MAGNUMOPUS:CITRINITAS
Module1:TransferenceandCounterTransferencePart2
QUOTE
“Among these contents the relation to the parent of the opposite sex plays a particularly important part, i.e., the relationship of son to mother, daughter to father, and also that of brother to sister. As a rule this complex cannot be integrated completely, since the doctor is nearly always put in the place of the father, the brother, and even (though naturally more rarely) the mother. Experience has shown that this projection persists with all its original intensity (which Freud regarded as aetiological), thus creating a bond that corresponds in every respect to the initial infantile relationship, with a tendency to recapitulate all the experiences of childhood on the doctor. In other words, the neurotic maladjustment of the patient is now transferred to him.”
“The practice of psychotherapy” C.G. Jung p. 170
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TableofContents
Application......................................................................................................................44Atooltoidentifyyourtransference:understandingyourunconsciouscommunicationinrelationships.............................................................................................................................44TheTool...................................................................................................................................47
Step1...........................................................................................................................................48Step2...........................................................................................................................................50Step3...........................................................................................................................................53
Conclusion................................................................................................................................58
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Transcript
ThisisatranscriptionofaliverecordingofalecturetotheCLPfocusgroup
onTransference–countertransference(part2)
Dialoguekey:
AllplaintextisStephen,
A:Allan,
B:Bernie,
Br:Bruce,
Dh:Dahlia
R:Ryan
G:Gabriel
H:Hanlie
K:Karen
Recapofthetransference-countertransferencemodulepart1
Thisisparttwoofthetransferencecountertransferencemodule.I’mgoingto
recap,briefly,someoftheimportantpointsthatwetouchedoninourlast
class,beforegoingontodiscussthealchemicalmetaphorinthetransference
dynamic.
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Alright,sojustsomekeypoints:-theideaisthatwe’retalkingaboutan
unconsciousdynamicwhenwetalkabouttransference,andwhenwetalk
aboutcountertransferencewearetalkingaboutatransferencethatoccursasa
resultofthetransferencethatishappening;Iamtransferringontoyouandas
aconsequenceofthetransferenceIhaveontoyou,youcountertransferonto
me.Itcouldbeasympatheticcountertransferenceoritcouldbean
antipatheticcountertransference,butit’ssomethingthat’sprovokedbymy
transference.
Andthenwearealsotalkingaboutthephenomenaofembodiedtransference.
TheideaofembodiedtransferenceisthatItransfersomethingontoyouandas
aconsequenceofmytransferringitontoyou,youexperienceitinyourself.
Okay,soItransferontoyouthehero,orthevillain,orthefather,orthe
mother,orwhateveritmaybeandyoustarttoexperiencethosefeelingsin
yourself.We’rerelyingtosomedegreeonthefindingsofanalystswho
believethatthey’reabletodifferentiatebetweentheircontentandthe
contentthatbelongstotheclient;sotheystarttoexperiencethings-intheir
innerworld,thattheybelieve-isnottheirproperty,perse.
Thatareasonablycommonexperiencethatwe’veallhadissimplythatyou
oftenfind–ornotoften,butyoumayfindattimes-thatinthecompanyof
certainindividualsyouhaveaverystrongemotionalreaction.Andmaybenot
onlyanemotionalreactionbutyoumayfindthatyouhavesomesortofan
imaginaryreactionaswellifyouareperceptiveenough.Inotherwords,you
mayfindthatcertainfantasymaterial;certainimagesstarttocomeupwhen
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youareinthecompanyofaparticularperson.Thatisthisideaofembodied
transference.
Sowe’retalkingaboutunconsciousdynamicsthen,inrelationtotheother,
andwespokeaboutthreelevelsthatthephenomenonhappenson:-It
happensattheleveloffeelingoremotion,sotransferencehasthisemotional
affectivecharacter;ithappensattheleveloffantasyandimagination,sothe
ideaisthat-wedon’tquiteknowhowithappensbuttheideaisthat-
frequentlyimagesthatliveinmyunconsciousmaycometoexistinyour
unconsciouswhenweareindialogueasaconsequenceofthetransference
dynamic.Andwespokeaboutthemundisimaginalisasawayoftryingto
explainthat–andI’lltalkaboutthemundisimaginalisagainbrieflynow.And
thenthethirdthingisbehaviour;thatthetransferencecanincludebehaviour.
SoIbehavetowardsyouinaccordancewithmy…
[Atthispointoneofthestudents,Alan,enterstheclasslateandtakesaseat.
Stephengetsuptoadjustalightthatseemstobe“blinding”Alanashesits
down]
Areyoubeingblinded?
[AlannowgetsupandmovestoStephen’schair]
A:Ja,I’llsithere?
Sorry–you’reinmychair!
A:Oh.
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[Alanmovesbacktohisoriginalseat]
Itwasagoodmovethough.Nowthat’sinteresting,intermsofwhatIwasjust
saying.Didyougetthat?
Thatwasthetransferenceinaction!
Didyouseewhatjusthappened?That’sreallyinteresting.Whenwetalkabout
transferenceandbehaviourthatiswhatwe’retalkingabout.Sohe’sblinded
inhischair,Igetuptohelphimandhetakesmychair.Whydidhetakemy
chair?Isitmeaningless?Now,psychoanalytically,it’snevermeaningless.
Thatisthepoint,okay?That’sthekeythingthatwegetfromFreud,isthat
behaviourisneverrandom;behaviourisnevermeaningless;itismeaningful.
Soconsciouslyweareprocessingacertainamountofdata;we’reprocessinga
certainamountofintentionality,butunconsciouslywe’reprocessingalot
more.Andwhenwedosomethingthatdoesn’tfitinwithourconscious
intentionsoritisagainstourconsciousintentions,ithasanunconscious
meaning;fromanunconsciousperspectiveitismeaningful.Thisisthisidea
fromFreudoftheparaprax.
Sothatwassignificant;thatwasverysignificantthathetookmychair.Infer
fromthatwhatyouwill.Sothatiswhatwe’retalkingaboutwhenwetalk
aboutbehaviour;that’stheidea.
Solet’sgobacktotheideaof,“I’mprojectingmyfatherontoyou”okay.I
starttobehavetowardsyouthewayIbehavedtowardsmyfather;Ifeela
similar–maybethere’sasortofasimilar-senseofrespect,buttheremight
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alsobeasimilarsenseoffrustration;anger.Andwhenyoustart–let’ssay
you’remyanalystandnowyoustart–to…maybeIperceivethatinthe
analysisyouaresomehowbeingpatronisingoryou’resayingsomethingthat
touchesaparticularvulnerabilityinme,Inowrespondtoyouwiththesame
sortoffrustrationthatIrespondedtomyfather.“Whydoyousaythat?”or
“Why’reyoubehavinglikethat?Whatpointareyoutryingtomake?Ifeel
thatyou’reunderminingme.”It’sthatsamedynamicthatIhadinrelationto
myfatherthatIfeltcastratedby,thatI’mnowexperiencinginrelationtoyou
becauseI’vetransferredthefatherontoyou.
And–sorry,I’mrepeatingfamiliarterritoryhere,butit’sworthsaying,and-
andofcourse,whereitstartsgettingintothisreallyinterestingareais,that
youcanstartfeelinglikethefatherandyoucanstartbehavinglikethefather,
asaconsequenceofmytransference.
B:Howdoanalystscontrolthis?Imeantheymustbesubjecttosomuch
transferencefromvariouspatientsandthat,andImeantheymustbecome
awareofitandthentheyhavetodealwithwhatmustbealmostlikeamultiple
personalitydisorderfromthisconstanttransferencethey’regettingfrom
patients.
Intermsoftheircountertransference?Becauseofwhattheyexperience?
B:Howdotheydealwithit?
Thisgetsquitetechnical,anditgetsalittlebitoutofmydepth–notbeinga
clinician-butthere’retwobroadwaysinwhichitisdealtwith.Theoneisthat
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itbecomesaveryusefultoolinthehandsoftheanalyst,becauseiftheanalyst
hassufficientself-knowledgetodifferentiatebetweenherowninnerworld
andwhatshe’sexperiencinginrelationtoherdialoguewithyou,orina
sessionwithyou,forexample,thenshe’sableto–justbyvirtueofwhatshe’s
feelingandbyvirtueofwhatshe’sstartingtosometimesimagineorevento
feelsomatically,okay,she’sableto-understandthingsaboutwhatisgoingon
inyourinnerworldthatyouareeitherunwillingorunabletoexpress.Okay?
Andthatisnotassortofamazingormysteriousasitsounds,becauseactually
wealldothatallthetime.Wedon’tonlygoonwhatyou’resayingbut
typically,ifI’mabletofeelsomethingwhenI’mwithyou,Ihaveasensethat
there’ssomethinggoingonbetweenthetwoofusthatImightevensayto
you,“Idon’tknowwhatitisbutsinceyousatdownI’mfeelinganxious”or,
“I’mfeelingabituneasy.”Soweoften–evenaslaypeopleweareoftenable
topickupthatthere’saresponsetoyou.Butitisatoolinanalysisthathelps
theanalysttothenhaveinsightintounspokenmaterial.
Theotherkeythingisfortheanalystnottoreact.Sobecauseit’syour
analysis,andit’syourstuff,andit’syoursession,essentiallythey’retryingto
beamirror,sothey’rejusttryingtomirrorbacktoyouwhatitisthatyou’re
bringing.HopefullyIdon’tstarttobehave–hopefullyI’mabletoholdmyself
wellenoughsoIdon’tstarttobehave-likeyourcastratingfather.Innormal
socialencounters,typically,ifyouprojectthecastratingfatherontomeI’m
goingtobehavelikehimbecauseIdon’tfeeltheneedtoholdmyselfback;ifI
starttofeellikethecastratingfatherIsimplystarttoactthecastratingfather
out.ButintherapytheideaisthatIcanholdmyself…
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B:Assumingthattheanalystisalwaysawareofthetransferencebecauseyou
sayit’sanunconsciousthing.
It’sanunconsciousthingandit’simperfect–Imeanthisisobviouslyavery
imperfectprocess,butthesearetheaspirationalidealsthatanalystsare
aimingat.
A:ThiskindoftiesinwithwhatI’vespokenalotaboutthesynchronicitythat
happensinmylife,andthiskindoftiesinwith–thatI’llbedealingwith
someonewithclocksandthenI’llattractalotofpeoplewhohavealottodo
with–I’musingastupidexample,with-clocksforthattimebeing,sothere’s
anenergythatI’mputtingoutthat’scomingback.Formeitfeelslikethat
synergythathappenstome.
Br:Wouldn’tthatbelike,that–you’vespokenaboutitlastweek,that-there’s
aninneroutertransferencethat’shappening?
