Narcissism and Individuation: Exploring the Mystery of Identity

Ovid’s  version of the Narcissus  and Echo myth has been  a rich source for exploration of the human soul for over 2,000 years.  Its meaning has never been fully explained or understood because its mystery is central to the most basic question: our identiy.

Historically, Narcissus has been viewed  through a largely negative lens.  He has been described as pathologically self absorbed, vain and morally deficient.  Narcissism was also associated with poor insight and impenetrable defenses.  To be  narcissistic was to be bad, with little hope of change.  This attitude persists today in popular and psychotherapeutic thought. While partly true, this only scratches the surface of a profound and complicated phenomenon.

In recent times however this has begun to change, perhaps reflecting a shift in collective consciousness.  Carl Jung’s concept of the Self archetype brings a unique perspective to the narcissistic character.  He believed that the foundation and fabric of our identity is the Self, the numinous archetype of wholeness.  He said that the Self, the ordering principle of the psyche, wants to live its experiment in life.  When this experiment is blocked, or when the relationship between the ego and the Self is disturbed, narcissism can be the result.

Drawing on the work of Schwartz-Salant, Jacoby, Kalsched, West, Dougherty and others, we will explore this relationship and its meaning for individuation. As with any symptom or disorder, the narcissistic structure is found in all personalities, making the story of Narcissus profoundly valuable for each of us, not only for those with the disorder.

This structure is found in any person (or collective culture) in whom a new relationship with the Self is forming.  The hope that lies at the center of this phenomenon is profound—it is the hope for a deeper understanding of our individual and collective identity, that we may live into the great experiment of the Self.

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Presenter: Alvaro Giraldo, MA, MD

C.G. Jung described the presence of a “religious function of the psyche” which he describes as founded in the Self and with a deep content of Spirituality. Jung viewed this function frequently manifested in the collective but also as a function aimed to help the individual to see direct connections between their own personal experiences and the archetypal symbols contained in religious tradition. This religious function is essential for the well-functioning of the psyche and crucial for psychic hygiene. Neurosis, Jung wrote, “Often results from our direct refusal or inability to find the right direction for our religious instincts”. We cannot get well unless we get in touch with this deep energy that is always touching us. In this presentation we will look into the way that our religious instincts are manifested but often missed or misunderstood within ourselves. We will explore the ways that can help us get in touch with our religious function and discuss some practices such as praying. We will illustrate, with some clinical vignettes, the relationship between religion and psychological issues.

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Presenter Lee Irwin, Ph.D.

This presentation will explore the origins of Gnosticism, the core teachings of the movement, and the impact of those teachings on Jung and his psychological model of human transformation. I will also discuss the post-1950 development of “gnosticism” as a topic of scholarly research and the accessibility of core texts that represent the tremendous variability within those texts. I will then offer some thoughts about the impact of this research on the “psychology of rebirth” and its impact on contemporary religious movements. The lecture will be primarily historical with some emphasis on transpersonal models of human development.

Dr. Lee Irwin is a tenured professor in the Religious Studies Department at the College of Charleston. He is a scholar of world religions with an emphasis on Native American traditions, Western Esotericism, contemporary spirituality, and transpersonal religious experience — particularly as connected to dreams and visions. He is a Guiding Voice for The Seven Pillars House of Wisdom (Sufi International Order) and the Vice President of the Association for the Study of Esotericism. His books include: The Dream Seekers; Visionary Worlds; Awakening to Spirit; The Alchemy of Soul; and Coming Down From Above: Prophecy, Resistance, and Renewal in Native American Religions.

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Presenter: John R. Johnson, Ph.D.

The polarization between nation states, between cultures, and even between factions within different cultures has become more exaggerated in the last decade or so. For most us conflict is a bad word.  It is associated with violence, destruction, disorder, war, etc.  Certainly there is a great deal of that in our world today.  Conflict, however, can bring opportunity, development and growth to human individuals and societies. There is no consciousness without discrimination of opposites. ["Psychological Aspects of the Mother Archetype," CW 9i, par. 178.]

