Course Description

This course builds upon the analytical perspectives addressed in AION104, and continues to elaborate an exploration of the “classical” Jungian perspectives, especially as influenced by Jacobi and articulated by Edinger. The discussion will include an exploration of Jung’s concept of libido as psychic energy and its departure from Freud. A close reading of excerpts from Structure and Dynamics of Psyche and Symbols of Transformation will enhance an understanding of Jung’s foundational concepts. Jungian methods of accessing the unconscious, which includes a survey of dream analysis, fantasy and active imagination and will be discussed in an effort to build a broad framework of Jungian psychology.

Learning Objectives

Describe core elements of classical Jungian theory—and explain how Jung’s orientation shapes clinical understanding of psyche, symbol, and the limits of interpretation.
Recognize the psychological mechanisms that transform libido from instinctual and archetypal energy into an analogue of the object of instinct, symbol.
Interpret dreams, fantasies, and imaginal material using Jungian methods of amplification and symbolic comparison, distinguishing symbolic elaboration from reductive or literal interpretation in clinical work.

The Aion Institute is approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. The Aion Institute (AIO279) maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

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AION 202 Intermediate Theories and Technique in Jungian Psychotherapy