by Phil Goss
a In work with complexes, dreams and spontaneous images arising in the transference
b In helping to form the working alliance in the early stages of the analysis
c In identifying the personality type of the analysand
d In helping to work with repressed psychosexual roots of neurosis
9 The use of active imagination can be counter-productive if the analysand does what?
a Becomes scared of the imagery and avoids talking about it
b Gets too fascinated by the imagery and avoids the complex it symbolizes
c Becomes confused because they think it is a dream
d Gets overconfident and tells the analyst they completely understand what it means
10 What ethical considerations need to be applied to active imagination?
a The analysand must understand it in detail before they undertake it
b The analysand needs to practise imagining things regularly before they are ready
c The analysand must be fully conscious of their imagination first
d The analysand must be stable enough psychologically to encounter the unconscious
13
Alchemy and analysis
Jung arrived at some of his most profound insights into the therapeutic process as a result of his studies of alchemy. His extensive research into its traditions and practices, across many centuries and cultures, led him to apply its underlying principles that he discovered to analysis. This chapter will explain these principles and illustrate how influential they remain in post-Jungian thinking. It will also demonstrate how alchemical principles can be applied in analysis, particularly in relation to the archetypal transference, via the case study.
The influence of alchemy on Jung
‘For… [Jung]…, the alchemical goal of extracting gold from base metal is mirrored in analytical work in the gradual extraction of the unconscious gold from the base metal of consciousness to lead to the higher union of the two.’
Casement, 2001, p. 54
Alchemy is a vast topic, with current cultural manifestations having their historical roots in the work of the alchemists, which, as Schwartz-Salant points out (1995, p. 7) was built up by ‘many groups and individuals from Egypt, Arabia, Iran, Greece, India, China, England, Germany and France… (and)… was a kind of applied mystico-philosophical system’. Jung initially found what he read about alchemy to lack relevance to the importance of archetypal influences, not least because of the apparently futile and fanciful attempts to literally produce gold from leaden dregs (base metal), which alchemists, at first glance, seemed to have pursued.
Spotlight: Harry Potter and alchemy
The most obvious example of where alchemy crops up in contemporary culture is in the hugely popular Harry Potter books (Rowling, 2007) and films. These feature alchemical ideas and terms such as the ‘philosopher’s stone’. Rubeus (‘red’) Hagrid and Albus (‘white’) Dumbledore have first names derived from alchemy. Alchemy is also an optional subject on the curriculum at Hogwarts.
Jung’s interest in alchemy was prefigured by a dream he had in 1926. In this dream, he found himself in the seventeenth century, stuck in a courtyard, the door to it having slammed behind him. He later realized, after reading The Secret of the Golden Flower (an ancient Chinese alchemical text Richard Wilhelm sent him in 1928), that this dream was about alchemy, with the unconscious pointing him towards the later Middle Ages, the source of some important alchemical texts. He thought he might be ‘let out of the courtyard’ once he had properly examined alchemy, and drawn from it what was germane for the present time, and for the Jungian analytic framework. It was then his exploration of the work of Paracelsus (1493–1541) – who laid the foundation for the study of alchemy as a representation of important underlying psychological processes – that helped Jung make sense of the connections between alchemy and the principles underpinning psychotherapy (as well as collective psychological and religious ideas and structures).
In Psychology and Alchemy (1980), Jung sets out what he thinks happened to him during his ‘creative illness’ (1913–17), following his break with Freud, in alchemical terms. He saw his experiences of descent into chaotic and often dark encounters with the unconscious as the necessary ‘base metal’ required for him to uncover the ‘gold’ which lay therein, enabling him to construct the theory and practice of analytical psychology. He also conveyed his perception of the significance of the work of the alchemists as being their projection of the unconscious into matter, as he explains here:
‘The real nature of matter was unknown to the alchemist: he knew it only in hints. In seeking to explore it he projected the unconscious into the darkness of matter in order to illuminate it. In order to explain the mystery of matter he projected yet another mystery – his own psychic background – into what was to be explained: Obscurum per obscurius, ignotum per ignotius! This procedure was not, of course, intentional; it was an involuntary occurrence.’
