Minnesota Seminar in Jungian Studies: 2020-2021 - Minnesota Jung Association
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Minnesota Seminar in Jungian Studies: 2020-2021
Course Listings and Readings
September 12 and 13, 2020
“The Symbol of the Whistle Blower in Myth and
Film, and The Archetype of Political Psyche: The Value
of Protest from a Depth Psychological View”
Presenter: Laura Tuley
“Psychological experience and social life are fundamentally entangled with each other.”
–Andrew Samuels
Assuming as our point of departure the maxim popularized in the 1970’s the
“personal is the political,” we will consider the idea of an archetypal political
psyche and energy that is integral to our work in and beyond the consulting room.
As a backdrop, we will discuss select essays in Jung’s CW Vol 10 and Andrew
Samuels’ writing on the transformative potential of a conscious interface between
professional psychotherapy and the political preoccupations of the Zeitgeist. I
would like us to consider how the political is manifest in our work with our
patients and when it suggests the movement of psychic energy necessary to
individual and collective individuation; how psychotherapy and analysis might
contribute to critical thinking—not just about our personal lives and growth—but
also about the social, cultural and historical environments we inhabit, and what it
might mean to position ourselves as “activist” analysts or therapists in society.*
Films:
The Whistleblower (2010)
Snowden (2016)
Optional: Dark Waters (2019)
Readings:
Jung, C.G. CW 10, Part III, pgs. 177-243 [par 371-487].
Samuels, A. (2019), A New Therapy for Politics? chapters 1-3, 5 & 11. Routledge.
Recommended Reading for Candidates:
Samuels, A. (1993), The Political Psyche, chapters 1&2. Routledge.*In preparation for the discussion of the assigned reading from Andrew Samuels’
A New Therapy for Politics, I would like you to consider the following questions
from Chapter 1 (pp. 12-13):
1. Where did you get your politics from? What influence did your mother have
on the political views and practices? Your father? What about the
differences in political outlook between your parents? Some people have
been influenced in their political development by significant other people:
teachers, priests, and older friends at school. Were you? How do you
imagine that your sex and sexual orientation, class and socio-economic
factors, ethnic, religious and national background may have affected your
attitude towards/relationship to politics? Consider each of these in turn.
2. What are your first political memories?
3. Where would you place yourself right now in your life, what level of
“political energy” would you say you now have?
In preparation to discuss the movies, Snowden and The Whistleblower, please
reflect in writing on how you might “treat” the protagonist of each film, were she
or he to come to see you for analysis or therapy, exploring any counter-
transference reactions you imagine might develop in reaction to your patient.
Alternatively, or for those of you may not be clinicians, reflect on the figure of the
whistleblower symbolically and psychologically. Can you identify with the
whistleblower’s impulse and expression of “political energy”? Be prepared to
elaborate your response.October 10 and 11, 2020
“Dark Religion:
Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology”
Presenter: Vlado Solc
The course will examine the relationship between the ego and the Self as
researched in Jungian theory. We will explore various phenomena pertaining to
the relationship, such as compensation, inflation, identification, possession,
compensation, projection and the like. We will also explore mythological
parallels and clinical implications of encounters between the ego and the Self.
We will learn definitions of ego, self, Dark religion and the difference between
spirituality and creed. We will define the difference between regressive and
progressive flow of libido. This course will examine what happens when ego
becomes influenced by unconscious. In this course we will explore Jung's
thoughts on the privatio boni question, and ponder on the idea of relativity of
good and evil.
This course will also explore aspects of religions that are ego-centric and based on
projection of shadow. It will offer a Jungian perspective on what happens when
the ego becomes possessed by the “dark” energies of the Self. We will discuss
different psychological phenomena and dynamics underlying religious extremism
and fundamentalism. We will look at how the Self influences the way one holds
onto the radical creed and introduce some mythological and clinical parallels.
Finally, we will explore our own feelings when confronted with Dark religion.
Required Reading:
Casement, A., & David, T. (2006). The idea of the numinous. London: Routledge.
Edinger, E (1973). Ego and archetype. Pelican Books.
Recommended Reading:
Jung, C. G. “Two Essays on Analytical Psychology”in CW 7: Part One, pgs. 127-171.