We’regettingintoveryopaqueterritoryherewherewe’releftwith
speculationratherthanrigorousunderstanding,butyesfromtheJungian
perspectiveit’saninterestingthingthat’sgoingon.FromtheJungian
perspectivethistakesusintotheideaofthemundisimaginalis,it’snotonlyto
dowithourpersonalcontent;soIhaveacomplex;youhaveacomplex,and
thoseunconsciouscomplexesareincommunicationwitheachother,butthe
Jungiantheoryisthatthereisanarchetypalroottothatpersonalexperience.
Andthatarchetypeissomethingthattranscendsourpersonaldialogue,and
transcendsourpersonalconsciousandunconsciousminds.
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AndJunghasthisideaofcourse,ofsynchronicity;thattheeventsintheouter
worldstarttomirror,orstarttomapthemselves,ontotheinnerprocess.So
youare–asyousay,you’re–dealingwithsomeonewithclocks;there’san
awarenessofclocks,andallofasuddenyouseemtoencounterclocksand
peoplewithclocksmuchmore.Nowofcoursethere’saverykindof
reductionistideawhichisjust,wellthisjusthappens;ofcourseyou’realways
dealingwithclocks;you’rejustawareofitnow.There’retoomanyreportsof
this;thereportsaretoowidespread;peopletalkaboutittoomuch,forusto
kindofreduceitinthatway.Itreallydoesseemasifsomehowthearchetype
ofwhatyouaredealingwithisconstellated,anditbecomespresentinyour
life;itisactivated.
Goingbacktothisincident–sorry,Ijustwanttomakethispoint,goingbackto
thisincidentthathappenedwiththechairsnow–itwasverysynchronistic,that
asIgottothepointofspeakingaboutbehaviour,thatparticularthing
happened.Whydidithappenatthatpointintime?Maybeit’srandom.But
you’llnoticethatofteninalecture.I’venoticedthisinstorytellingaswell.I’ve
noticeditofteninalecturethatsomethinghappensinthelectureorinthe
dialoguethatmirrorsthecontentofthedialogue.Sothestorytellerissaying,
“Andthewindblewanddooropened”andthensureenoughthenextthing
youseeistheblindblowingandthedooropeningorit’samomentofhigh
tensionandsomethingdropsontheground.Soit’softenasiftheeventsthat
arehappeningsomehowmapontothecontentoftheconversation.
SorryDahlia?
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Dh:Universalconsciousness,that’swhatIwantedtosay;consciousnessofthe
universe;weareconnected;Iattract,whateversuitsme,unconsciously.
Yes,wellonemightsay,youattractwhatyouaredealingwith.Sometimesit
maysuityou;sometimesitmaynotsuityou.
Dh:SomethingthatIwantorsomethingthatIhadtoworkon.
Orsomethingthatyouareawareof,orsomethingthatyou’reunconsciously
dealingwith.
Sookaylet’sgoon.Wespokeaboutthisideaofthemundisimaginalis,and
I’mnotgoingtogothroughitagainingreatdetailbutverybrieflythen,the
ideaofthemundisimaginalisthatcomesfromtheFrenchtheologianand
scholar,HenriCorbin,andhetakesitfromtheSufidoctrines–Islamic
mysticism–,andit’sthisideaofthemundisimaginalis,andJungtalksabout
somethingsimilar,inaway.There’saslightdifferencebetweenJungand
Corbin,buttheideaessentiallyisthatthere’sanotherdimensionofexperience
whichisnotthephysical,materialworldortheabstract,spiritualworld.In
otherwordsitisnotpurerationality.Sowhenwespeakaboutspiritualinthis
sense,youmustn’tthinkaboutspiritualinareligioussense,butwhatismeant
byspirithere,ismind;puremind;pureabstractmind.
Thereisthisdimensionoftheimaginationoroftheimaginal,andthisisa
mediatingdimension,andwereferencedinourlastclasshowJungtalksabout
thismediatingdimension,andCorbinspeaksaboutit,anditwasborrowedby
Hillmanasbeingthelocationofthearchetypal.Makeofthatwhatyouwill,
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butwhatwasinterestingfromourperspectivereally,isthatAndrewSamuels
usestheideaasameansoftryingtounderstandthephenomenonof
transferencecountertransferenceandembodiedtransference.Sotherewasa
kindofmechanisticthinkingaroundthetransferencephenomenonwhichsaw
itas,IsortofserveaPing-Pongballtoyouandthenmaybeyouserveitbackto
me.It’sasifsomethingispassingfrommymindintoyourmindandthiskind
ofideaofthephysicalworldthatwehave.
Thisideaofusingthemundisimaginalisisthatatsomelevelweareembedded
inamutualsharedworldofimages,imaginationetc.,andwehaveaccessto
similarimaginarycontent.Andsowhenit’sactivatedformeit’s–Imean,
look,ofcourseSamuelsisunabletoexplainexactlyhowithappens,butthe
ideaisthatsomehowwhenIaccessitintheimaginalworldyouarealsoable
toaccessitifweareincontactwithoneanother.
TheideafromEmanuelSwedenborg,theChristianmystic,issimilar;
Swedenborg’sideaisthat-whenhetalkshedoesn’ttalkabouttheimaginary
realmhetalksaboutthespiritualrealm,buthisideaisthatinthespiritual
realmtherearenolies;thatthereiscompletehonesty.Whateveryouare
feeling,whateveryouareexperiencing,whateveryouarethinkingataspiritual
level–althoughwemightsaysomethingtoeachotherinconversation,we
maynotbeentirelyhonest;wemaykeepthingsfromoneanother,butona
spirituallevel-ourspirits,ifyouwill,communicatecompletelyhonestly.
Andonceagain,notaverydifficultideatoswallowbecauseit’saverycommon
senseortypicalexperiencethatwehave,thatveryoftenwhenyoumeet
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someoneyouseetheirmouthmovingbutyoudon’tbelievewhat’scomingout
ofit.They’remakingtherightnoisesbutyoujustdon’tbuyitbecauseatsome
levelitjustdoesn’tresonate.Soit’sthisideaof,onedifferentiatesbetween
thecongruent–whenonebelievesthatsomeoneiscongruentandwhat
they’rebringingiskindof,anauthenticexpression;anhonestexpression,of
whotheyare–andtheincongruent.
Sothatisthat,onthemundisimaginalis.
B:Sothemundisimaginalisissortofuniversalimagination?
Yes.
B:Wouldthatbethesamesortofthingas–Imean,Iswearthatit’shappened
tomeacoupleoftimes–thatwhenyougetanidea,assoonasyoustart
talkingaboutitorbringingittolifeoraswealwayssay,youputitintothe
etherandithappenseverytime;withinaweekortwoyoufindthatsomebody
elsehashadthesameideaandthethingsuddenlyhascometolight.
B:Isthisthekindofthingthatthey’retalkingabout?
Idon’tknow.Imeanthat’sareasonableconnectiontomake.Idon’tthink
thatCorbinspecificallyspeaksaboutthatphenomenonbut…
B:Imean,ishetalkingaboutsomethingthat’sinclosecontactor…
No,no.It’suniversal.We’renottalkingaboutsomethingthat’slocalised.
That’sthewholepoint.AndCorbinmakesthatpoint;youseehetalksabouta
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placethat’sgotnotopography;it’sno‘where’;it’severywhereandit’s
nowhere;itcannotbelocatedinthephysicalworld.
B:Soyoucoulddescribeitastheuniversalimagination?
Verymuchso.It’sverymuchtheideaofauniversal,cosmic,imaginaryrealm.
B:It’sthecollectiveunconscious?
Well…
B:It’ssomethingelse?
It’ssomethingelseaswell;it’sanexpressionofthecollectiveunconscious,
wheneverwetalkaboutthemundisimaginalisit’sspecificallytodowith–
imagesandimagination.
Letmeexplainitlikethis,let’stakesomethinglikequantumphysics.Now
you’vegotthisphenomenoncalledquantumphysicsorquantummechanics
anditissupportedbyvariousmathematicalformulae;there’scertainwork
that’sdoneinthelaboratory,there’sacertainphysicalphenomenonthat
occurs.Nowthatphenomenonthatoccurs,occursatascalethatisinvisibleto
thehumaneye.Sowhentheytalkaboutwhataphotonisdoing,noonehas
actuallyseenthephoton;theyareinferringfromcertaineffectsthatthisis
whatthephotonisdoing.Sowhenthescientistortheresearcherisengaging
withthisphenomenon,okay,heorsheisdevelopingcertainimaginaryimages
withwhichtoapprehendandcomprehendwhatisgoingon.There’sa
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distinctionbetween,theimages-theimagination-ofthescientist,andwhatis
goingoninthephysicalworld.
Butlet’ssaythat,presumablyifsomeoneisaphysicistandtheirareaof
specialityisquantummechanicsandthey’reworkingwithitonadaytoday
basis,eventheirimaginaryfacultyhasareasonablyclosemappingor
relationshipontothephysicalphenomenon.Butthenwetalkaboutthefact
thatquantummechanicshasnowbecomeapopulist,newageideathatisused
to,let’ssay,supporteverycrazynewagetheory.Sothere’sanimaginaryidea,
“Well,quantummechanics,itdefiesallthelawsofNewtonianphysics,and
quantummechanicsmeansthis,andquantummechanicsmeansthat”.So
thereisanimaginaryrealitythatiswhatwe,aslaypeople,meanwhenwetalk
aboutquantummechanics,thatisvastlydifferentfromtheactualphysical
phenomenonofwhatisgoingonataquantummechanicallevel.Sotheway
thatwedealwithit;thewaythatweengagewithit,isthroughourimaginary
faculties.
Nowtheideaisthatinasense,everythinginlifeismediatedthroughthat
imaginaryfaculty.Thebestexample–wellit’saverygoodexample,butnot
everyonehasthisexperience,butit’saverygoodexample–isthatwhen
somebodyverywell,whathappensisthat,infact,youstopseeingthem
physically.Whatyouseeisanimageofthepersonthatyouholdinyour
mind’seye.HowI’venoticedthispersonallyisthatIhavea–Idon’tknowif
it’ssomesortofaneurologicalproblem,Isuspectitmaybe,butwhathappens
tomesometimesisthatI’llhaveacompletelossofmemoryforasecond,so
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sometimesI’llhavetheexperiencewhereI’llencountersomeoneandforafew
secondsI’vegotabsolutelynoideawhoIamlookingat–Icouldknowthe
personvery,verywell.Soit’sinanunexpectedsettingandsoIgetup,it’sthe
lastplaceintheworldthatIexpectedtoseeyouandallofasuddenIbump
intoyou,anditwillhappentome,notoftenbutithappenstomethatI’vegot
noidea-thatI’mlookingatyou.
