How does Jungian Psychotherapy and Analysis work?

The central idea in Jungian work is that what we do and feel, how we think of ourselves and other people, reflect forces and processes we are not aware of, because they are “unconscious”.  These may be part of our common human nature, which Jung called the collective unconscious, or particular to the individual, which Jung called the personal unconscious. In Jungian therapy these differences begin to be sorted out and understood.

In a session with a Jungian analyst, you can talk about the patterns and difficulties you are experiencing in your life. There is time to reflect in sessions, and the therapist has no preconceived expectations. In a confidential setting, you can explore and speak about how you feel about aspects of your life. Childhood experiences are often crucial, and talking about the past can lead to connections with present situations.

In talking together, you and your therapist would be considering the whole person, psyche and soma, and that which underlies the conscious personality, often the source of great creativity. By exploring outer issues, together with fantasies and dreams that may reveal unconscious attitudes, you can work towards greater self-awareness.

A Jungian analysis takes place within the confidential relationship between the analyst and you the individual. A normal session lasts 50 minutes. A Jungian analysis normally takes place at mutually agreed times at a frequency of two or three times a week. Psychoanalytic psychotherapy is usually one session per week. The length of a Jungian analysis or course of psychotherapy is decided between you and the analyst / therapist.