Jung, C. G. “The Ego” pp.3-7; “The Self” in Aion, CW 9ii, pgs. 23-35.
Jung, C. G. “Answer to Job” CW 11.
Šolc, V., Didier, J., G., (2018). Dark Religion, Chiron.November 14 and 15, 2020
“Layard and the Contrasexual Side”
Presenter: Stuart Potter
Selection of marriage partners existed before any separation of conscious from
unconscious contents. John Layard observed anthropologically that this selection
of partners served two ends simultaneously. One motivation was to enlarge and
extend the community and is defined as the exogamous tendency. The other
motivation is to promote kinship and would be described as endogamous. Both
are natural instincts of all people. Community has forever depended upon the
combination of the two tendencies within. In “Psychology of The Transference,”
Jung explains that the exogamous principle took priority over the endogamous
and promoted expansion of culture and diversification. In the last century
expansion reached the ends of the earth, the world was defined by a singular
division: East and West. The endogamous tendency so overmatched by the
exogamous that everybody was “a stranger among strangers.”
For Layard the outer anima, through projection, created the personification of Eve
(the mother of the population of the world). The inner anima, in projected form is
personified by the Virgin Mary (the mother of God, the savior). The first
(exogamous) stimulated interest in “wife,” while the second enables connection
to self. The choice of partner on the basis of exogamous over endogamous
created a latent condition of potential endogamous psychic energy. Through
sacrifice, which allows us to move from one phase of life to another, the second
inevitably replaces the first. Jung stated that this separation was “older” than
anima and animus and that this meant unrealized anima, facilitating the
endogamous, “does not point backwards to group marriage but ‘forward’ to the
integration of personality,” and, “might become the seed of a nobler culture in a
regenerated age.”
Required Readings:
Jung. CW, Vol 16, pgs. 211 – 235. [Par. 410 – 449].
Layard, J (1977). “The Incest Taboo and the Virgin Archetype.” pgs. 254–308 in
The Virgin Archetype. Zurich: Spring Publications.December 5 and 6, 2020
“Clinical Application of Archetypal Dynamics
as Represented in Alchemical Symbolism”
Presenter: John Desteian
This seminar will concentrate on the images and dynamics which appeared in
alchemical texts from many practitioners, and their similarity to images and
dynamics that appear in dreams and fantasies of analysands, as well as in fairy
tales, mythology, and modern collective ideas and media. We will discuss the
potential interpretations of the images and dynamics, and speculate about the
sources and meaning of the similarities.
Required Readings:
Hillman, J (2010). Chapter 1: “The Therapeutic Value of Alchemical Language: A
Heated Introduction” in Alchemical Psychology., pgs 9-19. Putnam, CT:
Spring Publications.
Jung, C.G. “Psychology and Alchemy”, CW Vol. 12, Part III, pgs 225-316.
Marlan, S. (2005). Chapter 1: “The Dark Side of Light” in The Black Sun., pgs 9-26.
Texas A & M University Press.
Von Franz, M.L. (1980). "Lecture 1: Introduction” in Alchemy: An Introduction to
the Symbolism and the Psychology. pp 13-38. Toronto: Inner City Books.February 13 and 14, 2021
“An Exploration of Modern Narcissism –
An Epidemic of Our Age?”
Presenter: Laraine Kurisko
The myth of Narcissus from Ovid’s Metamorphosis is a timely story of deep
tragedy, both for Echo, the mountain nymph whose love he refused, as well as for
Narcissus himself, who dies pining away, in love with his own image as reflected
in a mountain lake. This archetypal myth presents itself clinically with modern day
“Narcissuses” who are unable to love another, and “Echos,” their rejected and
traumatized ex-spouses and partners, whose sole purpose in the relationship was
to be a mirroring self-object for the narcissist.
In recent years, the topic of Narcissism has flooded the Internet with a vast array
of experts, often survivors or self-proclaimed narcissists themselves, on how to
survive a relationship with a narcissist. Alexander Lowen refers to narcissism as
“the insanity of our times” – a description that seems apt when our political
leaders, business leaders, entertainers, and other “leaders” who are most
admired and influential in our culture, show clear indications of, and are
rewarded for, pathological narcissism. We live in a culture of “selfies” and
“Facebook” in which one’s manufactured image is all that is required for
adulation by “followers” and advertising opportunities, while true integrity,
depth, or authenticity are regarded as irrelevant.