SonowIseethisperson,okay;IjustseethispersonthatIdon’tknow.And
thenasecondortwolaterIrealise,“OhmyGod!That’sAlan.”Theperson
thatIsaw,beforeIrealiseditwasAlan,lookedcompletelydifferent;
completelydifferent,becauseyourmindworkslikethat.Youdon’tneedto
seethepersonfresheverytime.You’veseenthemenough;you’vegota
compositeimageinyourmind,thateverytimeyouseethem–boom!–You
justseetheimagethere.Andthenifyouseetheminanunexpectedsituation
theimageoftheperson,iscompletelydifferentbecauseit’sun-contextualised.
Sothisimaginarycontextualisation;thewaywemediatecontentallthetime,
atleastfromSamuel’sperspective-ImeanCorbinisreallyinterestedinthe
moremysticalelementofit;Imeanhe’sgoingalittlebitfurtherthan,for
example,Samuelsis.ButSamuelsisusingthemetaphorofthemundis
imaginalistosaythatwe’reliving-weexist-inthisimaginaryrealm.Andthat
isJung’sideaaswell.Andourimaginationmediatesthespacebetween,pure
reason;purespirit,andphysicalreality.Thatspaceisnot–Imean,
unfortunatelyIcan’tquotetheLatinbutasJungputsit,it’snot-physical
realityandit’snotmind;it’ssomethingelse;it’sthethirddimension,andit’s
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thisdimensionofthe-whatJungreferstoasthe-imaginary,butCorbinrefers
toastheimaginal.ThereasonCorbinusesthewordimaginalratherthan
imaginaryisthathebelievesthattheimaginalisabsolutelyreal.Hedoesn’t
liketheideaoftheimaginarybecausetheimaginarysuggestsforusthat
there’ssomethingunrealaboutit.He’ssayingno;itisabsolutelyreal.
Goingback–totheexamplethatIwasusingwithAlan:-thisisaninteresting
ideabecauseit’ssomethingthatI’vebeenencounteringaswellinworksof
HegelandŽižek.TheideaisthatIknowAlan,okay;I’vegotarelationshipwith
Alan,andIformanimaginarycompositeofAlan,alright.There’sawayof
thinkingaboutitthatsuggeststhatatsomelevelthatcompositeismorereal
thanthephysical.Inotherwordsonedoesn’thavetodeifyphysicalreality,
andsayno,it’snottheimaginarycompositethat’sreal;thisiswhat’sreal[i.e.
thephysicalbeing].WhatLacansuggestsisthattheimaginaryisoftenmore
realthanthereal.Soifyougowiththat,theideaisthat–thisisCorbin’sidea
that–justbecauseit’sinthefacultyoftheimaginationonemustn’tthink
aboutitasbeingalesserreality.It’sadifferentreality,butpsychicallyina
sense–certainlypsychically–becausethepointisthatthepersonIam
engagingwithwhenImeetyou,istheimaginarycompositethatIhaveofyou.
Let’sleaveasidetheproblemsofprojectionetc.etc.forthetimebeing,okay.
Butit’sthisimaginarycompositethatIaminrelationshipwith.Inotherwords,
inasenseweliveinavirtualrealitythatCorbinisreferringtoasthemundis
imaginalis.Anyway,that’sabittangential,butIjustwantedtomakethat
point.
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BeforewegoontothealchemicalmetaphorIwanttoreadyousomething
fromAndrewSamuels;sothisisfromachapterwrittenonthealchemical
metaphorbyAndrewSamuelsinhisbookcalled“ThePluralPsyche”.Ireally
regardAndrewSamuelsveryhighly;hehappenedtobeoneofmyteachers,
buthe’salsooneoftheleadingJungianacademicsintheworldtoday.He’san
academicandananalyst.Okay,sothisiswhathesays,
Howdoesarelationshipbetweentwopeopleleadtointernalchangeinoneor
both?Howdoesinternalchangeaffectrelationships?Toanswerthese
questionsrequiresadeeperunderstandingofJung’salchemicalmetaphor.
Sorry–justsomething;Iknowit’sobviousbutletmejustmakethepoint;
immediatelyyoucanseehetalksabout“Howdoesinternalchangeaffect
relationships?”Soclearlynow,therelationshipisseenasbeingaproductof
theintra-psychicdynamicsofbothpeople,notonlytheinterpersonal
dynamics.
Personswhoappearinanalyticalmaterialhaveasymbolicdimensionthatis
oftenthecrucialfactor.
Andwe’lltalkaboutthat;thesymbolicdimension.
Personswhoappearinanalyticalmaterialhaveasymbolicdimensionthatis
oftenthecrucialfactor.Thatiswhyitisnecessarytochallengeourhabitual
distinctionbetweentheinterpersonalandintrapsychicandwhytheinteraction
ofpatientandanalystmaybeunderstoodasplacedfirmlywithinanimaginal
realm.Aswesawinthepreviouschapter,ourdelineationofwhatis
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interpersonalmayalsobeexpandedsothatinternalimagerybecomesthelink
betweenpatientandanalyst(twopersons),fosteringtheirrelationshipand
mediatingtheirexchange.
Sohe’sbuildingonthisuseofthisideahere,ofthemundisimaginalis.
Consciouslywehavethesenseof,there’smeandyou,okay,andwearetwo
independent,integrated,sovereignbeingsandthereissomesortofan
exchange;Ispeaktoyou,orIshakeyourhand–youIgiveahugandakiss,but
there’ssomephysicalinteraction;Ispeak,youspeak,etc.Butwhatisbeing
suggestedhereisthatonanunconsciouslevelthedegreeofinteractionorof–
notinteraction,butof–mixing;theelementsarebecomingmixedonamore
profoundlevelwherebythesovereigntyofthetwopeopleisquestionable.In
otherwords,whatImeanbythatis,thissenseofindependencethatwehave,
fromoneanother,unconsciouslythoselinesblurandthatourpsychesmix
together,andthatourunconsciousimagerymixestogether,andthat’swhyhe
usesthemetaphor“themundisimaginalis”;it’slikewegetembeddedinan
imaginalfieldwherewearecommunicatingwitheachotheronalevelthat
goesbeyondwhatwecansee,andhear,andunderstand,inournormal
consciousdialogue.
Whenwetalkthenabouttransferenceandcountertransference,I’vegot
certainunconsciouscontent,okay,andsomehowyoubecomeawareofit-not
necessarilythroughanythingI’vesaidordone-becausethere’sthismingling.
Ifweacceptthisideathatthere’sthisminglingofwhatI’mcarrying
unconsciously-look,ofcourseonsomelevelconsciouslyyoubecomeawareof
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it,typicallyotherpeoplehavegotafarbetterviewonyouthanyouhaveon
yourself,obviously.Sotherearecertainthingsthatyouareunconsciousofbut
I’mconsciousof.Youbringthem;youdon’trealiseyou’rebringingthem;
obviouslyIcanseethem.
Typicallyothersseeusinafarmoreobjectivelightthanweseeourselves;
they’vegotabetterviewonusthanwehaveonourselves.
Butbeyondthat;beyondwhatweseeconsciously,theunconscious,let’ssay,
activityismuchmoreacute,soyes,youseecertainthingsaboutme
consciously,butunconsciouslyyoubecomeawareofstuffthatIambringing.
Nowthisunconsciousawarenessthathappensiswhatwecall–that’swhatwe
meanwhenwetalkabout–transference.It’sthatawareness;you’vebecome
awareofwhatI’mbringingonanunconsciouslevel.Andthenobviouslyyour
reactioniscountertransference-yourunconsciousreaction.Because
unconsciously,youbecomeaware.Soconsciouslyyouareawareofsomeofit
butunconsciouslyyouareawareofotherstuff,andyourespond.Your
unconsciousresponseisthecountertransference.
Thealchemicalmetaphor
Thisisafour-stepprocessthatAndrewoutlines.Heoutlinesit–theseare
Jung’sideasthough;thisisfairlyclassicalJungianstuff.Andwe’regoingto
lookatthealchemicalmetaphorinthissense,verysimplyhe’smaking
suggestionsthatwecananalysearelationshipashavingfourtypicalstages.
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ThenumberfourisverysignificantforJungandinJungianpsychology.Jung’s
beliefisthatfouristhenumberofwholenessorcompleteness.
Thisisfromhisanalysisofmythology;fouristhenumberofcompleteness;
threeisthenumberofmovementandfouristhenumberofcompleteness.
There’savery,veryfamousalchemicalsayingfromawomancalledMaria
Prophetessa,
“Onebecomestwo,twobecomesthreeandthreebecomesfourasone”.
I’mnotquitesure,butthebasicideaisthatfourisaunity;it’slikeone.
There’sastrongrelationship–sothisisamovement,andthenwhenyouget
tofouryou’vereachedcompletion.Sothat’saunityonceagain.
Sothestagesare:
1)thefermentio,there’safermentationprocess;somethingisbrewing,okay.
SotheideaisthatwhenI–I’msonarcissistic;Iusemyselfallthetime,letme
trytoavoidthat,solet’ssaythatwhenyoumeetsomeoneandthereissome
sortofattraction;there’ssomethingaboutthispersonthatintriguesyou;that
attractsyou;thatdrawsyoutothem,andtypicallymaybeviceversa.Sowe’re
talkingaboutnotwhereit’spureprojectionbutwherethereissomegenuine
relatedness;somesortoferosgoingon,okay.Sothisistheprocessof
fermentio;thisistheprocessoffermentation.It’stheideathatsomethingis
brewing.There’ssomethingwe’vemet…
Theideaisnotthatthisisjustacasual,Imean,Igoto(Ican’thelpusing
myself,I’msorry)Igoto–Sweat1000;it’sanewgymatNicolwayandIreally
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don’thaverovingeye.Youwon’tbelievethatbutIdon’t,butanyway,there
aresomereallyattractivewomenthere.Andasamanobviously,ImeanI’m
notblind.SoobviouslyI’veseenthemandyouknowifyou’reLebaneseand
you’relikemeyoukindofgiveastupidgrin,thiskindofagrin;likevery
lecherousandstupid.Butbasicallywhatit’ssayingis,“Ithinkyou’resexy”.
Andthensometimesofcoursetheyhavetosmilebackbecauseitiskindof
embarrassingifyoudon’trespond.Sothere’samomentthere;obviously
there’saconnection;there’samomentof,there’ssomething;there’slikea
littlesomething,
Butthisisbeyondthat.Sothisisnot[just]thatsmile.Somethingactually
startstotakeplace;weenterintosomesortofconversation-somesortof
dialogue.
R:There’sanattraction.
There’sanattraction,butit’sanattractionthatisactedon.Erostakesplace.
