What is Jungian psychotherapy and why do it?

Jung called this growth process ‘individuation.’ In Jungian psychology, part of the purpose of therapy is to guide and propel individuation. A classic dream that often occurs at the beginning of therapy is that the dreamer is viewing the edge of a forest and sees a deer, who also sees the dreamer. Sometimes the deer gestures to the dreamer. Then the deer turns and goes into the woods. This dream can be an invitation to engage in individuation and explore the unconscious mind, symbolized by the forest. In essence, the deer says, “If you want, follow me into the forest.”

To do this, you need an ego. Among the many parts of the total psyche, the ego is the decision-maker. It’s the part most people count as “I.” This part needs to be strong enough to hold up under pressure. But the ego needs to be willing to act on behalf of the greater good (that is, the greater good of your whole psyche). So, you need to also have some flexibility. Reduction of egocentrism is part of individuation, and it goes hand-in-hand with discovering the important role of your own decision-making.

Jung called the shared fabric of the unconscious mind ‘the collective unconscious.’ Later in his career, he called it ‘the objective psyche.’ This refers to humankind’s shared history, stories, and symbols. Dreams tap into this well to talk about what’s most profoundly important. Within the objective psyche, there are clusters of meaning called archetypes. To say that an archetype is an icon of meaning is like saying a river is a long strand of H2O. To understand more fully, please see the section below on archetypes.

In the film Ghostlight (2024), the character Rita rehearses at a community theater to play Juliet in the Shakespearean tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Dan, a construction worker, operates a jackhammer just outside the theater. She persuades him to join the cast and to become more and more involved, far beyond what even his wife can believe. The mischievous, f-bomb-dropping Rita convinces Dan to play a leading role. She also catalyzes healing for all of the characters in the story. She is:

• Independent
• Wild
• Creative
• Caring
• Healing

Ancient Romans knew about archetypes but they understood them as deities. They would have called the archetype behind Rita’s character “the goddess Diana.” She was one of the twelve major deities of the Roman pantheon. She’s the one who didn’t want to be a wife and mother, so she convinced her dad, Jupiter, to let her live off-grid with her dogs and hunt for a living. She’s the self-possessed deity of wild animals and the hunt. Sharp-tongued, tough, action-oriented, perceptive, feminine, and relational. This archetype is the emerging hero icon of modern times. For more on this please see:

The fatal hero: Diana, deity of the moon, as an archetype of the modern hero in English literature. (Volumes I and II). Haroian-Guerin, Gillisann. City University of New York ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, 1993. 9325106

And also, a brief introduction to the above book at:

https://victorianweb.org/gender/diana.html

Archetypes take turns having their day in the sun. In the mid-1960s, the Eternal Youth archetype emerged as prominent, with the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the popularity of youthfulness, and a flood of creativity. Bob Dylan’s song, Forever Young, was an anthem. Currently, American culture could be described as having an Eternal Youth complex.

The Eternal Youth also goes by the name Dionysus, Bacchus, and Pan. Yes, like Peter Pan. On the positive side, this archetype is associated with creativity, idealism, youth, possibility, and living in the moment. On the destructive side, it’s associated with lack of commitment and lack of conscientiousness, purposeless nostalgia, and living in fantasies. An archetype is a powerful force, much bigger than any single person. When positive, it’s a great ally; when negative, a great detriment.

Film citation:

O’Sullivan, K. and Thompson, A. (Directors) (2024). Ghostlight [Film]. IFC Films.

If Rita, the character in the film Ghostlight, were a person and not a character in a film; and if she started Jungian psychotherapy, she’d be seen as having a positive Diana complex. A complex is a complicated network of internal assumptions, beliefs, expectations, attitudes, feelings, and thoughts that provide a channel for an archetype to express itself. Everyone has complexes. In fact, everyone has a particular combination of complexes that influence personality.

Some of the other common archetypes that manifest as complexes are: mother, father, divine child, wise old woman/man, wild woman/man, green man, amazon, and artist.

When a complex is positive, that means it’s helpful to you. When it’s negative, that means it causes problems in your life. Your circumstances, choices and experiences contribute to the development or diminishment of complexes. You can affect whether or not a complex grows. Jungian psychotherapy seeks to uncover and map the complexes in your unconscious mind. When you understand where triggers come from, you can decide whether to feed or starve them. You can also learn more about how.

In a symbolic language, dreams reveal your psychological map. They talk all about the archetypes that influence you, and also how you interact with them. They pinpoint the combination of complexes that have the most impact on you. They even show you how to develop relationships with your positive complexes. This is like making friends with superheroes.

Sometimes dreams give you an experience of the impossible:

• The dreamer is sitting in a restaurant with a friend, and he notices the family at the next table. An infant sits in a high chair, and she gazes back at him. Then she tells him about the cutting edge of quantum physics in a perfectly fluent, adult vocabulary.
• The dreamer is thirsty and walking in a desert. She sees a multi-colored tree surrounded by stunning, ephemeral light. Now she notices a stream of clear water near her feet.
• The dreamer sees the Big Dipper in the night sky. Then the stars start moving, and the moon comes down from the sky and hovers in front of the dreamer.

These three examples are very different from each other, but they’re all examples of what Jung termed “the Self” manifesting in dreams. The Self could be called by many names. It’s a source of benevolence that guides individuation. It inspires a belief in possibility. Jung said the Self is the innermost core of the psyche, and it naturally promotes healing.

Jungian psychotherapy activates deep, lasting transformation and can be a route to self-knowledge. Uncovering the dynamics in your unconscious mind brings the possibility to diminish or strengthen various complexes. The inspiring presence of the Self can be a source of motivation. The therapeutic relationship provides guidance and structure for the unfolding of your potential.