In my clinical practice, which is increasingly dedicated to the treatment of
survivors of narcissistic abuse, in both individual and group treatment sessions, I
spend most of my days listening to remarkably consistent descriptions of
relationships with narcissists, about 75% covert and 25% overt. The narcissists
themselves rarely come. Many of these relationships lasted for decades without
the survivor knowing what “she” (or less so, “he”) was dealing with all those years
– just that “something was wrong.” Typically the relationship progressed through
three typical phases: Love-bombing, Devaluation (which is subtle and can go on
for decades), and finally, Discard (when the narcissist abruptly leaves and it is
discovered, already is in another relationship – and often has been unfaithful
throughout the entire marriage). A swath of complex PTSD is left behind in the
wake of these relationships that are marked by deceit, gaslighting, emotional
unavailability, lack of empathy, no closure, confusion, and a gradual draining ofthe victim of their life force – all while the narcissist appears to the outside world
as a successful and upstanding moral citizen.
In this class we will explore narcissism, what it is, how it develops (there is much
controversy), how myths and fairy tales have spoken about it forever, Jung’s
contribution to narcissism (although he seldom used that term), and treatment
considerations for both narcissists and their “fuel sources
Required Readings:
Mandelbaum, A. (1993). “Narcissus and Echo” in The Metamorphoses of Ovid,
Book 3, 91-97. Harcourt, Inc.
Ledermann, R. (2002) “Narcissistic Disorder and its Treatment” in Samuels, A
Psychopathology: Contemporary Jungian Perspectives, 2nd reprint 2002,
101-126. London: Karnac.
Lowen, A. (1985). Narcissism: Denial of the True Self. New York: Touchstone
(paperback), a division of Simon and Schuster.
Satinover, J. (1986). “Jung’s Lost Contribution to the Dilemma of Narcissism in
Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 34 (2): 401-438.
https://doi.org/10.1177/000306518603400208
Erikson, S. (2014). “Fame, Narcissism, and the Capacity for Intimacy: A Daughter’s
Reflection” in Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 34: 486-497.March 13/14, 2021
“Jungian Ecopsychology as a Framework for Jung’s
Paradigm Shift into a New Age”
Presenter: Dennis Merritt
Jungian Ecopsychology as a Framework for Jung’s Paradigm Shift into a New Age
The relatively new field of ecopsychology is a study of our relationship with the
environment and ways of connecting more deeply to it. It incorporates elements
of deep ecology that calls for the deepest possible analysis of the problems for
which an archetypal understanding is most important. Jungian ecopsychology
offers one of the best frameworks for analyzing our dysfunctional relationships
with each other and with the environment. Jung’s conceptual system is ecological,
relational, beginning at the intra-psychic level with our relationship with the “little
people” in our dreams. The layers of the collective unconscious can be analyzed
for their contribution to our disjunct from the natural world. The scientific
concept of the organism and the remarkable mathematics of complexity theory
provide exciting new ways of reimagining important Jungian concepts in their
most abstract dimensions while seeing Hermes as the god of complexity theory
offers a mythic presentation of those concepts. The myth of Hermes stealing
Apollo’s cattle will be developed as the myth for our times and hexagram 42-
Increase in the I Ching an archetypal image to guide us. Dreams of animals and
landscapes can be used to help us develop a sense of place and connect us deeply
to nature. The apocalyptic dimensions of climate change and environmental
degradation can only be addressed by a paradigm shift that Jung saw coming in
1940 when he proclaimed a “new age” and the beginning of “the age of
Aquarius”.
Required Readings:
Merritt, D. (2012). The Dairy Farmer’s Guide to the Universe: Jung, Hermes, and
Ecopsychology. Carmel, California: Fisher King Press.
Volume 1. Jung and Ecopsychology. pp. 35-87, 92-98,117-124, 190-93.
Volume 3. Hermes, Ecopsychology and Complexity Theory. pp. 1-65, 133-136.