It’sbeyondthatcasualglanceorwhatever.Soyou’reatapickupjointand
there’s…(Imean,I’veneverbeenbutI’veheardabouttheseplaces;Imean
I’vebeenbutitwaslongago),butanyway,sonowyouseesomeone(thisis
sortofaplaceKarenfrequents,okay),youcatchsomeone’seyesontheother
sideofthebar;soit’snotjustthecatchingoftheeyes;sothefermentioisthat
nowthepersoncomesuptoyou,“CanIbuyyouadrink?”.Sonowyoustrike
upaconversation,sonowallofasuddenitdoes–that’saverynicewayof
explainingit–movebeyondthepurephysicalinto,there’sasortofaneros;
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there’sarelatedness;there’ssomethinggoingon,okay.Sothat’sverysimply
thesimpleideaofthefirststage,thatofthefermentioorthefermentation.
2)Nownigredo;inalchemyreferstoaveryunrefinedstate;acoarsestate;a
statepriortoanychemicalprocess,inasense,okay.Andusedasametaphor
forpsychology,Jungintendedforittorefertothestateofunconsciousness.
Youmightalsosaythatitcouldrefertoapathologyoraneuroses,sowhen
oneisinthegripsofapathologyorwhenoneisinthegripsofaneurosesora
complexthenigredometaphorwouldapply;thisisthedarknight;
unconsciousnesshasdominance;unconsciousnessisincontrol.
R:Nowintermsofarelationship?
Sointermsofarelationship,okay,Andrewsortofjustteasesusbysaying–he
talksabout“adarkeningofmood”.Nowwecaninterpretthatdifferentways.
Soobviouslyonewaywouldbetosuggestthattheinitialattractionstartsto
wane;thatinitiallywhatcaughtyourattention-whatintriguedyou,madeyou
engagetheperson-startstowaneandinitiallyitwasallsunshine,androses,
andkisses,andchocolates,and–Idon’tknow–alltheromanticstuff;teddy
bearsandstuff,andnowmaybethingsarenotgoingsowellanymore;sonow
itcouldbethatsomesortofconflictcomesin;somesortofdisagreement;
somesortofseeingthepersonnotthroughrose-tintedglasses,thatinitially
yousawtheminthisveryidylliclightandnowyoustarttoperceivethemina
more…
H:Almostlikereality?
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WellIdon’twanttosayreality;no,infactdefinitelynotreality.Sometimes
theperceptionisthatit’sreality,butifwe’refollowingthis,thenthisdoesnot
refertorealityperse.
H:Sothisismorelikedoubt?
Yes,it’smorelikethere’sdoubt;theremightbesomeconflict;theremightbe
sometension;theredefinitelymightbesomedisappointment…
G:It’snot‘it’?
No,notyet.You’vejumpedahead.“It’snotit”comesjustnow;we’renotat
the“notit”pointyet.Thisisstillatthepointof,“Everythingwasbeautiful,
andwonderful,andwewereveryhappy,andnowthingsarenotsoperfect.”
H:It’slikehavingsecondthoughts.It’ssomekindofanillusion.Youbeginto
think,“Ja,he’snicebuthe’snotthatnice”.You’remorecriticalofthe
relationship;it’snotthatyou’veleftit.
No,no;you’realsoaheadofthecurve.Thenigredo’sbeforethe
disappointmentanddisillusionment.
H:Isitnotlikehavingsecondthoughts?
No,it’slike...Imeetthisbeautifulwomanalright,andthesoftlightsofthe
nightcluborwhatever,withherhair,andthemake-up,andtheperfume,and
I’vehadafewdrinksandit’sjustallveryromantic.Maybeit’salsosortof
quitephysicalaswell;itcouldbequitelustdrivenbutit’shappeningatavery
specificlevel;maybequiteasuperficiallevel,okay.Andmaybewegohome
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andhavesex.AndthenaweeklaterItakeherout,andwegoout,andwe
dance,andblah-blah-blah
Dh:Inthemorning?
Itcouldbethenextmorning,butlet’simaginethat,thatsortofthinghappens
overafewnights;thisabsolutelyidyllic,romantictime.
H:It’sfallinginlove–whatwecallit?
Noteven;noteven,it’sjustsomething–attraction.I’dneversayfallinginlove.
Butnowsomethingelsehappens;it’slikenowthere’samomentofrecognition
–look,there’sanotherhumanbeinghere,yousee;thisisanotherperson;this
isnotjustmyfantasy–there’sactuallyanotherhumanbeinghere.Andthis
humanbeinghasgotfeelings,andhasgotthoughtsandideas,andhasgota
lifeandalifepath,andresponsibilitiesetc.,andsomethingisgoingon
betweenthetwoofusandI’mnotsureifit’sallgood.Ifeelalittlebitanxious;
IfeellikemaybeI’vegoneintoofar;Idon’tknowwherethisisgoing;some
thingsthatshesaystome,I’malittlebitambivalentabout.Sothishasgone
beyondthehoneymoon,thatthere’sadeepening;Andrewreferstoitasa
darkeningofmood.
Butalsowe’retalkingaboutitintermsofsayingthatsomeoftheillusion
wearsaway,oryoustarttobeinadynamicwithapersonthatisnotpurely
joyful[andnaive].ButthepointIwanttomakeisthatIdon’tthinkwemust
mistakethispurelyasanantagonisticelementintherelationship;inother
wordsthedarkeningofmoodcanalsobeadeepeningofpassion.So,itgoes
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beyondthecasualflirtationtoarealdeepeningofpassionwherethespirit––
movingbeyondthephysicalintoamuchmoreemotive–spiritualsoundsabit
tritehere…
R:Plane;emotionalplane.
Yes,it’sanemotionalplane;it’smoreofafeelingplane;it’sarelatednessona
moreprofoundlevel.
K:Ofthesoul
Soul;soul!Thankyou.That’sright;notspiritbutsoul.Nowwe’removing
fromthebodytothesoul.That’sverynice,okay.Sothatisthismove;moving
intothelevelofsoul.
R:IknowthatIacceptyou;IknowthatIhavethepotentialtoacceptyou.
No,don’tgothere;notthatIhavethepotentialtoacceptyou;no,it’snotthat.
It’stherecognitionthatthere’sanotherhumanbeingintherelationshipwith
you,withallthat,thatmeans.SowhatImean;inotherwords,initiallyitwas
justprojection;itwasjustlike,Iseeyou–and,Idon’tactuallyseeyou;Isee
myprojections;pureillusion.Butatthisstagethere’sthisdarkening;there’s
thisrecognitionthat,“Look,thisisactuallyanotherhumanbeinghere;I’mina
relationshipwithanotherperson”.
H:It’slessidealised.
Farlessidealisedandit’smoreprofound;it’smorefelt,butit’salsomore
challenging.It’sabitmorescary.Atthestateoffermentioit’snotreally
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anotherhumanbeingthatyou’reinarelationshipwith;it’salmostlikeyou’re
inarelationshipjustwitha...
Dh:It’safantasy.
It’safantasy.It’stheobjectificationoftheother.Now,thesexualactispure
carnality;it’slikewehavesexwhereweareliketwoanimals;there’renottwo
humanbeings;it’svery,veryprimitive.Yousee,let’sjusttakeitoutsideofa
sexualmetaphorinasenseaswell,becauseobviouslywe’reusingsexasa
metaphorhere.It’stheideathat,youseethere’sapointofourrelatedness;
there’sapointwherewecanrelate,wherefundamentallyI’mobjectifyingyou.
WhatImeanbythatis,Iperceiveyouashavingacommodityvalue.Iwantto
goforlunchwithyou,orIwanttointeractwithyou,orwhateveritis,because
yourepresentaspecificcommoditytome.
Dh:Iwillgetsomethingfromyou.
I’llgetsomething.Absolutely.It’sallbusiness.
H:Peoplecometotherapyatthatpoint.
Saythatagain.
Peoplecometotherapyatthatpointofwantingacontractualrelationship.
Ofwantingacontractualrelationship,ja.That’sanicewayofputtingit;it’s
verycontractual,okay,andthere’sanobjectificationoftheother,ade-
humanisationoftheother.Nowthenigredo,iswhenthatinitial,veryclean
objectificationorcontractual–butyousee‘contractual’alreadysomehow
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suggeststhatthere’salevelof,sortof,sophisticationtothething,soevenif
youjustthinkaboutitaspurelythatIobjectifyorcommoditiseyou.
Butatthepointofthenigredothecommoditisationstartstocrumbleand
there’ssomethingelsegoingon;you’reaffectingmeinwaysthatIdidn’t
previouslyanticipate.
H:Idon’tgetfromyou,whatIwantanymore.
Idon’tgetfromyouwhatIwant,oritcomesataprice,orthingsstartto
deepen.Llet’snotlabourittoomuchbecausesometimesifwelabourittoo
muchtheclaritywillinvertintobecomingmoreopaque.
3)Nowthemortificatio–Idon’tknowifmyLatinpronunciationisquiteright,
butsomethinglikethat–,mortification,obviously.Thisisthepointofthe
deathoftheprojection.Soyouwerespeakingabout–afewofyoumentioned
–disappointment.Sothisisthestageofthedisappointmentnow.Thisis
whentheprojectionreallydies.Weseethisword‘disappointment’alot;
disappointment;disappointment.Boredom;boredom.‘Fizzlesout’,okay.
Beforeyougothere…
Imeandisappointmentobviouslycomesup,butGabeaswell,alwayshasthis
thingofbeingstuck;offeelingstuck,right.That’sthemortificatio;that’sthe
death,okay.Inotherwords,there’stherecognitionnow,thatwhatinitiallyI
projectedontoyou-whenIobjectifiedyouIprojectedsomethingontoyou;I
sawyouashavingaspecificcommodityvalue,okay;Isawyouasanobjectthat
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wouldpleasemeinsomefashion,okay.LikeI’mababywithatoy;Iseeyouas
atoy;it’sanewtoy;anewrattleorwhatever.
Nowoncethere’sthisdarkeningofmood,sonowthere’ssortofthedawning
of“Hangonasecond,actuallythere’sanotherhumanbeinghere,it’snotjusta
fantasy”,andasortofadeepeningofawarenessandrelatednessinrelationto
theotherandideahereisthatitleadstothisdeathoftheprojection,orusing
thealchemicalmetaphor,thismortificatiowhichisthedeath,okay?
Mortification.
Br:Alwaysnegative,atthisstage?
Ja,thisisnegative.Thisistheideathat…
H:Disappointment?
Ja,thisisaprofounddisappointment.Sothisistherealisationthat,thatwhich
IperceivedwhenIinitiallyencounteredyouis,infact,anillusion.
G:Whataboutifaperson–he’salreadyfifty–whicheverywomanhehasis…
ThenwecallhimaBatchelor.Confirmed-confirmedBatchelor,ja.Karen’s
metafewofthose;youcanaskheraboutthem–shecantellyou.
