Analytical psychology and healing : a short study on some problems of modern therapy

Introduction - On the concept of individuation. Part 1 - Causal versus acausal medicine. 1 Statement of the problem. 2 Scientific medicine and the archetype of balance. 3 Rebirth symbolism in myth and ritual. 4 Theurgic medicine and the archetype of redemption. 5 An attempt at reconciliation. 6 The compensatory and redemptive function of the unconscious. Part 2 - The importance of rebirth in the process of assimilating the shadow as revealed in the dreams of an individual

'Individuation, the goal of analytical psychology, continues to be a controversial concept even among Jungian analysts. Many feel that the reality of such a state of being is highly questionable; for example, in response to my inquiry, a senior analyst expressed the view that individuation is a process rather than an existential reality and that he has never seen anyone who is individuated. Such an attitude is understandable since individuation is a uniquely subjective experience difficult to evaluate objectively. Still, I suspect that behind the cynicism contained in my teacher's comments is the notion that to be individuated means some ideal state of balance and completion. While balance, harmony and wholeness certainly belong to the experience of individuation, I see individuation rather as a dynamic state of movement toward soul development and the expansion of consciousness in which disorder and fragmentation are continually recurring....'

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