Jung, 1980, para. 345
Spotlight: Roots of the word
The word ‘alchemy’ can be traced back via Middle English, French and Latin to roots in Arabic al-kmiyā’, where al means ‘the’ and kmiyā;’ means the ‘art of transmuting metals’.
Alchemical principles
What were the alchemical principles from which Jung derived these insights?
The word alchemy is usually defined in two ways. It is:
• a historical phenomenon predating chemistry that aimed to transmute base metal into gold
• a descriptive term for an almost magical process that can bring about something new, through combining or mixing two or more substances or influences.
It is the second of these definitions which provided Jung with the most potent application to his thinking. Alchemy helps to describe the process which happens when a person consciously confronts the unconscious, enabling a new situation, and consequent level of awareness, to emerge in the psyche. In this respect, Jung’s influences from alchemy helped him formulate his ideas about the transcendent function and active imagination.
ALCHEMY AS A METAPHOR FOR CHANGE
The key to working with alchemical ideas, of course, is to see them as both archetypal and metaphorical. The alchemical process – whereby different substances are placed in a container (variously named as crucible, retort or vas) and then heated and mixed together, with the hope of new ‘gold’ emerging as a result – is a good metaphor for the therapeutic process. In analysis, the analysand and analyst are ‘in the work together’, and the developing working alliance, process and transference relationship can generate something ‘new’ and of real value. The influence of alchemy could also be described as archetypal, because these parallels apply more or less to all therapeutic work.
Also, in working with difficult material, such as what gets tied up with the shadow, inferior function and complexes of the analysand, the analysis could be said to work with the ‘base metal’ from which psychological ‘gold’ can be drawn out, rather like the principle of finding ‘the diamond in the rough’. Finally, there is a relevant parallel around the ‘containing’ role of the analysis: the regularity of setting and time, and the reliable presence and therapeutic skills of the analyst, act as a suitable ‘container’ within which the analysand can feel securely ‘held’, and change can occur. This is similar to the alchemical vas, without which the elements could not be mixed, and hopefully transformed.
‘SEEDING’ THE GOLD AND ANALYSIS
As Mathers (2014) observes, the alchemists usually put a little gold into the crucible at the beginning to ‘seed’ the process (usually by dissolving a little of what their patron had initially paid them into a risky combination of sulphuric and nitric acids), meaning some gold at least could be found at the end of the process. Mathers (op. cit., p. 6) highlights the parallel with therapy:
‘Fortunately, neither they nor their patrons knew much about measuring… Like counsellors / therapists / analysts and those who work creative
ly, they didn’t precisely know what they were doing; it “just happened”.’
Likewise, some ‘gold’ needs to be present at the beginning of the therapy in order for some to emerge later, in deeper and stronger form. This could be described in terms of the quality of the initial psychological contact made ‘in the room’ between the analyst and the analysand, and in relation to the nature of the unconscious connection between them. Overall, one could call the attitude of the analyst a crucial ‘seeding’ factor, one that is open to the direction the analysand’s psyche seems to be pointing towards, and to the workings of unconscious process generally – plus certain faith shifts can happen for the analysand.
ALCHEMY, ARCHETYPAL PROCESS AND TRANSFERENCE
Jung proposed that the full ‘journey’ through analysis could be framed by a model drawn from a text written by the medieval alchemists – the Rosarium – and he used this as the basis for his description of the largely hidden unfolding of the transference between analyst and analysand. As we have seen, Jung subscribed to the general principle of the psychoanalyst becoming, in effect, a key parental figure for the analysand, who then projects unconscious contents relating to early influences on to the therapist. However, his distinction between the personal and collective unconscious led him to make a parallel one about the transference.