Sotheideaisthatthisisnotuntypical,okay.Sowemustn’tthinkofthisas
somehow–itmightseem,onthefaceofit-,slightlypathologicalorneurotic
buttheideaisactuallythatthisiscompletelynormal.WhatJungistryingto
pointouthereisthatthisis,infact,whatarelationshipactuallylookslike;this
isnotjustarelationshipthat’sgonewrong;thisiswhathappensifyoustayina
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relationshiplongenough.Thatwhichyouinitiallythought-thatsortoffantasy
thatyouwereinrelationshipto-dies.Andso–Imeangoingbacktothe
romanticmetaphor,that’sprobablytheeasiest,so–initiallywhenthelovers
metshesawinhimtheknightinshiningarmourthatshehaddreamtabout
sinceshewasateenagegirl,andthatwasgoingtocomeandrescueher,and
wasgoingtolookafterher,andwasgoingtomakelovetoher,andwasgoing
toteachher,andwasgoingtoprotecther–definitelyprotecther,andalso-I
wanttosay-sortof,likeidealise;likeholdheruponapedestal,andtreather
inareallyromantickindofbeautifulway.Sotherewasthisidea;this
idealisationofthemasculine,let’ssay,intheclassicalgendersense,okay.
Andofcoursehehadthisideathatheismeetingaprincess;thatshe’spureas
drivensnow;thatshethinksonlythehighestofthoughts;doesn’thaveabad
boneinherbody;beautiful,innocent,virginal(obviously)–evenifheknowsat
somelevelmaybeshe’snotavirgin,inasenseshe’svirginal-shehasn’tmet
himbefore,it’s‘likeavirgin’asMadonnawillletyouknow.Andshe’salmosta
replacementforhismother,obviously-butthat’sonanunconsciouslevel-
butshe’sonebetterbecauseobviouslyhecanhavesexwithher,andshecan
bearhimchildren.Butshe’saspureandgoodashismotherwas.
Sothat’stheidealisation,andthentheideaisthataswemovefromstepsone
tothree,there’sarecognitionthat,“Hangonasec:thispersonisflawed;this
personisnotallgood;thispersonisnotallwise;thispersonisnotallknowing;
thispersonisnotallloving;thispersonisselfish;thispersonleavestheir
fuckingsocksonthebathroomfloor;thisperson–whatever–hasgotalotof
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irritatinghabits;thisperson–there’sastrongfeelingofambivalencein
relationtothisperson.”
Sofinallyleadingtothemortificatio;tothemortification,inotherwordsthe
recognitionthat,thatwhichIperceived;thatwhichI“fellinlove”with,isno
longerthere.Itwasanillusion.Itwasallpackaging.There’sapersonthere;
there’sahumanbeingthere.Idon’tknowifIlovethemornot,butit’s
certainlynotwhoIthoughtIwasengagedwithwhenIfellinlovewiththem.
G:Stephen,thatallsoundsvery,veryfamiliar-likemylifestory.I’mjust
wondering,“What’snew?”
Idon’tknow.That’sagoodquestion.We’lltryandgoabitfurther.It’safair
question.Bearwithmeokay,wecantryanddrilldownintoit;hopefully
somethingnewwillemergebutIdon’tguaranteeit,okay.
B:We’retalkingaboutthecourseofeventsinanevengoodrelationship?
Ja,thisisthetypicalcourseofevents.Yes,that’sright.We’renottalkingabout
onlywherethingshavegonewrong;evenwhenthingshaven’tgonewrongthis
iswhathappens.
Now,it’swhathappensnext.Yousee,that’sthekeything.Yousee,that’sthe
point;that’sreallytheanswertoyourquestion.Thatispredictable-thebig
questionis:whathappensnext?
4)Okay,sonowJungtalksabouttheputrefactio–theputrefaction.
B:Ithoughtitwaspurification?
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No,it’snotpurification.It’sthatthedeadbodynowdecays.Nowthe
putrefactionistheideathattheoriginalbody–andwecanlookatitobviously
asthebodyoftherelationship,okay–dies;it’sdied.Likeanythingthatdies,it
nowstartstoputrefy;itbreaksdown,okay.Itsphysicalintegrity–existence–
isdestroyed;itbreaksdown;iterodes;itcrumbles,itdecays;itputrefiesand
whenitputrefies–Isupposethishappenswhensomethingputrefiesinthe
physicalworldbutcertainlyintermsofthemetaphorwe’reusinghere–it
givesoffavapour,okay;thatasthatphysicalbodyisdestroyeditgivesoffa
vapour.Sortofaspiritualsubstance,ifyouwill,risesupfromthebody.
Nowjusttotakeastepbackbeforewetalkaboutthis,Ilikethisquotefrom
theBible–I’vealwaystoldyou,I’mreallyafrustratedevangelicalpreacherso
whereIcanputBiblicalquotesinIliketousethem-,sothisisfromRomans
8:13,anditreads,
“…ifyouliveaftertheflesh,youshalldie:butifthroughtheSpirityoumortify
thedeedsoftheflesh,youshalllive.”
Thisistheideahere,thatwhenthephysicalbodyoftheinitialprojectiondies;
whentheillusiondies,alright,inthedeathofthatillusionorinthedeathof
thatbody,andinitsputrefaction,anopportunityexists;anopportunityto
crossathreshold.Andmaybe,comingbackto…Imean-Idon’twhospoke
aboutreality-youmightsay-I’mstillhesitanttousetheword‘real’,butyou
mightsay–astepintothereal,inasense;inasense,okay.Iusethatwith
sometrepidationbutit’stheideacertainlythat,thatinitialillusiondies.
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There’stherecognitionthatokay,soyouarenotthisfantasyobjectthatI
perceivedyoutobe;youareahumanbeing,likemeandnotonlythatyou
havevulnerabilitiesandfollieslikeme,butofcourse,thepartofthepainis
thatinrecognisingyourfollies,andyourvulnerabilities,andyour
shortcomings,andyourfinitude,Ihavetobecomeacutelyawareofmyownif
I’mgoingtostayinarelationshipwithyoubecauseImean,ifIreallystill
perceivemyselfasperfect;asimmaculate,thenyou’renottherightpersonfor
me;itjustdoesn’tmakesense;youcan’tbemysoulmate.Imean,you’re
flawed–I’mnotflawed.Maybeatanotherstageofevolutionwemightbe
abletohaverelationship,butrightnowwecan’t.IfI’mgoingtoremainin
relationshipwithyoudespitetherecognitionthatyouareasflawedasyouare,
atsomelevelitmeansthevery,verypainfulrecognitionthatItooamflawed,
andfinite,andimperfect.
Sothere’sthisopportunity;theputrefactionoffersthisopportunity.Soin
alchemicaltermstheytalkaboutthetransubstantiationofelements,soit’sthe
movefromthephysicaltothegenuinelyspiritual;it’sthemovefrombodyto
spiritandinpsychologicaltermsit’sthemovefrombeinginarelationshipwith
aprojectionwith–inFreudiantermsyouspeakaboutapartobjectsoIsee
youas-anobject;anobjectofmysatisfaction.Istillhaven’tseenyouasa
humanbeing.Butatthispoint;atthispointoffour,wheretheputrefaction
happens,Imeanofcourseusuallywhattypicallyhappensisthatthe
relationshipcrumbles.Usuallythat’sthepointoftherelationshipfizzlingout;
that’sthepointoftherelationshipcomingtoanend;that’sthepointof,“Well
wetried.Itseemedlikeagoodideaatthetime”.
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Dh:Itdoesn’tmatch.
It’snotamatch.
Andintermsoftheconiunctiothisiswherewewouldjuststartredoingthe
circle.
Absolutelyright.Thisistheconiunctio;thisisgoingbackto“why?”[continue
withtherelationship]Exactly,juststartagain.“Thanks,it’sbeenreal”.
B:IthinkwhatRomansissayingandIthinkhowIfeelaboutthisisthatatthis
point,ifyougobeyondtheworldlythingandyouseekaspiritual–eithera
spiritualrelationshiporaspiritualsomethinginyourlifeifyou’redealingwith
goalsor-
Let’sjust-forthesakeofsimplicitylet’sjust-keepitinthemetaphorofthe
relationshipfornow.
B:Intermsofarelationship,forexample,ifyounowstartactuallygettingwith
eachotheronaspirituallevel,andgoingbeyondjustthephysical,andyourday
today,andthebodies,andblah-blah,Ithinkthat’swhereyoucannowgo
beyondjustgoingbacktosquareoneintherelationship
Yes,that’sabsolutelyright.Andthepsychologicalreading’snodifferenthere
really.Theoneisspeakinginsortofspiritual,biblicalterms;oneisspeakingin
psychologicaltermsbutessentiallythethingandthedynamicisthesame.
Hanlie,youweregoingtosaysomething?
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H:Ithinkit’saboutthelevelofcommitmentbutit’snotsomethingyoucan
fake,orsay,“WellnowI’mgoingtoconnectwithyouatthisspirituallevel”.
There’ssomethingthatreallyneedstodie.
Yesthat’saverynicepointyoubroughtthere;that’sright,somethingneedsto
die.Look,somethingdiesintherelationshiphere,okay;atthemortification.I
mean,theprojectiondies,butthat’sright;somethingactuallyneedstodiein
youaswell.Somethingneedstodieinyou;theillusionneedstodie.That’s
verynicebecauseit’snotonlyadeathintheouterbutinordertogetbeyond
thistherehastobeaninnerdeath;therehastobealettinggoofexpectation.
ImeanthenicestwayIcouldputitislike–IrememberatimewhenIwas
young,believeitornot,andIwasneveragreatromanticbutIdidquitelike
romance.Ilikedtheideaofromance,theideaofthefirstdate,andofgetting
toknowaperson,andthatromanticisedandthatwonderfulfeelingof,like
butterfliesinyourstomach,andtheexcitementofanewrelationship,and
there’ssomethingsortofbeautiful,andinnocent,andchild-like,andjoyful
aboutthat.
K:Somepeoplestilllikethat.
Somepeoplestilllikethat?
Someoldpeople.
Ohreally!Idon’tknow,butanyway,inmyowncase,Iremember,therewasa
time.AndthenImetawomanandatsomepointinmylifeIhadtocrossa
thresholdwhereIsaid,“IifIstickaroundwiththiswomananylongerthenmy
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romanticencountersaregoingtocometoanabruptandratherviolentend.
AndnowI’mactuallygoingtohavethishumanbeinginmylife,whoisbloody
difficultandwho’sanythingbutromantic.”Imeanthisismyparticularcase
andmywifereallyisn’tromantic.Inordertostay,somethinghadtogenuinely
die,likepartofmyidentitywasrelatedtotheideaofromance;of…
Dh:Chivalry?
No–notchivalry,but‘meeting’;thatfirstencounter,thatfirstkiss,that
wondroussortofunwrappingofanewpresentthat,asaman,ispartofyour
identityandit’sprobablythesameifyou’reawoman,Iguess.Soit’sthatsort
ofthing,yousee;somethingfundamentallyhastodie.It’slikeIhavethis
dreamofwhatarelationshipisandthenyourealisethat,Okaywell–thisis
notthatdream.
