Studenten Semesterprogramm
Herbst 2025

I explain how the autonomous animus ‘function’ is both the drive to spiritual development as well as a requirement for mental health in order to create and be active/recognized in the world. The larger issue of how to work in the analytic process with gender is also important here. I will be looking at the question of understanding why gender is so central in our biological psyche and essential for our work on the dynamics of psychic energy. It promotes psychological health as well as individuation.

This course explores how Babylonian and Norse creation myths reveal deep psychological truths about trauma, consciousness, and the human struggle for order. Drawing from modern neuroscience and depth psychology, we examine how these ancient narratives foreshadow the brain’s response to crisis and power dynamics. With rising global autocracy, we analyze why societies turn to authoritarian figures, repeating mythic cycles of destruction and renewal in history and politics. We will also explore individuation as a counterforce, fostering awareness and resilience against collective regression.

The lectures take a Jungian look at the Germanic cosmology, the main gods and the end of time. We will speak about neglected Germanic female and male archetypes and the consequences of cultural repression and mythological illiteracy. I will explain how the old Germanic culture created an unrecognised precondition of the modern world. I will develop the concept of cultural ecology, emphasizing Germanic female archetypes. And I will show how Odin’s self-sacrifice designates him to become the wounded healer par excellence and the archetypal image for the Analytical Psychologist.

We will look at the reflections of the pioneers of Art Brut. We will discuss the art works, the lives and personalities of some Art Brut/Outsider Art artists and examine how their art expresses their suffering and the existential meaning their art had in their lives.

What are the attitudes and skills required of the Jungian psychotherapist when working with drawings and paintings in the analytic setting?

ISAP was given the original pictures made by David Blum when he faced terminal illness. David sought guidance and solace from his dreams and visions by painting them and engaging with the images through active imagination. The pictures speak to the joys, struggles, emotional turmoil, suffering, and wisdom David experienced. What insights and inspiration can this case study offer on healing and transformation in the journey unto death?

Tarantismo was an archaic ritual practice involving music, dance, colors, and a variety of symbols, used to heal women of a mythical spider bite. It was a mythical spider because only in rare cases had these women been bitten by an actual arachnid, even if most insisted that they had. The lecture will examine the symbolic meaning of the bite and its ritual healing, and explore the power of the ecstatic dance and its ancient Greek and Christian roots.

30 years ago, Zürich suffered a collective trauma: “The Needle Park.” In a short historical overview, we will look at the challenges and changes on the collective level as well as my experiences as an addiction therapist.

This lecture offers an introduction to mysticism, with examples from Christianity and other world religions. Evelyn Underhill’s classical definition of mysticism implies a “surrender... to ultimate Reality... from an instinct of love” (Mysticism, 1911).
Jung wrote his major work Mysterium Coniunctionis about the alchemical union, the “central mystical experience of enlightenment ... aptly symbolized by Light in most of the numerous forms of mysticism” (CW XI, §828). A second lecture, which follows in spring 2026, will study the relationship between Jungian psychology and mysticism and its relevance in analysis.

I will illustrate how complexes function using the example of giants in fairy tales. I will include a thorough review of the Word Association Experiment (if needed) and the dynamic structures of the psyche as they are involved in complexes and their activation. For me complex theory is one of the most practical and useful of Jung’s insights. I will give many clinical examples of how complexes work and how to deal with them. As a couples therapist for 15 years, I found this approach one of the most powerful tools for the couples themselves. I will also look at neuroscience as a central aspect of psychiatry that substantiates Jung’s theories.

This lecture provides a comprehensive review of Jung’s theory of autonomous complexes, exploring their structure, function, and impact on the psyche. Complexes operate independently of the ego, influencing perception, behavior, and emotional states. Using Rumi’s “Guest House” as a metaphor, we will examine how these psychic entities shape experience and how awareness of them can lead to greater psychological differentiation. Through a detailed exploration of Jung’s writings, this lecture offers a deeper understanding of the complex as a fundamental mechanism of the psyche.

Is moral development falling into the collective shadow? In light of what Jung had to say about the development of conscience, we will examine the work of Lawrence Kohlberg (1927–1987) on moral development and education; this work was influenced by Piaget and critiqued by Carol Gilligan. I will supplement the topic with findings from neuroscience.

Through the symbolism of a strange animal and one of the seven sins, this lecture explores the nature of regression, depression, introversion, and their role in the ego’s relationship with the Self.

Sexuality remains a sensitive topic that is often avoided in psychotherapy. Many individuals feel uncertain or fearful about their sexual attractions. In this workshop we confront this avoidance by addressing various paraphilias including the delicate issue of paedophilia (that can especially lead to harmful situations). We will look at the development of paraphilias, explore their Jungian symbolism, and learn how to work with clients (of every gender) suffering from these attractions in a non- judgmental manner. Join us as we tackle this challenging yet crucial aspect of therapeutic practice.

This course is an introduction to the ICD-10 / DSM-5 and a short overview of psychopharmacology.

As Jungian analysts from Japan and the Philippines, we aim to highlight that the individuation process in East Asian cultures occurs differently and appears differently from what Jung suggested. In East Asia, individuation does not necessarily mean becoming an individual who differentiates him/herself from others. Rather, becoming conscious of being both an individual and a part of the collective, as well as striving for both individual and collective growth, is a more central concern. This lecture seeks to enrich the imaginative and creative space surrounding what the individuation process could be.

This lecture is the culmination of an extensive collaboration between an architect and an analyst. I will present the story of Jung’s tower as it is represented in Jungian literature along with an architectural understanding of the place. This lecture will review the history of the tower, its meaning to Jung and its meaning as Jung’s “confession of faith in stone.”

Despite all the gifts of our intellectual education, many of us have become profoundly disconnected from our bodies. Have you ever wondered why the term “vulva energy” is not as commonly used in psychoanalytic discourse as “phallic energy”? How can we navigate both our inner and outer worlds simultaneously—and truly expand?

Longing played a crucial role for Jung: “Yearning is the way of life. If you do not acknowledge your yearning, then [...] you do not live your life.” (Red Book, pp. 249–250). Longing was also essential for many medieval mystics, e.g. John of the Cross, Teresa of Ávila, Meister Eckhart and Rumi. The lecture will explore the nature of longing and its significance for individuation and spiritual development, through the writings of various mystics as well as of Jung.