Perhaps one way we can work with the inevitable conflicts in the world, in our nation, and in our personal lives is to rededicate ourselves to building bridges that transcend the polarizations that continue to reassert themselves.   The notion of coincidentia oppositorum, the coincidence of opposites plays a central, if not the central role, in Jung’s thought. Jung held that there is a non-rational instinctive human function, which he termed the “transcendent function,” that mediates and combines opposites through the production of fantasies and symbols, and which enables the individual to gain a new perspective and more encompassing and rewarding attitude toward what he formerly regarded to be an insoluble dilemma or conflict. Jung held that the transcendent function involves a combination of conscious and unconscious elements and goes far beyond and is indeed opaque to thought and reason.

Jung further believed that anyone who attempts to deal with the problem of the opposites on a personal level is making a significant contribution toward world peace.

Jung wrote, “The greater the tension between the pairs of opposites, the greater will be the energy that comes from them . . . [and] the less chance is there of subsequent disturbances which might arise from friction with material not previously constellated.["On Psychic Energy," CW 8, par. 49.]

Basically, Jung believed that mental energy is created through the conflict of opposites. He said, “There is no energy unless there is a tension of opposites” (Jung, Two Essays 63). He called this energy libido.

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Presenter: Dr. June McDaniel, PhD

This lecture will explore Jungian interpretations of yoga psychology, and several meditation systems which use tantric symbolism.  We shall compare Jung’s ideas of archetypes, the collective unconscious and individuation with ideas from the Upanishads, yoga texts, Gaudiya Vaishnava writings, and Bengali and Kashmiri tantras.  Jung’s ideas are a good way to link Eastern and Western ideas of the spirit and its development.   June McDaniel specializes in the study of religious experience, especially in the Hindu tradition.

In her own words
I work in the field of the History of Religions, in which we study the history and development of religious ideas, and how religious experiences are understood and interpreted in different cultures. In teaching, I believe that it is important for students to learn both the range of religions–which means gaining wide knowledge of many religious traditions, both present and past–and also to develop depth within a specific tradition, to gain expertise and insight into its religious perspectives.

While such skills as critical thinking and analytic ability are important, I also emphasize developing empathy towards other cultures, and the ability to look at events through other religious perspectives. A good researcher can be both insider and outsider in the religion of his or her expertise, and be capable of comparing religious themes and ideas across both classical and folk traditions.  The courses I teach include World Religions, Women and Religion, Mysticism and Religious Experience, Religions of India, Sacred Texts of the East, Phenomenology of Religion, and Myth, Ritual and Symbol.

To read more about June’s work, Click here. 

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http://charlestonjungsociety.org/home/?attachment_id=1105

Presenter: 

Justina Lasley, Founder and Director, Institute for Dream Studies

Saturday, October 13, 5 pm ~ 7 pm  

Gage Hall, 4 Archdale Street

Justina will share her experience, as well as her research in the area of dreams and personal growth. Dreams allow us to move toward the authentic Self and foster creativity, wisdom, and intuition.  Justina will focus on why and how people change and how dreams rapidly facilitate the individuation process. 

Justina Lasley, M.A. is the Founder and Director of the Institute for Dream Studies (IDS), where she developed the DreamSynergy™ method for dreamwork.  She is an author and leading dream specialist who enjoys working with individuals and groups to unlock the wisdom of their unconscious.  Justina shares her enthusiasm, keen insight, and talent for relating to others, facilitating rapid movement toward a more authentic, spiritual, and fulfilling life. She is a lecturer, a trainer of dream workers, a leader of individual and group dreamwork and a facilitator of workshops. 