G:Soistheillusionnecessary?
Ithinkitis.Idothinkitis.
Doesitneedtogoon[for]bothpeople?
Doesitneedtogoonbothpeople,yousay?
Ja.Fortherelationshiptocontinue?BecauseRyanwassayinghisillusiondies
beforehersdoes,usually.Andthenwhenheleavesshe’sthendancingwiththe
bonesofaskeleton.
No,Idon’tknowifithastohappenatthesametimeorforbothpeople.
There’ssomethingverypersonalaboutit.It’slikethis:Ihavethisdream;I
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havethisfantasy;I’mlivinginthisillusion,andthenIrealisethatitisan
illusion.Sonowforme–forme–eithertheillusiondiesortherelationship
diesbuttherelationshipcannolongersustaintheillusion.SoifI’mgoingto
remainintherelationshipthenI’mgoingtohavetoremainintherelationship
withtherecognitionthatthedreamhasdied.
G:Butagain,ifIcan’tcometothestage–andI’vebeeninthisgameformany
times-andnowIsaid,“Idon’twantthisanymore;Iwanttogostraightto
stagefour.SoIdon’twantillusionsanymore.I’mrelatingonthatlevel
straightaway.Isitpossible?Inotherwords,doyouhavetohaveanillusion
firstbeforeyoucancometo…
Youdo,yes.Thattheattractionisanillusion;itseemstonecessitateillusion.
Andalsoanotherthingonemightsayisthatmaybeinarelationshipaswell,I
suspectthatonedoesn’tgothroughthisprocessonlyonceIdon’tthinkit’sa
once-off,soit’sanicebutflawedideathatoncecansortofjumpstraightpast
itandbeinthesortofrealandthespiritual.
Maybewhatyoumightsayisthatwithmaturity,someofthenaivetéandthe
illusionsthatyouhadtwentyyearsago–whenyou’regrownup,you’renota
childanymore;youseethings–you’vegotacapacity,andasensitivity,anda
maturity,butstillIdothinkitisaprocessthat,inasense,thedeeperlevels
onecangothroughagain,andagain,andagain.It’snotlike,“Ohnowwe
knoweachother.Okaysonowwecangetonwiththebusinessof–“.No;it
justdoesn’tworklikethat.There’salevelofknowing,there’salevelof
relatingthat’sgottochangeasitevolves.
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R:CanIaskjusttwotechnicalquestions?Pleasethey’retechnical–they’re
importanttome.Isanymentionevermadeofthedifferencebetweenstage
andphase?Becauseformethere’sadifference;aphaseislonger,soyougeta
step–stepone–that’stooshort;stagewhichisastepbutit’snotquitea
phaseandaphasetalksmuchmoretoacontinuum.Iknowit’ssemantic;I
knowit’stechnical,butinyourreadingdoyougetasensethatitismuchmore
phased,orisitstaged,orisitshortsteps?
That’saverysemanticquestionbutifIhadtoIwouldsayastage.
R:Iwouldsayastageisatapointandaphaseismoreprolonged.
Buthavingsaidthat,okay;havingsaidthat,thisissomethingthatcould
happenoveraweekendoritcouldhappenovertwentyyears.Itcouldhappen
BOOM;very,veryquickly,oritcouldbealongprocessofslowdissolution.
H:Ithinkonceyou’vegotyourfirstnotchandyou’repreparedtoactuallygo
andfindsomeotheraspecttoidealisethenitbecomesaphaseinthe
relationship,andit’sthenextphase,andthenext.
Ja,that’squitenice.Sothere’restagesineachphase.Sothatactuallyanice
wayofputtingit;somaybeyoucouldsaythateachphasecontainsthesefour
stages.Actuallythatwouldbequiteanicewayofputtingit,sothiswouldbe
aninitialphaseandthenthere’dbeanotherphase,andeachphasewould
havethosestages.
G:Maybealsowhatyou’reaskingisarethesethingsseparateordotheygo,
together?Dotheybleedintoeachotheroristheresortofadefinitemark?
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Definitely,theybleedintoeachother.Thisisjustanattempttotryandtakea
relationshipwhichissounbelievablyconvoluted,andcomplicated,and
involved,andhasforwardandbackwardmovements,andtrytosay,Look
okay–butifwelookatitthere’refourdistinctstages.Yesofcourse,butit’s
neverthatneat.Sothisisverymuchan“asif”.Andthatonecansortofmove
betweenthephasesabitaswell,butitdefinitelyhasadistinctsenseof
progressionfromthefermentiotothenigredotothemortificatio.
Ithinkyou’vesortofansweredmynextquestionwhichis,isthereanyintra-
stagemovement,sothatyoumaymovebacktofermentio,forexample?
No,Idon’treallythinkso.Justthinkaboutit;justthinkaboutyourown
practicalexperience.So,youmeetsomebody,you’reattractedtosomebody;
there’saninitialattraction,okay.Andthenwhenyougettothatdarkening–
thatdarkeningofmood;thatnigredo–youjustcan’tstepbackfromit.You
canneverrecreatethatinitialmoment;theinitialmomentonlyhappens
initially.Onecanneverstepbacktotheinitialmomentsobasically,although
theydefinitelybleedintoeachotherIdon’tthinkonecanreallygoback.
Br:IhaveaquestiononexactlythatIwanttobringup,butinthesedynamics–
Imeanwe’renottalkingaboutmind-sethere,it’snotlikeamind-setthatyou
…thisisactuallygoingrighttothecoreofthenatureofthebeast;ofyourself;
ofyourdynamic.Thesearethedynamicsthathaveruled,likeIsaid,…
Theseareprimarydynamics,yes.Nicelyput.
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So,it’saprimaldynamicsoyoucouldsay,I’manelephantandyou’reatigeror
whatever–yougoingtobehavelikethetigerbehavesthroughoutyourwhole
lifeandI’mgoingtobehavelikeanelephant.Andunfortunately,ja–thisis
actuallythepointbecausewecansithereandthensomebodywho’s–I’m
sittinghereasanelephantandI’mlookingatGabrielandhe’satigerandI’m
going,“Noja,Gabriel.Listenman,don’tbesuchaniceguy.Why’reyoubeing
suchaniceguy?”Butyousee,theproblemisthatyouendupinthatparadox
because(ofwhoyouare).Exactly.Yousee,bybeingthepersonwhodoesget
stuck,youhavetogetstucktobeyourself.Ifyoutakemyadvice,andyoutell
“her”toduck–ImeanIdothateasily–thenyou’renotyouanymore,andthen
you’renothappyeither.So,there’stheparadoxthere.
Okay,soIhearexactlywhatyou’resayingwhichisanicepoint.Soinother
wordsthat’sright,yousee,you’retouchingonsomethingveryimportant.So
there’sawayofthinkingaboutthisthatyouhavetheideathatlook,we’re
dealingwithproblemsthatarebehaviouralproblems,orthey’re
developmentalproblems,ortheyareissueswherewe’vesortofgotconfused
orlosttheplotabit,andallweneedtodoistosortofrecalibratethecompass
andthenwecanfindourwayagain.ButthatisdefinitelynotJung’swayof
thinkingaboutit;Jung’swayofthinkingaboutitisexactlywhatyou’retalking
about,soinotherwords,theproblemisessentiallyindicativeoftheperson.
Andinfacttogoevenfurther–intoaLacanianperspective–isthereisno
personindependentlyoftheproblem.Theveryideathatyouareyououtside
oftheproblemistheillusion.Therealityisyouaretheproblem.Butthereis
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hope;well,JungbelievesthereishopeandI’dleantowardsthatperspective,
soyoutouchedonitearlieronwhenyousaid,“Look,isitnotmyverynature
tobealiberator?”That’sthepoint,yousee.Soyoucan’tunlearn;ifyouhad
tounlearnbeingaliberatorthennaturally,ofcourse,youcouldnever
individuate,okay.Buttheideaisthattherearewaysofbeingaliberator;
therearesomewaysofbeingaliberatorintheworldthataregoingtoserve
youfarmoremeaningfullyandfarmoreprofoundlythanotherways.
Yousee,that’sthepoint.Soyou’vegotthearchetype;thearchetypecanbuild
orbreakdown.Theideaisthatitdoesn’tnecessarilyneedtobreakdown.
Br:YouseeI’vegotaquestionhererelatingtothat;Ithinkhe,ineffect,
ultimatelydoesbothonacertainlevelthat’syourlife,you’vegotaroletoplay;
you’rethebusdriverandthat’syourtalent;you’regoingtodrivethebus;that’s
yournecessaryrole.Oryou’rethelion;yournecessaryroleistocullthebuck.
Sothat’sthenecessaryrole,butthepainfulsideofit,whereit’sactuallyhurting
youratherthanbuildingyouiswhereyourecogniseconsciousnessofyourrole.
Thensurelythattakesittoanewlevelwhereyoustarttowitnessyourself
operatingintheworld.
Yes,yes,you’rerightokay,butit’snotonlyaboutwitnessing.Soinother
words,youcouldsay,Look,life–wecouldtakelikealmostaBuddhist
approach,ImeannotthatIknowanythingaboutBuddhism,butwecouldtake
theBuddhistapproachinthesensethatwecouldsay,“Look,toliveisto
suffer”okay.Andthere’snothingthatwecandotochangethat,okay.The
veryrecognitionthatwearesufferingis,initself,liberating.It’saccepted;it’s
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thenatureofmylifethatI’mgoingtosuffer–Irecognisethat,andin
recognisingitIacceptandthere’sadegreeofliberation,okay.
Butindividuationgoesfurther.Individuationcallsonyoutochangethevery
coordinatesofyourexistenceintheworld.So,it’stheideathatisexpressed
bestfromRudolphSteinerwherehesays,“Manneedstocompletehimself.”
Sothat’sthedifferencebetweenyouandthelion;thelioncanonlyactin
accordwithitsnature–nothingelse.Buttheideaisthatyou’vebeengivena
giftofchoice.
Br:But,Imean,there’sawholethingaboutthatchoiceandthat’sawhole
subjectthatwe’vediscussedbeforeaswell,butareyousayingthatyoucan
changeyournature?
No.
Br:Youcan’t?
Youcan’tchangeyournature,no.Thatwouldbeinauthentic.Butthewayyou
choosetoactualiseyournatureintheworldisachoice.So,there’sawayin
whichyoucanliberatesothat,thatliberationservesyourindividuation
project,andservestheworld.Andthere’sawaythatyoucanliberatethatjust
causeschaos.Andthere’sachoice;that’sthechoice.You’vegotthesecards,
buthow’reyougoingtoplaythem?
D:ButcanIjustaskonething?
Who’reyouasking?Bruce?
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D:Gabriel.Ireallythinkhepresentedsomethingthatiscommontoallofus.
