Depth Psychology: The Theory of Jungian Therapy - Essay Example

Jungian Therapy As a student Christian Chaplain, connected with the psychiatric hospital on an eleven-week placement at two hours a time, I found myself to be the sole chaplain for the entire ward. At the end of each week, I had to report to the senior chaplain and three other chaplains’ students. This gave me opportunity to meet the various patients with diverse complaints and talk to them generally and sometimes, we, while discussing, touch upon their spiritual needs. It is unfortunate that some of them have delusions about Satan, Hell and demons and show a certain, almost obvious mental instability. As a hospital chaplain I have always wondered about a Christian chaplain’s role in a hospital, its aspects, how far a chaplain can go while dealing with patients, and how much can he be the guiding beacon. I have also wondered at the theological reflections of the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Gustav Jung1, which, according to me, of great solace to patients with terminal illness, or patients with unbearable pain or the mentally unstable patients, whose mental condition has resulted in physical incapacity. Jungian Therapy, known as Analytical or Depth Psychology, uses dream analysis, music, any kinds of spontaneous art forms, or a creative writing, the analysis of which would, in turn, help the patients to reach their unconscious or inner domain and this therapy promises better self-realisation in them. It is not just the dreams, but any material that could be coming out of the unconscious senses like impulsive drawing, sculpture or painting. These are usually examined and analysed in the same way in which dreams are examined. His theory is a slightly different form of psychoanalysis. Though he and Freud had been together for a while and shared much of their research, these two titans of psychology parted company in 1914, presumably over libido. Jung’s theory differs from Freud in many ways, especially in the concepts of individuation, or the human potential theory. From a Christian chaplain’s point of view this is connected with spirituality and transcendence. The core of Jung’s theory is its encounter with the unconscious. No other psychologist, even Freud, attached that kind of importance to the unconscious. He said this would result in much greater and more powerful consciousness both inner and outer and allow the individual to attain wholeness. More people search for deeper meaning into their lives, especially while being faced with an approaching death or long hospitalisation. Most of them want to find the real core of existence, instead of going through mere motions of life. I remembered that Jung’s father and eight uncles were clergymen and unconsciously, this provided a religious backdrop to his life2. Freud said the goal of therapy is to make unconscious conscious. Jung’s interest went beyond one religion, and enveloped other religions like Hinduism and Buddhism. He sometimes analysed his own dreams with great flourish3. As a chaplain connected with the hospital, I thought it was my duty to help the patients with their spiritual needs. I also chose the Jungian therapy as the best way to do it. Pastoral treatment had always attracted me as the most natural treatment and according to me, the body, the soul and both have to react to it. People should definitely find fulfilment in this theory, this being a more complete theory, according to me, because it answers many inner needs of a person, his conscious and unconscious minds’ desires and aspirations. It would also give solace to the person, who might be reaching the end of his life, or going through a harrowing old age, or going through terrible pain due to some illness. I have found that Freudian theories are too technical, too practical for a layman to understand, and by applying them on patients, sometimes the effect could be more confusing and traumatic. The patients need more care, kindness, and they desire to be told their own inner requirements, which most of the time, human beings do not fathom. I, being a chaplain, was more interested in the pastoral spirituality than in the practical psychoanalysis. Completely modern psychotherapy is not exactly needed for a spiritual psychoanalysis and Jung said psychology is as diverse as the number of humankind. So, psychology is not a monolithic mountain. It is found everywhere and in every body. But the pattern and contents could be identical because all make an impact on conscious mind4. He said “an unconscious secret is more harmful than one that is conscious” and it was his theory that the unconscious secret, before it harms the conscious mind, should be brought out and made conscious, so that its hidden power could be destroyed. Once it is known, it is no secret, and an open enemy could be destroyed more easily than a secret one, whom no one could see, feel nor know of the whereabouts. But a hidden enemy could be dangerous for the body and soul both. For humans it is imperative that every function leading to all developments are necessary to attain the completeness of being a human. More than external development, it is important to direct our energies towards internal development of our own mind, soul and needs. “Our civilization is still young, and we therefore required all the all the devices of the animal-tamer to make the defiant barbarian and the savage in us in some measure tractable. But when we reach a higher cultural level, we must forgo compulsion and turn to self-development5.” Jung agrees that modern man has spiritual problems and he, being a newly formed human being, and hence, is a ‘modern problem and is a question which has just arisen and whose answer lies in the future6.’ The modern man is solitary and this fact I have noticed from the minimum number of visitors these patients in my ward were receiving. Even when they visit, especially the children of the older patients are either preoccupied, or in a hurry, or doing it as a mere and necessary duty. This leaves the patients bereft of much-needed fellow feeling, sympathy and affection. All modern people are not really modern, Jung said. He was of the opinion that people who call themselves modern mostly are pseudo-moderns and “Therefore the really modern man is often to be found among those who call themselves old-fashioned7.” My patients were of both kind, pseudo-moderns, who call themselves moderns, but utterly traditional in their inner needs and those who call themselves conventional, but are really modern in their outlook. The first category is more plagued by uncertainties and need spiritual guidance of the pastoral Jungian kind to make them realise their needs and guide them in the right path. The second category is more practical and their needs are not overwhelming. As pointed out by Jung, “The modern man has lost all the metaphysical certainties of his medieval brother, and set up in their place the ideals of material security, general welfare and humaneness8.” Psychology and pastoral as a combination has always attracted me because a Godless psychological concept, in my opinion, cannot guide humans in their journey from cradle to grave. As man is the product of nature, he cannot stay away from it in the name of modern living, and has to return it in times of stress. For the people who are struggling to find meaning and wholeness in life, Jungian archetypal psychology can provide it. Through personal experiences, myth, stories, fables, trifles, a psychotherapist can help his patient to renew an inner and outer wholeness. Even books, music and movies or any other art form could be the spirit of Jungian psychology. And here his concept of individuation would help all the patients. Religion, from Jung’s point of view was not the same, as a Christian Chaplain would look at it. But he has shown his slight belief that religion might be helpful in his theory. “"I want to make clear that by the term 'religion' I do not mean a creed. It is, however, true that on the one hand every confession is originally based upon the experience of the numinous and on the other hand upon the loyalty, trust, and confidence toward a definitely experienced numinous effect and the subsequent alteration of consciousness: the conversion of Paul is a striking example of this. 'Religion,' it might be said, is the term that designates the attitude peculiar to a consciousness which has been altered by the experience of the numinous9" (Psychology & Religion; C. G. Jung, pg. 6). Jung had greater respect for the Eastern theosophy and said, “We have not yet clearly grasped the fact that Western theosophy is an amateurish imitation of the East.” While giving a more practical interpretation of Eastern Theosophy, Jung said, “Only thus East is not a Tibetan monastery full of Mahatmas, but in a sense lies within us. It is from the depths of our own psychic life that new spiritual forms will arise; they will be expressions of psychic forces which may help to subdue the boundless lust for prey of Aryan man10.” Patients of my ward, each one of them, had a psychic nature of their complaint, nevertheless refused to take the help of a chaplain, for the simple reason that they do not think that it might be helpful. They had arrived at this conclusion even without trying to find the help of one. Convincing them that it could help, was the first step and the most difficult one. They would rather go for a psychotherapist,11they said. As Jung pointed out, there is a serious lacuna in it. He was absolutely right when he said, “By far the larger number of psychotherapists are disciples of Freud or lf Adler. This means that the great majority of patients are necessarily alienated from a spiritual standpoint – a fact which cannot be a matter of indifference to one who has the realization of spiritual values much at heart12.” One of the patients Mathew Arnold was suffering from a terminal illness and there was no hope of his recovery and he was well aware of it. I decided to start my psychoanalysis with him first, for a few relevant reasons. He was at death’s door, his being there for a long time was uncertain, he seemed to have been sad and scared with the terrifying proximity of death and even though his brothers and sisters came to see him, he did not look particularly close to any of them, and the feeling was adequately reciprocated. I lengthened my conversations with him and learnt that he was a schoolteacher and was regarded high in his profession. He was never married, but had a comfortable live-in relationship with a certain friend and her not coming to see him in the hospital bothered him a lot. The lady in question, being much younger, doing a demanding job might have found it difficult to visit him often, or there might have been other reasons. For Mathew, these reasons were immaterial; he was dying and he needed to see her. He was stubborn, obstinate and sometimes, without any cause could be a bit violent. After some more psychoanalysis, I found out that he had a mother, who left him with the father, while going away for a better life with her love interest. This incident of abandonment in childhood resulting him in being subject of a cruel life with the father and his second wife, left Mathew a scarred person, a target of nightmares and difficult dreams. It was possible that he missed his mother all his life, looked for surrogate stereotypes with bizarre consequences. Otherwise, he was absolutely a normal, friendly person in a small community, a responsible member of the said community, who took care of his school children and advised the older lot. He was averse to religion and had no connection with the Church or interaction with the priest. Somehow, unknowing to himself he seems to have been struggling with his inner self throughout without any apparent reason. He had many inner fears of devil and demons and the hell that could be waiting for him. He was neither clear nor very well aware of his problems; but the hidden