Justina earned a Master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology with an emphasis in Dreams at the University of West Georgia, and a B.A. in both Applied Art and Education from Converse College. Justina has been conducting dream groups and workshops for over 20 years. She has written two books, Honoring the Dream: A Handbook for Dream Group Leaders and In My Dream…, a unique dream journal.  She has lectured, conducted workshops, and trained therapists throughout the US, Mexico, and Europe at such places as Omega Institute and the NY Open Center. For more information please visit www.DreamSynergy.org  

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The War of the Gods in Addiction:

C.G. Jung, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Archetypal Evil

David Schoen, LCSW, MSSW

The War of the Gods in Addiction, based on the correspondence between Bill W., one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous and C.G. Jung, proposes an original, groundbreaking, psychodynamic view of addiction which explains both the creation and successful treatment of alcoholism and other addictions. Using insights from Jungian psychology, it demonstrates why the 12 steps of AA really work. It emphasizes the crucial process of neutralizing the Archetypal Shadow / Archetypal Evil, an aspect of all true addictions, and explores this concept extensively through theoretical and clinical material, modern and ancient myths, and fairy tales. The significance of using dreams for diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of addiction is also explained. This book bridges the longstanding gap between the mental health community and 12-step recovering communities and translates concepts necessary to understanding the addictive process in ways that encourage mutual understanding and benefit.

Jan Bauer, M.A., Jungian analyst, author of Women and Alcoholism and Impossible Love

“From the perspective of a person in recovery from alcoholism, I always felt encouraged and somewhat validated just with the knowledge that Bill W., one of the founders of AA, and Carl Jung were aware of each other and had concurrent thoughts. This new book by David Schoen greatly illuminates the nature and power of addiction and, more importantly, clarifies the rationale for a spiritual path in recovery. The thoughts and observations expressed in it ring true to the twelve-step recovery journey I have experienced myself and encountered in others over the past twenty-five plus years. We can all benefit from this powerful articulation of the struggle and the realm of the solution. I offer a heartfelt thanks to David Schoen for his work on the behalf of those of us in the struggle.”

Paul S., AA member (sobriety date 10/04/1981)

“A must for all therapists who have clients with addictive issues. David Schoen makes it clear that recovery via the 12-Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous is primary in the treatment of addiction and that it can be deadly dangerous for addictive clients if the importance of this mode of recovery is not recognized and given priority. Schoen shows the way the AA 12-Step program dovetails with Jung’s description of the individuation process and addresses shadow aspects such as resentment, fear, anxiety, guilt, shame, inflation, deflation, and other obstacles to our health and wholeness—plagues that deaden our lives. Schoen offers hope to all of us who are dealing in any way with addictive problems. After reading this book, I felt a breath of relief for a way of treatment that is inspirational, compassionate, and understanding of the deep subconscious layer of the psyche that must be faced in addiction and a deep gratitude to David Schoen for what he offers us in this book.”

Linda S. Leonard, Ph.D., author of Witness to the Fire: Creativity and the Veil of Addiction and The Wounded Woman

“David Schoen makes the case that addiction is not merely an appetite gone awry, but a true psychological highjacking ending in a death of the mind, body and spirit. This is the sometimes heartbreaking reality for those of us who work with individuals and families suffering an addiction. This book brings a welcome dialogue that can better help us understand the phenomena of relapse and recovery.”

Robert Hetrick, Licensed Addiction Counselor, Certified Compulsive Gambling Counselor, with 20 years experience in treating addictions.

Chapter One: Setting the Stage: The Bill W. – Carl Jung Letters

• Bill W.’s Letter

• Carl Jung’s Letter

Chapter Two: The Psychodynamics of Addiction: Development of a Typical Addiction

• Stage 5 – The Addiction-Shadow-Complex Takes over the Psyche

Chapter Three: An Exploration of Archetypal Shadow/Archetypal Evil as an Essential Ingredient in Addiction

• An Overview of Concepts of Evil

• Clinical and Theoretical Formulations of Unintegratable Aspects of the Psyche

• Clarification of Definitions of Archetypal Shadow/Archetypal Evil

Chapter Four: The Healing Process of Recovery through the Twelve Steps of A.A.

Chapter Five: “Using Dreams” of Recovering Alcoholic and Addicted Individuals

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