Notalionoraleopardorwhatever,butamammal,okay.Andit’sthejourney;
andwe’reonthejourney–wecangetdistractedhereandthere,andit’snotit;
that’snotit.Wehavetodothat.There’ssomethingpullingusforward,that’s
whowereallyare.Wedon’twanttowasteourtime.Andalotofwhat’s
behinditisIthinkourgenerationsaregeneticmurmursthataresaying“You’ve
gotachance,likemygrandmother’stellingmethatIdon’thavetohaveababy
everyninemonths;Ihaveanopportunity.Goforit,goforit,beyourself,be
better,progressinsociety–orwhateveritis.AndIfeelthesepushingsand
urgings,andIdodropthingsifIfeelthatI’mgoingoff-itdoesn’tservemein
someway.Andawholelotoftimeit’sjustfeelings,soIthinkthatwhathe
describediscommontoallofus.
It’scommonbutitcanbehorriblypathological.
Ohabsolutely.
Okayja.Iagreewithyou;it’sauniversalimpulse,butit’smanagingthat
bloodyimpulsethatis…
G:Whatdoyoumeanhorriblypathological?
Wellit’sjusttheideathatyoucan’tbuildhorizontally;youneedtobuild
verticallysoIputabrickhereandthenacoupleofbricksandthenofcourseI
moveandIputafewbricksandofcourse,you’regoingtoendupwithalineof
veryshortstructures.Buttocreatevalue,tocreatemeaning,tocreate
excellence,there’sonlyonewayandthat’scommitment.
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Dh:Youhavetodothework.
Youhavetodothework,butnotonlydoyouhavetodothework,youhave
makeaterriblechoiceandyouhavetosay,I’mgoingtodotheworkhere;I’m
goingtodotheworkwiththisperson;I’mgoingtodotheworkthisway.That
isanunbelievablypainfulchoicebecause,it’sarecognitionofourfinitude;it’s
arecognitionofourmortality.It’sadreadful,dreadfulchoice,butlifeisso
shortthatifwedon’tmakeit–it’sgone.
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Application
Pleasereadtheblogbelowtofamiliariseyourselfwiththetransferenceand
countertransferenceidentificationtool.Pleasenotethatthereisavideoseries
aswelltohelpyouidentifyyourtransference.Thelinktothatseriesisatthe
endoftheblogpost.
Atooltoidentifyyourtransference:understandingyourunconsciouscommunicationinrelationships
Transference-countertransference,Lacan,Jung
Transferenceasatechnicaltermindepthpsychologydescribestheprocess
wherebyunconsciouscontentissharedbetweenpatient(analysand)and
analystinthecontextoftheirtherapeuticrelationship(analysis).Although
usedtorefertothisspecificrelationshipdynamicinanalysis,transferenceisa
veryrealdimensionofallsocialinteraction,itisbynomeanslimitedtothe
analyticalcouple(analystandanalysand).
ThisisthethirdinaseriesofthreeshortarticlesIhavewrittenontransference
–countertransference.Theothertwocanbefoundbyfollowingtheselinks:
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Transference:TheSaviour,TheMadonnaandtheSlut
Countertransference:TheObsceneOther
InthisarticleIwanttoshareatoolwithyouthatyoucanusetoidentifywhat
yourtransferenceis,i.e.whatitisyouaretransferring(unconsciously
communicating)inyourrelationships.Thisissomethingworthknowingasit
providesaveryclearinsightintowhypeoplerespondtoyouastheydoinyour
relationships.Thetransferenceisavirtualinstructionmanualtotheotherasto
howyoushouldbetreated.Thereisanoldaphorismthatsayssomethinglike,
“Don’twearyourheartonyoursleeve.”Theratheruncomfortabletruth
thoughisthatisexactlywhatwealldoandthereisabsolutelynothingwecan
dotoavoidthis.Beforeyousayasingleword,ordoasinglethinginfact
beforeyouhaveevenmettheotheryouhavealreadyexposedyourheartto
them.Yourheartisfullytransparentinallitsbeautifulhuesandugly
blemishes.
Notonlyisittransparenttotheother,butfarmoresothanitistoyou.Whatis
opaquetoyourinnergazeisclearlyvisibletothegazeoftheother.Sobefore
webeginthenpleaseunderstandthatthisisthesimple(ifawful)truththat
everypsychoanalysthasknownforthelastcenturyorso;andmanymystics
beforethem.ThereisnothingIcanofferyouthatwillchangethat.WhatIcan
offeryouissomethingthatalthoughmoremodestcanbeneverthelessquite
useful–theabilitytoseeinyourselfwhattheothersees,tounderstandthe
contentofyourunconsciouscommunication.Continuingdownthispathoffull
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disclosureletmeaddthatknowingwhatyourtransferenceismostdefinitely
doesnotimplybeingabletomagicallychangeit.Icanalsoalmostguarantee
youthatyouwillnotlikemuchofwhatthistoolwillshowyou–assumingyou
applyitwithhonestyandsomeimagination.
Whatyoutransfer,accordingtothereamsofresearchdoneinpsychoanalysis,
istypicallyaprimalrelationshipdynamic.Thatistherelationshipwithyour
primarycaregiver’s(usuallyyourparentsofcourse);andthisisnotsubjectto
changebypureforceofwill.Itisnotgovernedbyyourconsciouswillorself,it
israther,inthespiritofdepthpsychologyanunconsciousdynamicandone
verydeeplyrootedinyourpsychology.SoIcansaywithafairdegreeof
certaintythatthiswillresistthebesttransformationalintentionsofthe
weekendworkshopindustryinitsvariousguisesandaffiliations.
Youmayreasonablyenquirewhatthepointofsuchanexerciseisexactly,if
whatisdiscoveredisnotsubjecttochangebyyour(conscious)willing.Thisisa
fairquestionandletmeattemptafairanswer.Whilsttherecalcitrantnature
ofthetransferenceisundoubtedlytrue,therearebothimmediatebenefitsin
identifyingitandalsoitissubjecttointentionalevolutionifyouarewillingto
dotheworkofintenseself-reflectionoveranextendedperiodoftime.It
wouldbetruetosayherethatmanyroadsleadtoRome;anysystemof
rigorousandintensiveself-reflectioninanopenandself-criticalsystemcan
enableanevolutionofthisprimarywound.Thetypicalway,andstillpossibly
thebest,toapproachthis,istoenteranalysis–andinthisrespectIamnon-
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partisan,itdoesn’tmatterwhetheryouendupwithaprincipallyFreudianor
Jungiananalyst.We,TheCentreforAppliedJungianStudies,offeranonline
programmecalledTheConsciousLivingProgramme.
Beyondthat,asmentioned,thereisanimmediatebenefitinknowingwhat
yourtransferenceis:
1. Knowingwhatitiswillhelpyoutobetternavigateyourrelationships,
bothintermsofmanagingyourselfandinmanagingyourexpectationof
theotherandtherelationship’soutcomeorTelos(itsdestination,target
trajectoryetc.).
2. Alsoyoucannotovervaluetheimmensityofconsciousness,being
consciousevenwhenitisnotofaPrometheannature(themagical
abilitytouseconsciousnesstochangereality)isanimmeasurablybetter
positiontobeinthantheoriginalunconsciousstate.Thatistosay
consciousnesshasinfinitevalueinitself,independentofanypractical
utilitarianvaluethatitmayoffer.
TheTool
ThetoolIamgoingtosharewithyouisonewedevelopedattheCentre;itis
anadaptationofaLacanianidea.AlthoughourprimaryinfluenceisJungian1
1 Carl Gustav Jung (1875 – 1961) founder of analytical psychology.
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wearealsoutilisetheworkofFreud2andLacan3tocreateasystemofapplied
psychodynamics.InthiscaseweareapplyingamodeldevelopedbyLacanin
hisworkonTheFourDiscourses4.Wewillproceedinthreesteps,step1
introducestheoriginalLacanianmodelthathasbeenadaptedtocreatethe
tool;step2showsthefirstpartoftheadaptationandjustifieswhysuchan
adaptationcanbemade;part3revealsthetoolitselfandtheguidelineson
howtousethetool.Mysuggestionisthatyoureadallthreestepsvery
carefullybeforeattemptingtoapplythetooltoyourowncase.
Step1
ThemodelwasdevelopedbyLacanasawayofrepresentingcertaintypical
formsofsocialinteraction,specificallythediscourses(organisationof
communication)oftheMaster,theUniversity,TheAnalyst,andtheHysteric5.
Thismodelthatveryusefullyasksthequestion:whatisthe“truth”ofeachof
thesecommunications,whatdesire(primarymotivation)drivesthese
discourses.
ThemodelfromLacanlookslikethis:
2 Sigmund Freud (1856 – 1939) father of psychoanalysis. 3JacqueLacan(1901–1981)theFrenchpsychiatristandpsychoanalyst
4 Lacan, Seminar XVII, 1969 5 Lionel Bailly, (2009), ‘Lacan’, pp. 153 - 162
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Explicitcommunication
Subject Other↓
Truth Implicitcommunication Production
• Thesubjectistheprotagonistinthediscourse;inthiscaseitservesasa
placeholderforyou.Youarethesubject.
• Thetruthistheactualreasonyouareinthediscourse;itcashesoutas
yourdesire,whatyoudesirefromtheother.
• Theotherissimplythepersonyouareinthediscourse(relationship)
with.
• Theproductioniswhatisproducedbythediscourse,wheredoesthe
discourselead?Howisyourdesiremetornotmet.Itisproducedbythe
combinedeffectoftheexplicitandimplicitcommunicationsbythe
subjecton(directedtowards)theother.
• Theexplicitcommunication(representedbythehorizontalarrow
betweenthesubjectandtheother)iswhatyousayyou
want/mean/intendetc.Yourconsciouscommunication.
• Theimplicitcommunication(representedbythebottomarrowbetween
theTruthandtheother)istheactualreasonyouareinthediscourse–
whatyoureallywant.
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Soasanexamplewhen“themaster”isplacedintheplaceofthesubjecthe
addressestheotherasa“slave”andhisdiscourse,irrespectiveofitsexplicit
content,isdesignedfulfilhisdesire.Theotherisdehumanisedinasfarasthey
areseenstrictlyintheirfunctionalrole,notasaperson.Thedesire“thetruth”
hastodowiththeother(thefunctionary)fulfillingtheirfunctionwhichisthe
productionofsomeserviceforthemaster.Hereofcourseanyoneina
hierarchicalcontractualoremploymentsituationindiscoursewithan
employeeisaneasywayofunderstandingthis.
Iasmasterretainyourservicesasslave(functionary)tofulfilmydesire,thejob
Ihaveemployedyoufor;butsocialprotocoloftendisguisesthisveryclear
hierarchicalsituation.Soinotherwordsfrequentlytheexplicitdiscourseisnot:
“doyourjobandtherebyfulfilmydesire”,butsomethingalongthelinesof:
“takeprideinyourwork”;“youaredoingsowell....”;“youcando
better/more/fasteretc.”;“thisisanimportantjob”,andsoon.
