My Work
Some clients seek help during a difficult period in their life, whereas others come to understand themselves better or focus on dream work.
JUNGIAN PSYCHOANALYSIS & PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
My practice draws from both Jungian psychoanalysis and psychodynamic psychotherapy. There is considerable overlap between these traditions, and throughout this website, I use the terms psychoanalysis and psychotherapy interchangeably to describe my approach.
We meet regularly to reflect on thoughts, feelings, memories, dreams, and aspirations. Together, we explore recurring patterns of behaviour and relating, while holding together different aspects of your psyche and life experiences.
This process encompasses both cognitive and emotional levels, within a working relationship between therapist and client, and in connection with the transcendent. Where relevant, we may also attend to bodily sensations, as posture, movement, or physical experience can sometimes evoke memories, feelings, or new insights.
In Jungian psychology, we respect the unknown within the psyche and the uniqueness and complexity of human beings. The way we work differs from one person to another, and your willingness to engage with the process is an essential part of the work.
A NOTE ON CARL GUSTAV JUNG
Jungian psychoanalysis was developed by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. His theories are based on psychological experiments during his early professional life, combined with his experience of working with patients, and his own confrontation with the unconscious following the break-up with his mentor, Sigmund Freud.
Jung also observed the parallels between the way the human psyche works, and the patterns found in the stories of humankind across all cultures, including fairy tales, myths, legends, alchemy, and mysticism.
When we are touched in an uncanny way by certain song lyrics, artworks, movies, video games, or contemporary literature, we encounter a universal human experience that is found ubiquitously regardless of where we live and where we come from. We find common threads that connect our unique individual lives with universal human experience. When we are significantly touched by such experiences, they can serve as a portal to further exploration.
DREAMS
In Jungian analysis, we frequently work with dream interpretation, as its symbols can potentially shed light on parts of us that we are not aware of. Dreams can offer deeper insight into our circumstances and, at times, illuminate new ways of understanding or responding to them.
Dreams are not interpreted through the use of a dream dictionary or symbol manual – one person’s image could mean something different to another person. The context of your life and a two-way discussion between you and the therapist are important in working with dreams. Needless to say, when dealing with an abstract concept such as dream interpretation, one cannot assume a position of ‘I know it all’.
INTUITIVE PAINTING
Where relevant, I also work with intuitive painting. Like dream interpretation, intuitive painting is more about accessing deeper parts of us and is not a demonstration of artistic skills. By painting freely without structure or rules, we give permission to our inner voice to speak, bypassing our rational mind.
Regular painting could serve the same purpose as writing a journal. It functions as a mirror into our deeper self and can help us to understand ourselves better. The process also allows us to express unspeakable complex emotions.
ACTIVE IMAGINATION
If suitable, I facilitate active imagination — a way of engaging with the unconscious developed by Jung. His own experiences of active imagination are recorded in The Red Book through paintings and calligraphic writing.
There is no predetermined script. Unlike guided imagination, we wait until images, sensations, memories or thoughts spontaneously arise. We remain awake, present and actively engaged with what emerges.
Through this process, we can enter into a dialogue with aspects of the unconscious, gaining insight into our dreams and experiences and exploring the possible meaning they may hold. Sometimes this can also help us find a different way of relating to an experience or a sense of how to move forward.
I work with active imagination through painting and through a process of deeply attending to what spontaneously emerges in the mind or body.