The Australian and
New Zealand Society
of Jungian Analysts
What is Jungian Analysis?
Jungian analysis is a journey of personal exploration for people who are in distress or have emotional problems, as well as for those who feel a lack of fulfillment or want to explore the direction or meaning of their lives.
Jungian theory understands that the psyche contains a drive towards balance and wholeness. Jung called this process individuation. Jungian analysis recognises the potential in each person and within a trusting and secure analytic relationship works towards allowing a person to develop into a more authentic Self by removing the obstacles to you ‘being who you most truly are”. It also facilitates making what is as yet unconscious and hence unknown to you, available for integration into consciousness.
The analyst works together with you to pay attention to the relationship between what is happening in your unconscious and what is taking place in your day-to-day life. In analysis, the ‘unbalancing’ content of the unconscious gradually manifests symbolically in dreams, in fantasies, in thoughts and feelings and in the transference relationship between the analyst and analysand. The goal of analysis is to set in motion a process of deep personal transformation.
Who can benefit from Jungian Analysis?
Jungian analysis can assist adults, adolescents, children, couples and families with a whole range of life difficulties, including:
- Difficulties in forming and maintaining intimate relationships, friendships, family and work relationships
- Depression and/or anxiety and mood disorders.
- Phobias, fears and stress related problems.
- Post-partum depression and parenting issues.
- Bereavement and loss, divorce, redundancy, or any big life change in the present or in the past.
- Emotional, physical or sexual abuse.
- Post –traumatic stress including issues arising from recent or past incidents, accidents or other challenging life events.
- Loss of meaning in life, suicidal thoughts or yearning for life change.
- Gender identity and/or sexual orientation issues.
- Life crises and transitions including changing schools, jobs, careers, retirement, ‘mid-life crises’ and adjusting to ageing processes.
- Blocked creativity and difficulty with self-expression.
- Eating disorders and health crises including illness and life-threatening disease.
- Desire for self-knowledge to enhance professional work in counselling and caring for others.
- Spiritual ‘dark night of the soul’ experiences.