How does Jungian Analysis work?
Jungian Analysis is a psychotherapeutic approach that involves a deep exploration of the unconscious, with the end goal of recognising and resolving various issues that may be blocking the individuation process, as set out by Jung. In this, the analyst and patient work together closely to bring unconscious elements of the psyche into conscious awareness and assimilate it into the whole personality as part of a fundamental journey of self-discovery.
Successful implementation of this approach can result in a number of benefits for the patient, including improvement to mental health, relief of psychological suffering, maturation of the personality, improvement to interpersonal relationships and the discovery of meaning within one’s life.
Jungian Analysis originated with Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung, who believed that with greater consciousness, people can heal the splits in their mind between what’s conscious and unconscious, bringing them closer to wholeness in their psyche. According to Jung, this is different from achieving perfection; rather, it is an inner process of self-realisation through which an individual becomes their true self. By raising one’s conscious awareness and recognising one’s motives, impulses, insecurities and projections onto others, he believed that, as humans beings, we could strive towards obtaining more fulfilling lives.
The way Jungian Analysis is usually carried out is through one-on-one sessions with a trained psychoanalyst who has already undergone their own journey of psychological maturation. This tends to involve participating first-hand in all the rigours of a deep, emotional and psychological encounter with the unconscious.
The sessions can take various forms, including dream interpretation, exploration of interpersonal relationships, and investigation of the unconscious through discussion, writing, drawing and painting. Efforts to bring the unconscious increasingly into awareness can be further expanded by observing manifestations of the collective unconscious, rather than just the patient’s personal unconscious, through a study of archetypal stories, patterns and images found in mythology, fairy tales and the arts. The latter can help the patient gain an understanding of the specific structures and dynamic relations with the consciousness that the unconscious has had over the ages.
The central benefits of these sessions include improvement of mental health and interpersonal relations. This is because the more we make sense of our unconscious influences and impulses, the more we can take control over them and cease to project our insecurities onto others. With greater awareness of our unconscious issues comes a greater sense of well-being and personal control of our lives.
For newcomers, Jungian Analysis can seem like a daunting prospect, not least because it involves delving into the inner psyche which can often trigger painful memories. However, many patients find that at the onset of the analytic process, dream images and metaphors such as doing battle with a dragon, hiking up an imposing mountain or embarking on a journey by sea, often appear, signalling a rewarding endpoint, despite the difficulty in getting there.
In that respect, the practice of Jungian Analysis is principally a chosen place where one can safely reflect upon the meaning of life, while at the same time voicing the deepest longings, losses and questions of the soul, all under the helpful supervision of a well-trained analyst.
To find out more about their expert services and how they can help you, or for queries about booking sessions at locations in central London, Bermondsey, Southwark, London Bridge or Colchester, call 0333 339 2430 or contact Jungian Confrerie by email.
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