jungian Analysis, a transformational model dependent upon a relationship to the Self, or God, at every step. This program reflects on similarities between Jung’s concept of individuation and the progress of the alcoholic through the Twelve Steps as he trudges toward recovery.
Lecture material will include Jung’s writings with emphasis on the Terry Lectures, the writings of Bill W. in A.A. literature, and the writings of William James, Rudolph Otto, Walter Otto, Kerenyi, and others. The program will include recordings and film clips and allow interactive discussion time. Both sessions will emphasize experiential sharing of one’s encounters with the numinous in one’s Twelve-Step experience and encounters with the numinous in other venues, such as Jungian analysis, dreams, religion, or the arts. Those in recovery, Jungian analysis, or both should find this program relevant to their interests.
Maggie Gwinn, L.M.F.T., is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Santa Monica since 1990. She has taught and supervised at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, Antioch University, Phillips Graduate Institute, and Maple Counseling Center. She is an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor and has developed a specialty working with high-conflict couples. She was a 2009 nominee for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play, TORTURE. A former actress, she has a life-long interest in creative expression. This finds emphasis in her analytic work with writers, actors, fine artists, and architects, as well as work with professionals in all fields to integrate creative energies that have not found an outlet. She has maintained a close connection to two Twelve-Step Programs for over 37 years.
Saturday, April 25, 2026; 10:00 am – 1:00 pm
THE NUMINOUS PATH OF THE TWELVE-STEP EXPERIENCE
“You see, ‘alcohol’ in Latin is spiritus, and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well for the most depraving poison. The helpful formula therefore is: spiritus contra spiritum.” -C. G. Jung, Letter to Bill W., 1961.
These lectures will discuss both the light and dark sides of the numinous as the alcoholic stumbles through the stages of addiction. From the magical and numinous transformation of the first drink to the black pit of “pitiful and incomprehensible demoralization,” as the “disease” progresses to an inescapable bottoming-out, then rebirth as the alcoholic finds, or rediscovers, a connection to a Higher Power as recovery progresses over the years. Alcoholism oscillates between the opposites of the light and dark, the ecstasy of the Dionysian revel with wine, dance, music, masks, and theatre, to its murderous conclusion with dismemberment and death. The Twelve-Step program is, like Jungian Analysis, a transformational model dependent upon a relationship to the Self, or God, at every step. This program reflects on similarities between Jung’s concept of individuation and the progress of the alcoholic through the Twelve Steps as he trudges toward recovery.
Lecture material will include Jung’s writings with emphasis on the Terry Lectures, the writings of Bill W. in A.A. literature, and the writings of William James, Rudolph Otto, Walter Otto, Kerenyi, and others. The program will include recordings and film clips and allow interactive discussion time. Both sessions will emphasize experiential sharing of one’s encounters with the numinous in one’s Twelve-Step experience and encounters with the numinous in other venues, such as Jungian analysis, dreams, religion, or the arts. Those in recovery, Jungian analysis, or both should find this program relevant to their interests.
Maggie Gwinn, L.M.F.T., is a Jungian Analyst in private practice in Santa Monica since 1990. She has taught and supervised at the C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles, Antioch University, Phillips Graduate Institute, and Maple Counseling Center. She is an American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Approved Supervisor and has developed a specialty working with high-conflict couples. She was a 2009 nominee for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize for her play, TORTURE. A former actress, she has a life-long interest in creative expression. This finds emphasis in her analytic work with writers, actors, fine artists, and architects, as well as work with professionals in all fields to integrate creative energies that have not found an outlet. She has maintained a close connection to two Twelve-Step Programs for over 37 years.