Suggested Readings:
Read the remainder of Volumes 1 and 3April 10 and 11, 2021
“The Coming Together of Lions: An Alchemical
Metaphor for Understanding and Managing Conflict”
Presenter: Janet Muff
When archetypal forces emerge in us or in the collective, our familiar world is
shaken. We find ourselves destabilized emotionally, psychologically, and
physically. The glue fails. The fabric is rent. Polarization occurs. And anarchy
looms. Humanity – our own humanity – suffers. We cannot imagine that
anything good will come of what is happening or that, in the words of Yeats, the
“rough beast” of our experience is “slouching towards Bethlehem to be born.”
Jung suggests that this wrenching confrontation with Other or Opposite is
necessary, for it reveals both the shadow and our most deeply held values. And
alchemy tells us that the coming together of contraries – in Eros and Enmity –
ignites and is central to the work of refinement and maturation. Using Emblem
16 of the Atalanta fugiens (the coming together of lions) we will explore the
dynamics of "otherness," the difficulties of “doing difference,” and the resolution
of conflict from the alchemical perspective.
NO READING LISTMay 1 and 2, 2021
“Transgenerational Trauma and Recovery;
A Jungian Perspective”
Presenter: Ronnie Landau
“Psychoanalysis has always been concerned with social justice and
cultural critique. It has always been permeated with both moralism and
ethics. These themes have been potentiated, and illuminated, by the trans-
generational turn.” (pg. 3 Grand and Salberg)
The catastrophic events of the Second World War had deep and profound
reverberations on humanity and significantly influenced Carl Jung’s ideas of
collective shadow and collective trauma. In this course we will begin with Jung’s
reflections on the WW2, Nazi Germany, and the theoretical development of
trauma, the trauma complex and its intergenerational influence. In a world that is
currently manifesting tremendous turmoil, how does understanding the nature of
transgenerational trauma and the psychic response to “Otherness” become a
helpful ingredient in the healing process of humanity? How do we wrestle with
these difficult re-emerging questions and the emotions that arise from them
through a Depth Psychology perspective?
Saturday Morning General Objectives:
1. Discuss the historical relevance of the Holocaust in Jung’s thinking about
trauma, both individual and collective.
2. Read and review Jung’s writings post WW2 to amplify his thinking on shadow,
both individual and collective.
3. Review Jung’s concepts of complexes as they relates to the development of the
trauma complex and its archetypal core.
4. Define what is meant by transgenerational trauma.
5. Discuss the relevance of dreams and dreaming in response to transgenerational
trauma.
Lunch break
Saturday Afternoon General Objectives:
1. Review psychoanalytic perspectives on the transmission of Holocaust trauma,
the role of active witnessing and active listening in addressing trauma.
(Natan Kellermann PhD)2. Define and discuss a Jungian approach to cultural trauma. (Murray Stein)
3. Transgenerational trauma and Otherness. (Sue Grand)
Sunday Morning General Objectives:
1. Presentation of clinical material, transgenerational trauma in the consulting
room.
2. Presentation of dreaming in times of Covid-19 study.
3. Feedback and closure
Required Readings:
Grand, S. & Salberg, J. eds. (2017). Transgenerational Trauma and the Other.
Routledge. *read both introductions and chapters; 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8
Grazina, Gudaite and Murray Stein ed. (2014). Confronting Cultural Trauma;
Jungian Approaches to Understanding and Healing”. Spring Journal, Inc.
Jung, C.G.
CW9/2 “The Shadow” paras 13-19.
CW 10 “The Fight with the Shadow” paras 444-57.
CW 10 “After the Catastrophe” paras 400-43.
Articles – pick 2 or 3 of the following to read (these and other articles will be
provided via separate email attachments)
Eyerman, Ron (2004). “The Past in the Present, Culture and the
Transmission of Memory”.
Kellermann, Natan P.F. (2011). “Epigenetic Transmission of Holocaust Trauma;
Can Nightmares be Inherited?”.
Kellermann, Natan P.F. (2001). “Transmission of Holocaust Trauma- An Integrative
View”.
Optional Reading: (clinical)
Gerson, Samuel (2009). “When the Third is Dead; Memory, Mourning, and
Witnessing in the Aftermath of the Holocaust” in The International Journal
of Psychoanalysis.
Please bring all the reading material to the seminar
as we will discuss them in class.You can also read