Jung developed the idea of ‘archetypal transference’ alongside the ‘personal’ version, believing that strong transferences could build up which led the analysand to project archetypal figures on to the analyst (e.g. an evil monster or a wonderful healer). He also proposed there are archetypal dynamics at work in all analytical relationships (e.g. the initial awareness of the analysand about their problems and how resistances can get in the way of working on these). Jung also posited that there is direct communication between the unconscious of the analysand and of the analyst (and vice versa). This principle, which Jung suggested builds up as the analysis proceeds, is key to his description of the alchemical influences on the archetypal transference.
In his paper ‘Psychology of the Transference’, Jung (1966) describes the archetypal transference as an unfolding pattern of unconscious stages that govern the therapeutic process and lead the analysand towards a fuller, individuated, state of being. This state relies on the full involvement of the analyst, whose unconscious interacts with that of the analyst to provide a fundamental alchemical component in the analysis.
Full analysis involves passing through all key stages of the alchemical cycle towards a new ‘concunctio’ (marriage/union) between opposites in the psyche; this is replicated by the evolving therapeutic relationship. These stages, with their associated titles from the Rosarium, are described below. Each stage is portrayed in a woodcut from the Rosarium featuring female and male elements representing the encounter and blending of opposites in the psyche.
The ‘Mercurial Fountain’ from the alchemical Rosarium text; the solar and lunar streams represent male and female elements
Spotlight: Did Jung adapt the Rosarium to suit?
Jung seems to have been somewhat selective, in that he utilized only 10 of the 20 stages and associated images from the original document when he wrote about alchemy’s application to the therapeutic relationship. His approach could therefore be criticized for adapting alchemical principles to fit his thinking rather than using the exact archetypal principles and stages handed down across the centuries. However, the stages he drew on in the Rosarium were the most obviously relevant ones for crucial stages of change (or ‘stuckness’) in both the alchemical and therapeutic process. He thereby identified key points of development which, he argued, feature in all fully fledged analyses.
We will now look at each of these ten alchemical stages with a brief description of each, and of the process experienced by Jolanta across a lengthy analysis, which seems to reflect how these unfolded.
The archetypal transference Jolanta’s alchemical path
1. The mercurial fountain This represents the start of the analysis as the analyst and the analysand meet for the first time and begin to get a sense of one another.
At the beginning of her analysis, Jolanta feels uncertain of what to expect but is open to explore how it might feel when with her analyst, Liz.
2. King and queen Here the relationship develops, as framed by the working alliance, as persona influences diminish.
Jolanta explores her situation and feelings. Liz senses that Jolanta is engaged and open to the process, if a little anxious.
3. The naked truth Work with shadow…
Jolanta shares the difficulties experienced in her close relationships and notices discomfort, even shame, about this.
4. Immersion in the bath With the greater transparency from the analysand, a descent into the unconscious can now happen.
As Jolanta goes further into her difficulties, she notices strong feelings emerging about Liz, and at one point gets angry with her. The image of a witch from a storybook starts to appear in her mind during sessions. She eventually shares this with Liz and they explore this. Liz has felt angry herself in her countertransference, and has a recurring image of a tiny girl running scared through the woods.
5. The conjunction The erotic imagery conveys an unconscious ‘union’ between the analyst and analysand. This may be reflected in anima–animus dream imagery. However, this is not a definitive resolution of the process.
Powerful feelings move around the analytic space. Jolanta notices some attraction towards Liz, who in turn finds herself taking a mix of angry and erotic feelings to discuss with her supervisor. Jolanta has the dream about the airport and working on this brings deeper insight.
6. Death Also termed ‘the nigredo’, this is a point in the analysis where everything seems to come to a halt – the energy goes out of the work as the cycle of unconscious development goes from life to death.
