Public Semester Program
Spring 2025

We will journey through the psyche, meeting such phenomena as ego, Self, complexes, archetypes, persona, shadow and many more. In this process we will familiarise ourselves with the major themes and concepts of Analytical Psychology.

Concepts of Analytical Psychology will be explored and applied to one of Jung’s dreams from Memories, Dreams, Reflections.

The best way to understand the sometimes confusing and controversial concept of the animus is to look at what the male figures in dreams—from baby boys to old men—may be depicting. For simplicity’s sake we will focus on male figures in the dreams of women; it can, however, be argued that men’s psyches are also inhabited by the autonomous animus that Jung described.
As a natural scientist and a Jungian Analyst, I show how the evolution of our biology and our psyche can reveal what male means in dreams. We will then be able to recognize the tremendous value of the concept of the animus.

This lecture will take up content related to transference dreams, the role of dreams in relating to the transference, and the role of dreams and transference in an individual’s development.

This lecture will present an overview of the unique nature of childbearing loss and the parents’ ensuing search for meaning. Based on the dreams of parents gathered while I was a consultant to the Pregnancy and Infant Loss Center in Minnesota, this lecture will outline mourning within the context of Neumann’s “archetype of the way”. I will explore how dreams of the lost child enhance the full expression of grief by maintaining an emotional connection between the parents and the child throughout the intermediate realm of the “Here and the Hereafter”.

I will interpret a series of helpful and consoling dreams of a woman during her final year of life.

The lecture will explore how modern cognitive research on dreams as simulations can be compared with Jungian dream theory. I will be discussing research on dreaming in rats and birds as well as the use of simulation games for practicing high risk undertakings. I will also be looking at human dreams that challenge our ability to deal with awkward social situations; such dreams help us expand our repertoire of coping strategies.

Dreams can not only help us find solutions to complex problems, they can also offer solutions to simpler problems. Their seemingly chaotic messages provide us with challenges that actually help us learn to deal with chaos and, therefore, to become more creative.

In this lecture the fairy tale “Allerleirauh” about the incestuous wishes of a king towards his daughter is interpreted. What does incest mean symbolically and psychologically? What can this fairy tale tell us about how a woman can deal with incest or incestuous wishes from her father? How can a daughter with a negative father complex free herself? How can the archetypal feminine (Eros principle) be developed in a society dominated by the archetypal masculine (Logos principle)?

Complementarity is a key principle of life, creativity, healing and peace. It means teaming up with an utterly other—be it sexual, political or even unconscious. As diversity is the lot of the manifest world and unity rather a transcendent principle, wholeness requires the utmost individual effort to unite opposites. It requires a great deal of respect for the other while consciously limiting oneself. Our fragmented and polarized world would profit from concentration on and orientation to this life principle. With examples from biology, psychology (individuation, alchemy, gender), politics (war, democracy) and dance.

There are four factors that must be considered by a therapist/analyst when attempting to gain a clearer understanding of mental illness. These factors are biological, psychological, social and existential/spiritual. Each factor must be considered if we wish to come to a comprehensive understanding of mental illness. However, in this context, I will limit myself to the existential/spiritual and psychological factors.

In this course we will be studying color symbolism through the paintings of various analysands.

“Soul” is a familiar word for Jungians. In spite of this, the notion tends to remain somewhat vague. Using a mythological figure as its archetypal foundation, this lecture aims to contribute to our understanding of soul as a specific psychological entity.

We will explore the steps of winemaking; examining the psychological symbolism of the steps, we shine light on the origins of wine’s religious significance. By treating the steps of winemaking as alchemical images, winemaking becomes a metaphor and guide to the coniunctio. The aim of this lecture is to present the nature of various alchemical states and operations and to reflect on their relationship to individuation.

In E.A. Poe’s short story “A Descent into the Maelström” (1841) three fishermen are trapped in a gigantic ocean whirlpool that is threatening to destroy them. This strikes me as a suitable image for our ecological crisis. According to Jung, modern materialistic collective consciousness has lost its spiritual foundation. Building on Erich Neumann and Dorothee Sölle, I examine approaches toward a more mystical relationship with nature. Symbolically, Poe’s story tells us that psychic transformation of the collective can be achieved by letting go of the old and embracing the new and unknown.

Jung’s essay “The Undiscovered Self” (“Gegenwart und Zukunft”), written in the late 1950s, holds insights about the purpose and role of cultivating interiority and a religious attitude in times of political and social turmoil. In this lecture I analyze the text and engage in a discussion of what we can learn about ways of navigating individuation and collective participation in today’s turbulent world.

How did early humans experience the origin of consciousness – or at least the prerequisites for it? I propose to explore this issue by having a closer look at rock art in connection with hunters and hunting. By using slides and videos as well as stories and myths, I will try to shed some light on the crucial importance of rock art regarding that extraordinary turning point in the evolution of the hominids: the origin of consciousness and the emergence of humans as the “symbolic species”.