Frequently Asked Questions

Analytical Psychology is the official term of the psychology founded by C.G. Jung. Together with Freud’s psychoanalysis and Adler’s Individual psychology it formed the three schools of depth psychology at the beginning of the 20th century. They are referred to as Depth Psychologies because of the central concept of the unconscious. Because the unconscious and consciousness influence each other reciprocally, it is called a dynamic psychology.

While Freud and Adler emphasized the personal unconscious – contents, which have been repressed or forgotten, Jung’s approach expands this to include the collective unconscious. In order to gain insight into this dimension Jung studies myths, fairy tales, religions, symbols, alchemical texts, dreams as well as any product of the imagination. From this research he came to the view that at depth mankind was determined by similar basic patterns, which he named archetypes.

Through his exploration of the collective unconscious Jung added a profound depth to his psychology and placed the soul and its development at the center. The soul is understood as relating to the transcendent, which gives Jungian psychology its spiritual aspect. His psychology is not a method, but is concerned with all who are seeking meaning.

Worldwide there are 50 training institutes, all of which belong to the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP). ISAPZURICH offers a unique and integrated training program for becoming a Jungian analyst.

Carl Gustav Jung (1875 –1961), one of the leading thinkers and depth psychologists of his era, contributed substantially with his Analytical Psychology to an improved understanding of the human psychology and mental disorders.

He was born in 1875 in Kesswil, Switzerland and did his early schooling as well as his medical training in Basel. While working as a psychiatrist at the famous Burghölzli Clinic in Zurich, Jung came in contact with the writings of Sigmund Freud. Jung initiated a friendship with Freud and became one of Freuds most respected students until the relationship ended over differences in theoretical understanding. This led to the existence of his Analytical Psychology and a comprehensive body of writings, which go far beyond the realms of psychology and psychiatry in their meaning for our times.

In 1935 he was named Professor at the ETH in Zurich and in 1944 was named Extraordinary Professor at the University of Basel in Medical Psychology.

In 1903 Jung married Emma Rauschenbach and together they had five children. His family home was in Küsnacht on the lake of Zurich, where he also kept his analytic practice. He died in Küsnacht on June 6, 1961.

Jung discovered the collective unconscious as the universal basis of our experience of soul and the urge to live life creatively.

Jung brought the concept of the archetype into scientific discourse.

Jung created a new typology, to which the concepts of extraversion and introversion belong. These concepts are now a normal part of everyday speech practically world-wide.

Jung developed the concept of individuation. The individuation process implies that the development of soul belongs to a coming-to-one’s-self. This process requires diverging from collective norms and supporting the development of the full potential of the personality.

In seeking an authentic self, one becomes confronted with many different aspects of the personality. These include the persona, the shadow, the anima and animus as well as the Self. These terms have also become a part of everyday language.

As researcher of the deeper dimensions of the unconscious, Jung dealt especially with fairy tales, mythology, religion and alchemy. In so doing he developed a completely new conception of symbol.

The interpretation of unconscious contents follows in consideration of a telos or final aim. Thereby emerge compensatory meanings that spring from the psyche’s self-regulating tendency.

Jung conceived of the psyche as presenting an objective reality, which could also express itself in so-called synchronicities. In his view this supports the fact of correspondence between the inner world of the psyche and the concrete world outside.

Jungian therapeutic treatment is not a matter of following generally applied methods. Far more, therapy is oriented to the variable characteristics and needs of each individual.

The suffering of soul is not simply seen as a curable disturbance. Rather, it is considered to be a necessity and impulse for psychological development. The tasks of therapy are to support the individual on the way to becoming one’s self, to support his or her developing consciousness, to enable a greater sense of personal authenticity, and to bring one’s own creativity to life.

The goal of therapy is to enable the individual to experience something larger than him/herself, to open to the language of the unconscious, and to discover meaning in life.

The therapeutic relationship is seen as a real relationship between two people, and also as a container which is fundamental to the therapeutic process.

Analytical Psychology understands psychic reality to be determined by the interplay of opposites. Therefore the Jungian perspective is characterized by work with many polarities, for instance:

• Individual vs. Collective: The priority of the individual in relation to the collective is stressed, but at the same time the importance of collective factors is acknowledged, in particular how they influence the unconscious of the individual, the community and culture.
• Consciousness vs. Unconsciousness: Development of consciousness is considered an urgent task, but at the same time one’s relatedness to the unconscious and its instinctive knowledge is considered necessary for reaching the therapeutic goal.
• Reality of the Inner world vs. Reality of the Outer World: While the creative encounter with personal feelings and inner images is considered the core of therapeutic work, the necessity and importance of a realistic relatedness to the outer everyday world is acknowledged as well.
• Scientific Knowledge vs. Psychological Reality: While striving to recognize and further the scientific knowledge of the day, Analytical Psychology also guards against reducing complex psychological realities to generalizable concepts and subjecting them to normative strategies of treatment.

A good place to start is with ISAP’s Analyst Directory and map, since our analysts work on several continents. Here you can learn about each analyst and use your intuition to make contact with some and see if there is a good resonance between the two of you. ISAP's Analysts in Training also offer analysis at a discounted rate.