Will I love Memories, Dreams, Reflections?

As an undergraduate, I loved this memoir of C. G. Jung, which led me years later to obtain a graduate degree in Jungian Psychology.

The most accessible of Jung’s writings are recorded and edited by Aniela Jaffe, who was trained by Jung. This unique memoir reveals not only the origin of Jung’s psychological discoveries but the man behind the genius. With humor and heart, Jung, in his 80's, looks back on a remarkable life and work.

Ahead of his time, Jung leaves a valuable and timeless legacy for today.

A long, complex, fascinating, and deeply personal book.

Jung (1875-1961), who departed from Freudian theory to develop the therapeutic system of Analytical Psychology, was a mystic who wrote more about his own complex inner life than outside events, discussing psychospiritual concepts such as mythology, the collective unconscious, and the archetypes.

He experienced visions, including a vivid near-death experience. Many of his beliefs resonate with the more modern “New Age” movement. 

I love Carl Jung’s ability to see into the nature of consciousness and make the connection between the experience of being a being on Earth and the true nature of our being. He is one of the first scientists to describe the near-death experience and to see it as another trick of the dualistic world.

Jung explains how, during his heart attack, he died and was transported above the earth to a doorway guarded by a cosmically dangerous spike. Jung’s observations as a scientist and doctor about what makes us tick are a foundation for people realizing their true nature… show more.

Upon my initial reading, this book profoundly impacted me, reshaping my perspective as an emerging psychotherapist and memoirist. Carl Jung, rather than detailing his professional achievements, delves into his personal struggles and inner life, resonating deeply with my own experiences.

I was captivated by his journey from his earliest memories to his later years as he continued to explore his psyche and the collective unconscious. Standing beside him through his narrative, I was struck by his raw honesty, particularly remarkable for an 83-year-old man articulating his deepest emotional truths.

This book inspires me to embrace my dreams and imagination as… show more.

This is a mind, heart, and eye-opening biography of one of the most influential psychiatrists and dream workers of his time, Carl Gustav Jung. In this book, he shares his lectures, conversations, and his own writings.  

Jung's psychological approach to dreams and the workings of the inner world are truly seminal and a must-read for any serious student of their own dreams. Jung not only changed the study of dreams, setting up the Jungian school of thought and Jungian dream analysis, but he forever changed the way dreams are studied and perceived.  

C. J. Jung stood large on the world scene. Freud, much his senior and a household name when they met, was at first a father figure, Freud thought of Jung as natural heir to his psychoanalytic method, Jung’s ultimate rejection of its central tenets led in the end to their break.

Jung’s analysis was sought by distinguished people all over the world. During W. W. II the CIA had him develop a psychological profile of Hitler.

Jung’s Collected Works consists of 19 volumes. A less daunting way to get acquainted with him is through the famous MDR, (Memories,… show more.

A fascinating memoir by the famous Swiss psychologist who began his career under the guidance of Sigmund Freud but went on to develop completely different ideas about psychology, including synchronicity and "active imagination," which inform some of the imagework techniques I use in workshops to help writers break through blocks. I have been a member of Lapidus, the international writing therapy organisation, for many years, and I’ve always been interested in the healing power of imagination. Jung believed in the power of art and imagery to help people move through difficulties and find resolutions, and we see how he used… show more.

This memoir by one of the founders of depth psychology is an exemplar of the examined life urged by Socrates in Plato’s Republic. In the process, Jung introduces the reader to the psyche, to the unconscious, and the archetypes that shape our conscious experience. Often accused of being a mystic, Jung is actually quite down to earth, and his subtle critique of modern life is right on the mark. Sigmund Freud’s Civilization and Its Discontents makes a nice complement to Jung.

Like William James before him, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung was prescient in his caution about reducing human suffering to the chemical interactions of the brain. This “medical materialism” and “psychology without the psyche” sees people as mere neurological machines prone to breakdown. Instead, Jung’s enduring ideas view humans as living, growing processes, actively creating symbols and meanings in the push towards greater wholeness and creative expression.

 Jung worked in acute psychiatric wards, and he knew firsthand that the madness of psychosis, mania, and schizophrenia needed to be met with listening and deep curiosity. The mind goes mad to find a… show more.