Jolanta feels exhausted after her sessions with Liz. She tells Liz, who has also found herself dreading the sessions with Jolanta, who seems demanding and critical. Liz feels sleepy at times and Jolanta increasingly thinks of ending the analysis. After nine months she leaves, saying that there is no more to gain.
7. The ascent of the soul This is a stage of acute vulnerability, as the level of ego strength has fallen in response to the unconscious depths revealed. A kind of psychological decomposition occurs, so the analysand is vulnerable to disorientation. With the analyst’s help, conscious awareness is focused on, while some new life is awaited (comparable to the phrase ‘it is always darkest just before the dawn’).
Jolanta’s departure does not last long. She calls Liz two weeks later and asks to return, which is a relief for Liz as she has been worried that Jolanta is vulnerable. Jolanta explains that although she was ‘fed up’ with the analysis being ‘stuck’, she realized that she had not finished with it and felt ‘wobbly’ without it.
8. Purification Here, what is termed ‘the sprinkling of the dew’ comes in and brings unexpected but welcome new life to the analysis. The emergence of a new consciousness in the analysand has an unconsciously led feeling base. Meaningful shifts can only arise beyond and beneath cognitive awareness and process. This is a principle mirrored in thinking on therapeutic change (e.g. Greenberg, Rice and Elliot, 1993).
Once she is back in the analysis, Jolanta explains that she has had a dream that made her ‘wobbly’, in which she was on a plane flying without a pilot. They fruitfully explore this. There seem to be links to the transference (‘a pilotless plane’), her past (the plane as connection to her home and the quality of care she received) and archetypal links to the theme of flying unsafely (the ‘eternal child’).
9. The return of the soul The imagery denotes a reintegration of previously split-off, or dissociated, aspects of psyche. The analysis is now moving towards a defining and refining of what really matters: of what makes the analysand the person they fully are.
Here, just over a year into the analysis, Jolanta describes being able to see more clearly her pattern of
defending against intimacy. She also comes to realize that what she has ‘left behind’ may actually be available to her if she nurtures it: her value and integrity.
10. The new birth Finally, the conjunction of opposites can come to its fulfilment, and this is reflected in the image of a hermaphrodite which fully combines masculine and feminine in balance (syzygy). The work is ‘completed’ through a realization of the self, whereby the analysand will notice, at however subtle a level, that something important has happened, or at least been revealed, within them. The analyst, too, will notice a sense of having been changed in some way by the process. The analyst will help the analysand reflect on ethical and practical implications arising.
The analysis draws towards its conclusion as Jolanta professes that she has ‘done the work’ and feels better about seeking out a close relationship based on a secure sense of her own worth, including her sexuality. She has worked on the underlying fragility of her loving relations to each of her parents, although Liz senses that there is more to explore here. Liz can see Jolanta’s strengthened sense of self, as a more relaxed and mature personality. Liz, too, felt affected by the analysis, questioning her capacity to sit with strong feelings and complexes, but she has emerged with greater self-knowledge. Jolanta notes the need to allow herself time to reflect on what she has gained from the work and what it will mean for her life.
Limitations and possibilities
It is important to recognize that Jung’s portrayal of the archetypal transference and the process it is meant to facilitate is rather an idealized one. In order for analysis to generate this process in full, a lengthy and intensive analysis is required, something which demands very significant investment in time and money, and is less common nowadays unless it is in the training analyses that trainee analysts undertake. This model could also be critiqued for being too formulaic. Most analysts would say from experience that, although this archetypal template is valuable, the ‘order’ in which change might happen cannot be predetermined. This author, for example, has experience of working with male analysands where the nigredo, or ‘death’ stage, appears at the outset of the work and needs to be revisited over and over again to enable a shift to occur (Goss, 2014). A looser, more general application of alchemical ideas sometimes seems to work better, such as where a shift in the alchemical ‘colouring’ is described (Martin, 2006): from the blackening of the vessel (nigredo), through a whitening (albedo) and yellowing (citrinas), to the reddening (rubedo), where life has fully returned.