About Jungian Analysis and Psychotherapy

"Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people."

"The shoe that fits one person pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases."

These two quotes by C.G. Jung express something of what underpins my analytic work as I accompany you on your journey of self-discovery. You bring yourself as you are into the sessions. My task is to listen very carefully to what you say, to understand who you are and what you do. Some people find this type of witnessing and being accompanied extremely helpful in itself.

Such 'journeys' are often ventured into when reaching a point of crisis in life. You might be feeling low, 'not quite yourself' or tired of repeating the same unhelpful patterns; you might have suffered hurts and losses you find difficult to recover from. You might be trying to find a way forward out of confusion, estrangement or entrapment, or you may be longing to find who you really are. You might wish to better comprehend the way you relate to others and yourself.

C.G. Jung investigated emotional responses to life situations, dreams and fantasies. This allowed him to shed light on aspects of himself which his mind would have preferred to ignore. This kind of ‘shadow-work’ is an essential part of Jungian analysis. It is helpful to gain an understanding of what unconsciously self-created boulders stand in your way as you connect with the world. Jungian analysis can be a difficult experience at times. However, a dialectic engagement with your disowned aspects generally results in a greater sense of wholeness and a capacity to live life more creatively. This approach awakens a desire to be increasingly responsible for who you are, and are not; it has little to do with the mundane meaning of self-centredness.

Explorations of this nature necessitate a safe, regular, undisturbed, confidential place in a supportive atmosphere outside of your usual social circles. As mentioned above, my role is to listen very carefully to your accounts of dreams, images, thoughts, associations, and to respond to them. This supports an evolving awareness of your processes and how you make sense of events and emotions as they occur, both in the room with me and in the external world.