Jung Freud Individual Therapy & Major Life Transitions 1
The relationship between Freud, Jung and Sabina Spielrein portrayed in the film “A Dangerous Method” provides great insights into effective individual therapy and the psychological impact of major life transitions. But, both in the media and in the film, these insights are often eclipsed behind the drama of the relationship between Spielrein and Jung.
The film faces a big challenge to convey the nature of the break between Jung and his older mentor/colleague Freud, together with the relationship with Spielrein, a brilliant, forceful and complex personality in her own right. The film also seeks to convey the immense struggles and conflicts undergone by Jung at this time.
In my next two blog posts, I want to look briefly at 4 major insights into individual therapy and major life transitions portrayed by “A Dangerous Method”.
1. The Power of Acceptance and Listening
Spielrein came to the Burgholzli, where Jung was a psychiatrist, in grave crisis. As the film portrays, she may not have been psychotic, but she wasn’t far off. In using Freud’s novel “talking cure”, Jung took Spielrein seriously as an individual person and engaged with her in a very accepting and affirming way, even affirming her desire to be a medical doctor. Whatever the weaknesses of Freud’s method, one key aspect of “the talking cure”, embodied in Jung’s deep acceptance of Spielrein — listening, engaging her and entering into her experience — had a profoundly positive effect on her life. This is essential in good individual therapy to this day.
2. Even Brilliant People Hit Impasses During Major Life Transitions
This movie is set prior to the beginning of the single greatest crisis in Jung’s life. This took place in 1913 – 1918. Looking forward, we know that he will emerge from this time transformed, and with his own developed psychology. However, just at the time of this movie, Jung is really struggling. It is characteristic of major life transitions, and especially those that come near midlife, that they can make incredible demands on people, and can often only be resolved by a fundamental change in outlook, and encounter with the hitherto undiscovered parts of the self.
This is not pathology. People with real difficulties at these points in life are not mentally ill. These are the kinds of challenges that people — even brilliant, very successful people — often experience at times of major life transition.
In Part 2 of this post, I’ll look at insights from the film pertaining to growth, depression and individuality.
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