Archetypal Dynamics in Dreams – a course for clinicians by Dr. Michael Conforti from Assisi Institute

The Relationship and Difference between Complexes and Archetypes in Dreams

“ … the special significance of a work of art resides in the fact that it has escaped from the limitations of the personal and has soared beyond the personal concerns of its creator … “ (Jung, CW 15, pp 101-103)

…so too, dreams are Psyche’s way of informing us about a world existing beyond the confines of our personal perspectives about life, love and destiny, and a way of exceeding the limitations imposed by our unresolved complexes.  In this regard, we see the dream as the canvas upon which Psyche tells its story about our life.

Whereas Jung and the pioneering group of Jungian Analysts, including ML von Franz, Barbara Hannah, Aniela Jaffe, and Emma Jung  looked to the dream as a telling of this archetypal, eternal order of life,  contemporary dream work often prefers to view the universal through the lens of the personal, thus eclipsing the dream’s profound and spiritual meaning.  Here the innate archetypal meaning is subjected to the Procrustean bed of consciousness.  To a large extent, this is not working with the dream, but the dreamer’s  -and sometimes the therapist’s- (complexed) reaction to the dream.

Through the presentation of dreams from clinical practice, we will look at the relationship and difference between the archetype and complex within the dream, and at ways to work with each in the therapeutic setting.

Some of the topics that will be addressed include:  *  an archetypal perspective on dreams and symbolism  *  the significance of identifying the archetypal field of a dream  *  the relationship between subjective and objective meaning of images  *  the concept of translating a dream  *  working with a client’s associations and orientation towards their dream.

*The course is only open to registered clinicians and not to the wider public

*Each session will include the actual working with a dream

*As dreams reveal so much about an individual’s life, they require a safe container and temenos within which the dream’s meaning can be discussed.  For this reason, we will not be working with personal dreams from group members. 

*Being able to participate personally in trying to translate the given dreams and being able to ask questions there and then, are most valuable, however, should you be unable to attend a session, sessions will be recorded

Course Presenter

Dr. Michael Conforti is a Jungian analyst and the Founder and Director of the Assisi Institute.  He is a faculty member at the C.G. Jung Institute of Boston, the C.G. Jung Institute of New York, and for many years served as a Senior Associate faculty member in the Doctoral and Master’s Programs in Clinical Psychology at Antioch New England.  A pioneer in the field of matter-psyche studies, Dr. Conforti is actively investigating the workings of archetypal fields and the relationship between Jungian psychology and the New Sciences.

He has presented his work to a wide range of national and international audiences, including the C.G. Jung Institute – Zurich and Jungian organizations in Australia, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, Italy, Russia, South Africa, the Ukraine and Venezuela.

He is the author of Threshold Experiences: The Archetype of Beginnings (2007) and Field, Form and Fate: Patterns in Mind, Nature and Psyche (2002).  His articles have appeared in Psychological Perspectives, The San Francisco Jung Institute Library Journal, Roundtable Press, World Futures: The Journal of General Evolution, and Spring Journal.  His books have been translated into Italian, Russian, and includes a soon to be released Spanish edition of his work.

Course Information

Dates:  Four Mondays mid October to mid November – 18 & 25th October and 1 and 8 November

Time:  Monday evenings 8 – 9pm Johannesburg, South Africa time  (US time:  2-3pm)

Price:  R1200.

CPD: 4 points accredited

Contact:  E-mail mia.miadutoit@gmail.com if you are interested in joining the course

Payment:

R1200 by 20 September

Bank Account

M.M. du Toit

Standard Bank

Branch:  Northcliff, code 006305

Cheque account number:  002960273

For ease and accuracy, please forward proof of payment (include professional registration number for CPD) to the following e-mail address:  mia.miadutoit@gmail.com