Carl Jung: Individuation starts with a crisis. -- a perspective towards suffering

Carl Jung stated that the development of the individual starts with a crisis. In this lecture for the Jung Society of Utah, Machiel Klerk provides a Jungian perspective towards this crisis and its accompanying suffering. He uses a story from Michael Meade run towards the roar, a poem from Aeschylus and Nietzsches suggestion of amor fati (love of fate), by which he weaves in the Buddhist idea of a joyful participation in the sorrows of the world, which leads to the Jungian process of individuation and compassion.

Machiel Klerk is the founder of the Jung Society of Utah (www.jungutah.com) and therapist with a specialty in working with dreams. (www.machielklerk.com)

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Carl
• Jung
• Psychology
• dreams
• interpretation
• of
• Jungian
• Pacifica
• Graduate
• Institute
• individuation
• Machiel
• Klerk
• Joseph
• Campbell
• Society
• Utah
• lectures
• on
• psychology
• suffering
• anxiety
• fear
• crisis
• Aeschylus
• compassion
• Kuan
• Yin
• Amor
• Fati

[4l4ddin77]

run towards the roar

[blazewb1]

I found that when a person can admit his/her weakness, no matter what it is, that process is called individuation, Jung said that the conscious coming to terms with the inner self generally starts with the EGO being wounded and the suffering that goes along with that PAIN. Individuation is the first step towards transcendent function.

[thestrid82]

If someone is identifying with plants and circles what does this mean? I am drawn to circles and trees in my drawing?

[soozmct]

@Prospro8 I -& friends-have been, over the years, in just such situations with therapists- & feel now-with hindsight & knowledge- that it was projection. I have beenso traumatised that I'd break down more but put up with it -(I dont now)- cause I thought I had to. I have never come across the term 'ALBEDO'. I wonder if you could tell me it's meaning in this context. I googled it - it only gave me references to solar activity. I am VERY wary now of therapists, & hope 1 day to find a good one

[Prospro8]

This is all good and true BUT would it be rude to warn that Jung himself occasionally gave the impression that if insufficient 'suffering' or katabasis was present the analyst might INVOKE crisis? There are many instances where inflated, complacent or just naive analysts CREATE (maybe by transference) a 'crisis' that is merely the product of analysis. Far from helping individuation it can destroy the client. To create a descent is easy, it's the albedo that is difficult. Too simplistic.