To Hell and Back: The Katabasis, or Night Sea Journey, in Clinical Practice
Presented by Ronald Teague, Ph.D., ABPP
In 1913 C.G. Jung suffered an emotional collapse. His relationship with Freud ended, his emotional bond with Sabina Spielrein was put to a stop, his relationship to his wife was strained and he resigned from the presidency of the International Psychoanalytic Association. His reputation had been damaged and he was exhausted by his tremendous workload. At that time he began his ‘most important experiment’, he went, or rather fell, into the unconscious and had what might be called a ‘controlled psychosis’. This is when he began working on his famous Red Book. It was through working on the Red Book that he discovered most of his seminal ideas that he spent the rest of his life developing.
Jung essentially took what has been called a ‘shamanistic voyage’, ‘night sea journey', or Katabasis, a voyage to the underworld. This mental process involves a reduction of the ego consciousness and an induced psychic regression. Jung discovered that this process is necessary for individuals who are experiencing a moderate to severe mid-life crisis, or trying to ameliorate a substance abuse problem or are experiencing an incipient psychosis or therapists who treat patients who deal with these psychological problems.
This class will examine the archetypal pattern of the Katabasis using several literary sources such as Odysseus’ and Aeneas’ descents into the underworld in the Odyssey and the Aeneid, the Soul’s journey in the Tibetan Book of the dead and Jung’s Red Book. We will explore Jung’s technique of active imagination and how it can be used in clinical practice. This class is recommended for any therapist interested in using Jung’s method to deal with substance abusers, early stage psychotics and patients having mid-life crises.
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1.Distinguish between a Chronic reoccurring psychosis and an acute archetypal one
2.Distinguish between a patient’s need for simple Active Imagination and a Katabasis
3.Be able to detect when a Katabsis is spontaneously emerging in a patient from dreams and fantasies of the patient
4.Know how to help patients who are experiencing a clinical Katabasis
5.Reduce the risk of psychotic regressions in clinical out patient therapy by the judicious use of Active Imagination
6.Be able to use the clinical Katabasis in working with substance abusers
7.Be able to use the clinical Katabasis in working with Axis II disorders
8.Be able to use the clinical Katabasis in working with Dysthymic and other Mood Disorders
9.Be able to use the clinical Katabasis in working with Anxiety Disorders
10.Be able to use the clinical Katabasis in working with end of life patients
11.Know how to manage the clinical Katabasis to reduce psychic pressure on patients
12.Know when to avoid exploring the clinical Katabasis with certain patients
Bibliograpy:
Luke, H. M. (1989). Dark wood to white rose: Journey and transformation in Dante's Divine comedy. New York: Parabola Books.
Hannah, B. (1967). Active imagination. A record of a talk given in Zurich by Miss Barbara Hannah on September 25th 1967 at a special lecture series for the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Houston, Texas. Houston: C.G. Jung Educational Center.
Franz, M. V. (1997). Archetypal dimensions of the psyche. Boston: Shambhala.
Franz, M. V. (1979). Alchemical active imagination. Irving, TX: Spring Publications.
REGISTRATION OPENS AT 8:30AM
The Sullivan Center for Children is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Sullivan Center for Children maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
For questions, comments, or concerns regarding SC4C CE program content, material, registration, or any related manners, please contact our Continuing Education Program Director Lisa Ganiron, Psy.D., at (559) 271-1186 ext 132 or email elisabethganiron@sc4c.com
A special thank you to SJVPA for their assistance with registration and advertising of this SC4C CE event.
Important Notice: Those who attend the workshop and complete the CPA evaluation form will receive ( 12 ) continuing education credits. Please note that APA CE rules require that we only give credit to those who attend the entire workshop. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the start time or leaving before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credits.