Spring 2013 Archives - Oregon Friends of Jung

Transforming Compulsion

Compulsions arise organically in the psyche – often in troubling opposition to our conscious intentions. They can occur as images, ideas, emotions, or actions. From a Jungian perspective, compulsions seek to transform us. Indeed, compulsions are often intensely disturbing precisely because they arise from attitudes that have become dangerously one-sided; and yet they beckon to us from the drive toward wholeness that animates the psyche. If the content of a compulsion can be understood symbolically, it becomes a portal to transformation.

Mr. Stebbins will explore the phenomenology and dynamics of compulsions with the goal of elucidating their transformative potential.

…Wherever we are still attached, we are still possessed; and when we are possessed, there is one stronger than us who possesses us…. It is not a matter of indifference whether one calls something a ‘mania’ or a ‘god.’ To serve a mania is detestable and undignified, but to serve a god is full of meaning and promise …. (C.G. Jung, CW 13, § 55.)

Transforming Compulsion

The workshop was a deeper exploration of the elements discussed in the lecture.

Film Screening: My Name was Sabina Spielrein

OFJ will offer a screening of the 2002 film MY NAME WAS SABINA SPIELREIN (in German, with English subtitles). This event will be held at UNITY CHURCH OF PORTLAND (4525 SE STARK ST.); beginning at 7:30 p.m. on Friday March 22nd. ADMISSION WILL BE FREE FOR ALL — MEMBERS AND NON-MEMBERS.

My Name Was Sabina Spielrein is a docudrama which draws extensively upon a recently discovered trove of correspondence between Sabina Spielrein and the founders of depth psychology. An early patient of both Jung and Freud, Ms. Spielrein was a lifelong seeker. In this film, her connections to Jung and Freud are explored in the context of her personal struggles as well as the turbulent history of Europe during the first half of the 20th century. Local Jungian analyst Martha Blake will lead a discussion of this film following the screening.

Marrying Mr. Rochester: Charlotte Brontë and the Transformation of the Seductive Negative Father Complex

A negative father complex can undermine our trust of ourselves – as well as the ability to experience ourselves as basically good and competent. However, creative engagement with this complex allows us to experience its helpful side. In this lecture, we will explore in depth one way that a negative father complex can manifest and how it can be transformed. This process will be amplified by considering Charlotte Brontë’s life and her novel Jane Eyre, as well as clinical material, dreams, and Grimm’s tale “The Singing, Springing Lark.”

The Chenoo Who Stayed to Dinner: Taming the Monstrous Negative Father Complex

In this workshop, we will explore Jung’s theory of complexes. We will consider how a wounded relationship with a father can affect our inner world and our creativity. After looking at the two primary ways that a father complex can manifest, we will explore the persecutory or monstrous complex in greater depth. The Algonquin fairytale “Nesoowa and the Chenoo” will structure the our exploration, which will include journaling and reflective exercises. Excerpts from two films, a dream sequence that spanned several years of analytic work, and additional fairytales will also be considered.

Light Hearted Evening and Annual Meeting: Individuation and the Creative Process

OFJ members and their guests are invited to our annual meeting. The keynote speaker for this event will be Portland artist and author TED KATZ speaking on “INDIVIDUATION AND THE CREATIVE PROCESS.” FRIDAY, MAY 17, 7:00 TO 9:30 PM, AT THE FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, COLLINS HALL, 1838 SW JEFFERSON, PORTLAND. This is also an opportunity to meet the board, honor our volunteers, and find out about next fall’s speakers. Light refreshments will be served.

Through projected images of his paintings and excerpts from his short stories, Dr. Katz will elucidate the process of individuation as it unfolds through the interplay of creative effort and the unconscious. The Greek poet, Pindar, said, “Learn what you are and be such.” That challenge leads to a thorny and fascinating adventure.