[struggling931]

Has anyone done this? (or is doing it?) What if any are the differences, aside from the T's personality? (although I realize you can argue a certain type of person is drawn to a certain kind of training and so forth).

I'm asking because I've tried a bunch of different therapies and they seem to feel like they come up short somehow, currently I'm seeing I guess what I would describe as a humanitistic CBT guy, there's value to it but I like getting into the past a little more (but I tried a Freudian analyst and I did *not* like the "neutrality" or what I felt was the overemphasis on interpretation.)

I've read a few times that Jung was much more into spiritual issues than Freud, and that Jungian therapy is less entangled in the negativity which a lot of Freudians seem to possess.

I guess what I'm really looking for is some encouragement to give it a try, so if people could offer especially positive comments (as well as negative ones, as long as they are put into context) out of their own personal experience it would be very appreciated.

[sunrise]

My therapist is eclectic and if I had to pick one approach that is his primary, it would be Humanist. As part of his humanist approach, he does some Gestalt, which I believe derives from Jung. The psychodynamic parts of his approach follow from Jung rather than Freud. I don't think he is big follower of Freud at all. Our therapy has been focused on resolving past trauma that is hanging me up in present day. We do Gestalt dreamwork, work with ego states, do EMDR, lots of cool stuff. He does not do CBT. He has recently sent me to a psychiatric nurse practitioner to perhaps try some meds. She is also a psychotherapist and is a Jungian. I will see her for the first time this week--should be interesting.

In general, my own beliefs align more with Jung than Freud, so my T is a good match for me. My T is quite spiritual and believes that can be a component of therapy and personal growth--however, we have not explored this. My T is definitely not the stereotypical, neutral, cold Freudian. In alignment with his Humanist approach, he is warm, our relationship is mutualistic, he self discloses, and he is a master at providing basic positive regard and empathy. He doesn't give too many interpretations, but does occasionally. (I believe he sees it as more meaningful if the client makes interpretations but he has definitely pointed stuff out when I couldn't connect the dots.)

What I would ask you is whether are drawn to Carl Jung? If you like some of his beliefs and ideas, perhaps the Jungian approach would be a good fit and worth trying. In other words, go for it. (And report back here!)

[MissCharlotte]

Hey Sunny,

What is Gestalt dreamwork?

[Perna]

I'm seeing a Jungian analyst now; it's more about the "individual" and what makes them who they are is the best I can put it; maybe this will make it clearer:

http://www.4therapy.com/consumer/lif...ungian+Therapy

I like working with both the Jungian archtypes in dreams and with synchronicity, which is when something happens that is very meaningful to you but looks "normal" or coincidental to someone else.

[sunrise]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
MissCharlotte said:
Hey Sunny,
What is Gestalt dreamwork?

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">
It's a method of analyzing dreams. We haven't done it for a while. Each part or character in the dream is a part of yourself. And T always asks me, "where is the energy in the dream?" I think in Gestalt, that question is usually phrased differently, such as something like, "what is most striking about the dream?" or "What part stands out to you?" But my T always asks about the energy of the dream. It helps focus the analysis to the most important part. Sometimes I have one part of the dream with a lot of positive energy and one part with a lot of negative energy. We look at the different parts and people in the dream and what they represent of myself. Sometimes I tell what the various people or objects in the dream are thinking and feeling. I remember once very early in therapy, I had a dream about just me and T, and he asked me, "what was I feeling when I said that to you?" I was too shy to tell him--it felt like I was putting words into his mouth, because he really seemed like him in my dream, rather than something I created. I said "no, I can't do that, you tell me what you were feeling." And he said "I don't know because that wasn't me." It was a confusing interchange! I think there are some other parts to the analysis too, but I've forgotten. Those were the good old days, when we could spend a whole session analyzing a dream....

[sunrise]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
Perna said:
I'm seeing a Jungian analyst now

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">Perna, Perna, Perna, you've been holding out on us! You're seeing a new T?????

[kim_johnson]

How interesting. Jungian therapy is a variety that I don't know very much about, but I'm keen to learn more. Thanks for the link, Perna. I didn't know that Jungian therapy had some kind of relationship to Gestalt therapy, that was interesting too, Sunrise.

I almost phoned to make an appointment with a Jungian analyst once. Ended up not (for financial reasons) but I was really very intrigued. I've read:

http://www.amazon.com/Introducing-Ju.../dp/1874166056

But I'm still not clear from that how Jungian analysts practice today. I hope you go along and post about your therapists theoretical orientation! I'd love to learn more.

[Perna]

Mine is Internet/online/e-mail and has only been since the beginning of the year :-) When I'm finished this project we're working on together I may go see her at her office, I made sure she was local to me so I could do that.

I like it (online and Jungian) because it feels natural to my creative side and "comfortable" to me. I know the accent is on me and not the therapy or even, as much, the relationship. I feel more free to experiment and try different things.

[chaotic13]

I thought the 4Therapy article was interesting. The Jungian approach sounds appealing.

I still have no idea what approach my T uses. Haven't discussed dreams. Only spoke about ego states one session when I raised the topic, but she seemed knowledgeable in this area. Talked about spirituality once but nothing really deep. If she is using any particular approach she hasn't named it and she rarely uses psychological terminology that I could google :-)

I know if I'm curious just ASK her. I am comfortable enough now to ask, I just don't for some reason. I guess I like the mystery.