Nowintheexampleofthemaster’sdiscourseitisimportanttounderstand
thatthepresenceofthe“truth”doesnotdenythesignificanceoftheexplicit
communication.Sojustbecausethemaster’simplicitcommunicationisthe
fulfilmentofhisdesirebyvirtueoftheproductionofthefunctionary(the
other),doesnotinvalidatethesignificanceofthespokenexplicitcontent-
botharevalidandbothservetofurtherthedesireofthesubjectinthiscase
themaster.
Step2
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Wehaveadaptedthismodelasameansofgettingatthetransferenceinany
socialencounter.Thelogicbehindthisadaptationisquitesimple:
• The“truth”isalwaysanimplicit(unspoken)formofcommunicationthat
needstobearrivedatinferentially.Whenoneisinadiscoursewiththe
Masterforexamplethereisanimplicit(orinferential)understandingof
theMaster’sdesire,irrespectiveoftheexactcontentofhis
communication.Thisisthesameasthetransferenceinthatthe
transferencehastobeinferreditisnotexplicit,itisanintuitingor
inferenceofthedesire(ortruth)ofthesubjectinrelationtotheother.
• ThetruthisoccupiedintheLacanianmodelbydesire;thetransference
mirrorsthisinthatthetransferenceisalsoanexpressionofunconscious
desire.
• Thetruthmayormaynotbeunconscious(thetransferenceistypically,
althoughnotalways,unconscious).Howeverthereisstrongresonance
betweentheunspokenimplicitdesirecontainedinthe“truth”andthe
transference.The“truth”issociallyandinstitutionallyrepressedinthat
itremainsunspoken(itbecomeasilenttruth)thisisverymuchthe
natureofthetransference.
• Thereisfrequentlycompensatoryrelationshipbetweentheexplicitand
implicitcommunicationsintheLacanianmodel.Thereisaformof
compensationintheexplicitcommunicationoftheMasterthatdisguises
his(avaricious)desire,itmaybefriendliness,politeness,orevenanger
butallofthesedisguise(compensate)insomeformhisdesire.The
transferencesharesthisfeature;consciouscommunicationistypicallya
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compensationforthecontentsoftheunconsciouswhicharepopulating
thetransference.
TheadaptationthenoftheLacanianmodeltoreflectthetransference-
countertransferencedynamiclookssomethinglikethis.
Explicitcommunication
Subject Other
Truth Unspokencommunication Production(CounterTransference)
/Transference
Soverysimplywhatweseehereis:
• The“Truth”becomesasynonymforthetransference,
• Thereactionbytheother(theProduction)isthecountertransference.
Thecountertransferenceistheresponsebytheothertothecontentsof
yourcombinedexplicitandimplicitcommunication,whatyousayand
whatyoutransfer.
• Theabovebeingnoted,inpsychoanalysiswetypicallybelievethatthe
transferenceactsasunconsciouscommunicationwhichspeakswithfar
moreauthorityintermsofyourrelationalexpectationsthanwhatyou
actuallysay.Hencetheword“truth”thereistelling–thetransference
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tellstheotherthe“truth”ofyourdesiresirrespectiveofwhatyouare
saying.6
Step3Thewayinwhichweusethismodeltoconstructourtoolisthrougha
triangulationoftwoknown’sandoneunknown.Whatweknowistheexplicit
spokencommunicationandtheproduction(wheretherelationshipleads)
whichisthecountertransference.Whatwedonotknowbutwanttogetat
usingthistoolisthetransference–ourunconsciouscommunication.
Thetoolthenlookslikethis:
6 Obviously this does not grant any right per se (or certainly not any legal right) to the other to ignore your explicit communication. Although, as we all know, typically what happens people do not listen as much to what we say as what we really feel (the proverbial content of our heart).
truth/transference
production/countertransference
explicitcommunication
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Thefirstthingyoudoispopulatetheproduction/countertransferencefield.
Thenonceyouhavedonethisyouneedtopopulatetheexplicit
communicationfield.Thesearethetwoknown’sthatyouhavetoworkwith
andfromwhichyouwillinferthethirdfieldwhichisthetruth/transference
field.Sothisisa3stepprocess:
Step1)describeinafewclearandconcisesentenceswhattheresultofthe
relatednessis,whereitleads,whichis(inthismodelatleast)the
countertransferencee.g.letusimagineadiscoursetakingplacebetweena
marriedcouplewheretheproductionisoneofdiscord,conflict,unhappiness,
criticismandagenerallackofloveandkindnessbytheothertowardsthe
subject.
Step2)asbeforedescribeinafewclearandunambiguousstatementswhatis
explicitlycommunicated.Goingbacktoourexamplein1)letusimaginethat
hersubjectexplicitlycommunicatestoherpartner,herdesireforasksforlove,
kindness,andapeacefulcoexistence.
Step3)istopopulatethelastfield,thetruth/transferencefield.Thisisdone
throughaprocessofcombinedlogicalinferenceandcreativeimagination7.The
7 Psychology being both an art and a science.
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creativeimaginationyouwillneedtobringtotheparty,Icanhelpyoudraw
outtheinferences.Theprincipalcluesthemodelprovidesare:
• Thecontrastbetweenyourexplicitcommunicationandthe
productionorcountertransference.Assumingyouareconsidering
achallengingrelationshipdynamicthechancesarethatthe
reasonitischallengingisthatthereisastarkcontrastbetween
yourexpressed(explicit)desireintherelationshipandwhat
actuallyhappens(theproductionorcountertransference).Using
theexampleofthemarriedcoupleinanunhappyrelationship.
Seeminglythereissomethingcounterintuitiveinthecontrast
betweentheexpresseddesireofthesubject(let’ssayinthe
examplethewife)andwhatactuallyhappens.Inthiscasethe
productistheoppositeofherstateddesiresandintentions.This
suggestsimmediatelythatthetransferenceisfundamentally
differentfromtheexplicitcommunication.Wedon’tyetknow
whatitis,butthatcontrastisstronglysuggestiveofitbeingquite
distinctandpossiblyoppositetotheexplicitcommunication.
• Thesecondclueisthatthetransferenceistypicallyafarmore
authoritativevoicewhenitcomestotellingtheotherwhatthe
natureofyourdesirereallyis.OnceagainIdonotmeantodismiss
theauthorityandsignificanceoftheexplicitcommunication,but
notonlypsychoanalysisbuteverydayexperienceteachesusthat
wepayfarmoreattentiontotheauthorityofthetransference
(theunconsciouscommunication)thanwedowhatissaid.
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Imagineforexamplesomeoneistryingtosellyouaproduct,
considerhowyouevaluatethesalespitch.Isitwhatthe
salespersonsaysorisitwhatyoufeel,sense,intuit,whilstyouare
listeningtotheirsalespitch.Twosalespeoplecouldapproachyou
sellingtheexactsameproductandusenotdissimilarsalespitches
andyetyouarefarmoreinclinedtobuyfromtheonethanthe
other-thatistheauthorityofthetransference.Sointermsofthe
applyingthistoolyoucanreasonablyinferthatyourtransference
willmapontotheproduct(thecountertransference)witha
greaterdegreeofcongruencethananyotherpairinginthe
triangulationi.e.explicitcommunication-product;orexplicit
communication-transference.
• Anotherclueistheprinciplefrompsychoanalysisof
compensation.Whatweknowfrompsychoanalysisisthatthe
unconscious–consciousmindsshareacompensatoryrelationship
witheachother.Thishastheimplicationthatmuchofwhatwe
sayanddoisdoneinordertocompensateforanunconsciously
experiencedopposite.Thisisseeminglyquiteperversebutitisa
cornerstoneofpsychoanalytictheory.AjokethatFreudwouldtell
wasofthepatientwhoarrivedatherfirstsessionandblurtedout,
“Wecandiscussanythingbutmymother!”Oneneedhardlybea
psychoanalysttorecognisethatshehasidentifiedexactlywhere
theanalyticalconversationneedstogo,whichquiteobviouslyis
theexactoppositeofwhatshehassaid.Intermsofthe
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applicationthenyoucanreasonablyassumethatthereisa
relationshipofcompensationbetweenyourexplicit
communicationandyourunconsciousdesirethatpopulatesyour
transference.Nowitisnotanexactonetooneopposite.The
compensationcanbequitesubtle,sothisiswhereacertain
degreeofimaginationandsensitivityisrequiredtoidentifyexactly
whatitcompensatesforinyou.Inourhypotheticalexampleof
themarriedcouplewemightspeculatethatalthoughthewife
claimedshedesiredlove,kindnessandpeacefulcoexistencean
unconsciousimpulseinheractuallydesiredtheoppositewhich
was(atleastpartly)responsiblefortheproductofdiscordand
unhappiness.This“wound”wouldtypicallyhaveadevelopmental
originbeingtraceablebacktooneormoreofherprimary
relationshipsasachild.
• Thetransferencetypicallyexpressesadesire,sobearthatinmind
inyouranalysisofyourowntransference.Desireherethoughcan
besubtleinthatonecanwelldesiremiseryasmuchasonemay
desirehappiness,unconsciousdesireshavethisperverseelement
aboutthem.
• Thelanguageoftheunconsciousdoesnotsharethesophistication
ofyourconsciousspokencommunicationitexpressesitselfin
simpleoftenquitecrudeterms.Sowhentryingtoindentifyyour
transferenceavoidsubtle“clever”phrasingsandfavourblunt
expressions.
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Conclusion
IhopethatIhaveprovidedyouwithenoughtoapplythisverypowerfultoolto
yourownsituationandrelationshipchallenges.ItisnotImustadmitthe
easiestofapplicationsbutIassureyouthatitisoneworthputtingsomeeffort
into.Theinsightsitcanprovidecanquiteliterallychangeyourlifeandhelpyou
betternavigaterelationshipchallengesthathavebeenfrustratingyoufor
years.Ifyoufindyourselfsimplyunabletoeffectivelypenetrateintothe
transferencemysuggestionistorecruitpartnerfortheexercise;andevenif
theexercisecomesquiteeasilyforyouthereisalwaysabenefitindoingitwith
oneortwoothers.
AsIsaidatthebeginningofthisarticlerecognisingthetransferencedoesnot
entailitstransformation.Ifyouwanttochangethetransferencethisrequires
seriousreflectionandworkonthenatureofthetransference.Itishoweverthe
criticalfirststepontheroadtomoremeaningfulandsatisfyingrelationships.
Hereisthelinktothefirstvideointhetransferenceandcountertransference
videoseries.Fromthisvideopagetherearelinkstoprogresstothenextphase.
http://appliedjung.com/video-1/