fear, more than the terminal sickness, made him terribly restless. After many days of psychoanalysis13, and being guided regularly by the Senior Chaplain in my endeavour, I was able to guide him, through the pastoral Jungian therapy, which made us to discuss the nature, pastoral, coming from nature and returning to it, the cosmic, religions, soul and the purpose of living on this earth. Mathew seemed to be more peaceful now and in the meantime, I could contact his lady friend who visited him more regularly. He also looked less turbulent, having the courage to accept the inevitable, and even discussed the end with the lady and me. He made many arrangements and could do so quite calmly and I feel that the analysis has helped him a lot. While doing this psychoanalysis, I was aware that Jung did not fully appreciate the power of sin and evil at either the individual and institutional level. Another person, whom I had singled out for my therapy was the elderly Sarah Jones. She was not ailing from any particular sickness, but complained of many of them, which baffled even the medical fraternity a bit. Personally, I always thought that her ailments were more psychic than physical. She did not trust doctors or psychologists. Luckily she had an open mind about clergymen and this aspect gave me an easier access. A widow from a middle class background, she had three children living in various parts of Southern England. Unfortunately for her, none of the children were genuinely concerned about her. Sarah after spending her working life as a nurse, and doing a dedicated service, had some expectations from her children, whom she had struggled to bring up and educate. It did not happen that way, and Sarah was finding it difficult to accept her fate. A religious person, she had been unable to find answers for her trouble in the religion. She was not good in accepting the dictum that any service or an act of kindness should be done without expectance of any return. Even though she was a seemingly soft person, she had a strong inner strength, which Mathew lacked. She proved to be a more difficult subject for psychoanalysis and by the time we are through with our experiment, I realised that I was not as completely successful as with Mathew. Sarah being a more reasonable person helped definitely, and with some prodding, she ventured into self-help. In the meantime, I had a few helpful conversations telephonically with her children, which proved helpful to some extent. The person who succeeded in the end was Sarah herself. After the therapies and analysis, she realised her own strength and while returning, she was a more complete person, with most of her illnesses almost vanished and I saw a gritty old lady walking out of the ward, and it was satisfying. Mathew after a rather peaceful time in the ward, I was told, passed away without much struggle, and by then I had completed by stint at the hospital. Reflecting about the therapies I had done, I have more analysis and interpretation available now on them. According to Jones and Butman, Jungian therapy is more famous in religious circles, as the nearest therapy related and this is exactly what helped me during my work with Sarah. She was already a religious person and it was slightly easier to reach her because of the religious aspect for which I stand. She could not completely ignore me, even though she had certain contempt for my age, and my theory. Jones and Butman feel that ‘Christianity ultimately an other directed faith that is not oriented exclusively towards self-realization and individuation14.’ Accepting this would bring out certain limitations of Jungian theory with the patients. As a Christian chaplain, I could not help the patients by applying Buddhism or Hinduism. They had to understand the entire treatment within the framework of Christianity. So, there were limitations in my work as a Christian chaplain, and Sarah’s own beliefs in religion. Many times religious limitations of Jungian theory, or the lack of it, because he had no hesitation in bringing other religions into it and actually he did it to the disadvantage of Christianity, led me into difficulties. Jones and Butamen are also of the opinion that Jung’s theory is not incompatible with Christian religious thought15. He thought God has to be ‘experienced first and foremost in the soul’ and this concept did not sit well with the Christian Lord of Orthodox Church. They thought that Jung referred to only the experimental aspect of Christianity and hence, it appeals to meditative and mystical16, and not to the ordinary human beings, without any mystical nature. “Mystifying the mundane and material explanations of psychology runs the risk of abandoning the overt for the covert, or the observable for the transcendent17,” Jones says Jung’s notions of health and wellness is certainly in the humanistic tradition of psychology and this works very well with the patient, though I must say, that Mathew did not believe it. Faced with a killing disease, his understanding of the psychoanalysis was bitter and difficult. But I did not try to annoy him, his life already being ebbing out, it was difficult to have a better conversation. Considering the circumstances, I might say that pastoral and Jungian therapy work very well applied thoughtfully and with compassion. BIBLIOGRAPHY: 1. Jones and Butman, Jungian Therapy, 2. Jones Ernest (1922), Essays in Applied Psycho-Analysis, The International Psycho-Analytical Press, London.1922. 3. Jones, Ernest (1959), Free Associations, The Hogarth Press, London. 4. Jones, Ernest (1920), Papers in Psycho-Analysis), Baillierre, Tindall and Cox, Convent Garden, W.C. 5. Jung, Carl (1970), Modern Man in Search of a Soul, Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd., London.     ONLINE SOURCES: 1. http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~dy656/earthpages3/articles_jung.htm 2. http://wps.ablongman.com/ab_james_psycho_5/0,4664,213942-,00.html 3. http://www.ldolphin.org/individ.html 4. 5. Read More