Brian Collinson — Journeying Toward Wholeness

Jung Freud Individual Therapy & Major Life Transitions 1

February 2nd, 2012 · individual therapy, life transitions, major life transitions, therapy

The relationship between Freud, Jung and Sabina Spielrein portrayed in the film “A Dangerous Method” provides great insights into effective individual therapy and the psychological impact of major life transitions. But, both in the media and in the film, these insights are often eclipsed behind the drama of the relationship between Spielrein and Jung.

The film faces a big challenge to convey the nature of the break between Jung and his older mentor/colleague Freud, together with the relationship with Spielrein, a brilliant, forceful and complex personality in her own right. The film also seeks to convey the immense struggles and conflicts undergone by Jung at this time.

In my next two blog posts, I want to look briefly at 4 major insights into individual therapy and major life transitions portrayed by “A Dangerous Method”.

1. The Power of Acceptance and Listening

Spielrein came to the Burgholzli, where Jung was a psychiatrist, in grave crisis. As the film portrays, she may not have been psychotic, but she wasn’t far off. In using Freud’s novel “talking cure”, Jung took Spielrein seriously as an individual person and engaged with her in a very accepting and affirming way, even affirming her desire to be a medical doctor. Whatever the weaknesses of Freud’s method, one key aspect of “the talking cure”, embodied in Jung’s deep acceptance of Spielrein – listening, engaging her and entering into her experience — had a profoundly positive effect on her life. This is essential in good individual therapy to this day.

individual therapy

2. Even Brilliant People Hit Impasses During Major Life Transitions

This movie is set prior to the beginning of the single greatest crisis in Jung’s life. This took place in 1913 – 1918. Looking forward, we know that he will emerge from this time transformed, and with his own developed psychology. However, just at the time of this movie, Jung is really struggling. It is characteristic of major life transitions, and especially those that come near midlife, that they can make incredible demands on people, and can often only be resolved by a fundamental change in outlook, and encounter with the hitherto undiscovered parts of the self.

This is not pathology. People with real difficulties at these points in life are not mentally ill. These are the kinds of challenges that people — even brilliant, very successful people — often experience at times of major life transition.

In Part 2 of this post, I’ll look at insights from the film pertaining to growth, depression and individuality.

Brian Collinson, Psychotherapist & Jungian Analyst | Oakville, Burlington & Mississauga Ontario 1-905-337-3946

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© 2011 Brian Collinson 2238 Constance Drive, Oakville, ON (near Mississauga)

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Jungian Therapy for Anxiety & the Overly Driven Person

January 26th, 2012 · Anxiety, driven person, Jungian, Jungian therapy, therapy, therapy for anxiety

...but... am I doing enough?...

It’s actually painful to be an overly driven person, as both Jungian therapy and therapy for anxiety in general recognize. When we allow ourselves to get caught in this way, we run a great risk of chronically devaluing our inner life, and our true worth.

The overly driven person :

1. Never Relaxes or Feels Secure

The overly driven person can’t afford to lower his or her level of alertness, or level of effort, for fear of being overtaken or overcome. She lives by the old sports maxim: ”You’re Only as Good as Your Last Game”.

For the overly driven person links self-worth and specific achievements. Now, Jungian therapy would acknowledge that we should have particular achievements of which we are proud. But if our sense of identity is built around socially recognized achievements, then we are on very shaky ground.

2. Fears Chaos; Continually Struggles to Maintain Control

Often the driven person strives to fend off their greatest fear: the collapse of a situation into chaos. Often that fear is rooted in experiences of chaos in their past at some point, or in a fear of chaos inherited from the family of origin. Therapy for anxiety knows that the response to this threat is to strive for greater control — of others, of ourselves, of the environment.

3. Thinks in Absolutes

In Steve Jobs’ biography, I was struck by the fact that he had only two attitudes to the work of others. He would either say “This is excellent! Amazing!”, or else he would say, “This is s–t!”. Excrement or excellence: no in-between. Overly driven people are often locked into perfectionism in their demands and expectations of themselves and others. So if a thing isn’t perfect, then it’s a complete miss and worthless.

4. Pushed by Unconscious Factors

Jungian therapy would emphasize the unconscious forces at work in the overly driven person. They may be rooted in past traumatic experience, past emotional dynamics in the family of origin, or overidentification with an archetype. Often, if a person is to gain freedom from driven-ness, she must become more conscious of what’s doing the driving. Therapy for anxiety includes healing around basic issues of self acceptance, satisfaction in what has been accomplished, and security.

”Is It Ever Gonna Be Enough?“… Metric – Gold Guns Girls

Often depth psychotherapy can assist greatly in untangling the knot of drivenness.