Approach
Experience
Jungian psychoanalysis is a form of psychotherpay that can offer an impactful experience often at an important time in one’s life. In addition to my own expericence, you can read more about the approach and offer.
My own experience with Jungian analysis started with a series of executive coaching sessions. I felt a need to look more closely at a set of behaviors and thoughts that were on the one hand functional, part of my success, and on the other hand, dysfunctional and limiting. Of course, I had a beginning of a rational awareness of how these dynamics worked inside, or rather manifested themselves outside in my daily life. But I had no real insight into the deeper drivers and mechanisms at play. Even though I have always had an interest in how the mind works, I had experimented with meditation and yoga, and in my work as HR executive had always put a lot of emphasis on leadership development, I was amazed when I started working with a Jungian analyst at how the light of the unconscious can illuminate blind spots and actually give a completely new perspective.
This perspective sheds a new light on our personal history, on our relationships and relatedness, and on our deeper desires and goals in life. The work with my Jungian analyst gained momentum as I brought in my dreams, a way to gain access to the unconscious. A dialogue with the unconscious unfolded over a two-year period and I started to apply the new perspectives in daily life, influencing my thoughts and behaviors. This way, a positive feedback loop started to fall into place and a new kind of balance took hold. To be clear, this is not a panacea, it is not a permanent harmony, nor a “bliss only” story: Life still has its challenges, as it should, but there is a new undertone, a new reference, a new sense of belonging and a sense of trust and groundedness. If ever the cliché is true, it is here: it is about the journey, not the destination.
For whom
Jungian analysis can be helpful in several ways:
Most fundamentally, it is about how we operate on a daily basis. Through a process of honest reflection, we gain a better insight into how we became who we are. This gives a new perspective on “strengths and weaknesses”, it clarifies the origins of certain blockages and “explains” the energy behind our main internal drivers. The process of gaining this insight may itself be experienced as healing. The honesty required for this reflection, and some of the new perspectives on our personal history, may in turn be experienced as confronting. Not surprisingly, these are often two sides of the same coin.
Furthermore, it can be useful in better understanding our relationships. The dynamics at play in love-relationships, with family and friends and with our colleagues at work, are also influenced by, and gain a new perspective from the unconscious. Also here, our dreams may tell us a great deal about how we actually live these relationships. It may shed light on how we relate to others, or how we think we relate to others, or how we would like to relate to others, etc. When we bring our personal dynamics into relational dynamics, the opportunities for misunderstanding are limitless. To be more effective, in the largest sense of the word, we can benefit from the increased awareness Jungian analysis can bring.
The term midlife crisis has become an accepted way to describe a phase in life when the expected end is nearer than the beginning and the great questions of meaning and purpose are presented to us in a pressing way. Jungian analysis can help with these questions. Particularly if one has gained insight into the personal dynamics and relations dynamics, the desire “to become who we really are”, as Jung put it, can emerge. This is an inward process that involves an exploration of our deepest wishes and desires. It is set in motion through a careful listening to our unconscious, in fact to our soul, and can result in new sense of wholeness and connection to “the greater scheme of things”. The work required is commensurate with the benefits. This can be a painful process, facing losses that may never be recovered and cristallizing choices that are hard to stomach. Important life events, like death of a family member, illness, divorce or job loss, can be a trigger for this exploration. But also, a vaguer sense of “there is more”, or simply a desire for personal growth can be the starting point.
The above emphasizes the process of the work and the benefits of a Jungian analysis. In doing so I have not started with the symptoms of dissatisfaction that may be the motivation for starting this process. Life brings limitations and adversity. Thus, our experience is bound to include pain and suffering. We all have different ways of coping and different levels of tolerance. And sometimes symptoms like depression, anxieties or compulsive behaviors can be the result. Depending on the level of severity of these symptoms, Jungian analysis can provide a better alignment between our conscious and unconscious and so contribute to a more balanced personality and alleviation of symptoms.
Jungian analysis can provide a way to a better balanced personality, and thus help us navigate the outside world with greater understanding and compassion. This requires a willingness to look inside, an honesty with oneself and a capacity to hold questions that may not have a direct yes/no answer. It is in this ambiguity that our unconscious can shine its light.
My offer
In my practice I offer what the Greeks called a “temenos”, a sacred enclosure or temple. It is a completely confidential space where you can explore these topics and find your way to these new, enlightening perspectives. As a confidant and explorer myself, I will accompany you on this journey.