Psychoanalyst Carl Jung and Physicist Wolfgang Pauli

Preston Weber was featured at the University of Minnesota main campus this week. A tapper made in honor of my brother John, at Hoffman-Weber Construction. The last blog about Physics has generated great feedback and there was a request I talk a little about Synchronicity and the beliefs of Psychoanalyst Carl Jung and Physicist Wolfgang Pauli. If this blog seems a little “out there,” it’s because it pushes one to consider the years of thought a psychologist (Jung) and a physicist (Pauli) put into examining the interconnectedness of humanity.  I promise to get back to forensics with the next blog.  We all have seen connections we attribute to “coincidence” or in science they might attribute to a “spurious correlation.” (A 3rd factor creating the connection that isn’t obvious at the moment.) An example of a spurious correlation is that rape and ice sales both increase at the same time, even though one doesn’t cause the other.  Both increase in summer.

Consider this:  25 years ago, I shared with Brenda that I would like to leave my work with DHS and start my own company, CORE.  She, along with my colleagues, discouraged it, since I was a Psychologist 3 (the highest status at the time).  I was the youngest psychologist in the system, and the state has great health benefits.  I had a dream that I was flying over a beach and I could see all of my work colleagues holding hands on the sand, but I wasn’t among them.  I continued to fly until I saw myself sitting at the ocean’s edge, alone, but happy.  When I woke up, I knew I was quitting my job.  Carl Jung called this concept synchronicity.  Jung believed there is information, that only we understand, which comes to us by an underlying connection we all share.

I went to my father-in-law, Rod Brixius, who had guided me to testing into a state job, which got me into the DHS system.  I had taught for year, but the school’s insurance didn’t cover the medical bills Brenda and I incurred as a result of our daughter being born with a stomach that wasn’t fully developed.  I needed to leave teaching and take a job with decent medical coverage.  I felt I needed to go to Rod, who worked for DHS for 43 years, and tell him I was leaving to start my own forensic company.  I was expecting him to talk me out of it.  Instead he responded, “The ideal state employee is someone who is comfortable with never accomplishing anything.  I knew you would never last.”  Okay—back to the blog… Rod Brixius' book, Hanging Onto Sanity, which tells true stories of his work at Brainerd Regional Center. Carl Jung was 19 years younger than Sigmund Freud. Jung was initially and admirer of Freud’s work.  Eventually, Jung felt Freud’s psychoanalysis was unnecessarily negative (which I agree with).  Freud, who was very popular at the time, rejected Jung’s work and Carl went through a period of depression.  (In my opinion Jung should have been elated.)  Carl Jung retreated to a beach, and found playing in the sand on the beach helped him work through it.  (Sand therapy developed from this.  This is why you can find small sand boxes in some therapist's offices.) Walking along a beach or a river works for me! As I explain this, it’s important for me to point out this isn’t how I provide therapy. Quick criticism of Freud:  Sigmund reported to be an atheist.  While Sigmund believed nothing is said or done by accident, he frequently made references to God in his personal letters, with comments like, “God willing,” or “with God’s grace.”  With that said, I’m not a Freud hater or lover for that matter.  He was right about enough.  He was sexist and homophobic, and totally misunderstood social problems (for example, describing women’s desire for equal rights as penis-envy), but he was right about enough to deserve some credit.

Carl Jung met with Physicists including Albert Einstein occasionally, and with Wolfgang Pauli frequently to discuss abstract thoughts like the collective unconscious and synchronicity.  Ironically, when Pauli died, his spouse was encouraged by physicists to keep Pauli's discussions with Jung out of his memoirs since psychoanalysis lacked scientific evidence.  (She did omit it.)

Wolfgang Pauli was an Austrian-born physicist and recipient of the 1945 Nobel Prize for Physics for his discovery, in 1925, of the Pauli exclusion principle, which states that no two electrons can occupy the same quantum state simultaneously in an atom.  Pauli was a perfectionist and criticized people heavily for ideas not supported by scientific evidence.  (Ironically, objects in the lab had a tendency to accidently break in his presence, which even Wolfgang learned to make light of.) The fact that Pauli had Carl Jung interpreting his dreams and they discussed the idea that we all may be spiritually connected (a concept they referred to synchronicity) didn’t sit well with his scientific community.  But I understand it.  As an expert witness, I rely on scientific evidence, but that doesn’t minimize my spiritual beliefs. This note was written by Pauli to Jung. Werner Heisenberg — of uncertainty principle fame — wrote:
Behind [Pauli’s] outward display of criticism and skepticism lay concealed a deep philosophical interest even in those dark areas of reality of the human mind which elude the grasp of reason... Pauli’s analyses of physical problems was admittedly due to the detailed and penetrating clarity of his formulations, the rest was derived from a constant contact with the field of creative processes, for which no rational formulation as yet exists.
 
Synchronicity = Events in which the observer experiences as having a meaningful connection, on the basis of her or his subjective situation, are purposeful, even if they occur with no causal relationship.
 
Example of synchronicity:  A therapist told me of placing a child from a neglectful family with a couple.  The child had no toys, and only a picture of a doll.  When the caring couple arrived to pick up the child, they had brought that very doll, even though there had been no conversation of it.

Collective unconscious = Part of the conscious mind is derived from ancestral memory and this experience is common to all humans.  Carl Jung believed the mother-child relationship and the father-child relationship were part of the collective unconscious.  A significant number of people believe this, even if they don’t understand it.  For example:  Muslims pray at the same time of day to spiritually connect with others who are praying at the same time. Example of the collective unconscious:  A student of mine had a recurring dream (5 days in a row) that people close to her were pregnant.  After the fifth dream, she found out her cousin, who is very close to her, just learned she was pregnant.  Jung would argue that the student knew, because we are all connected. 

Is the theory of a collective unconscious that far out there?  Maybe not.  Consider this.  A newborn infant roots for a nipple and begins sucking, with no education on how or why to do this.  Where does that understanding come from?  Even going beyond the spiritual implications, consider:  Everything on earth has been created from elements that have been on earth for centuries and generations.  Nothing ever truly goes away.  It simply takes different forms. We are connected…
 
To quote Carl Jung:
Those who look outside, dream;
Those who look inside, awaken.
There is no coming to consciousness without pain.
Everything that irritates us about others, can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order.
Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darkness of other people.
The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.
The shoe that fits one person, pinches another; there is no recipe for living that suits all cases.
Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering.
We cannot change anything until we accept it.  Condemnation does not liberate; it oppresses.
The healthy man does not torture others- generally it is the tortured who turn to torture.
Carl Jung, Swiss Psychiatrist I am not what happened to me.  I am what I chose to become.  Carl Jung


Thanks for listening,

Frank Upcoming Events:On Sunday, March 8, 2020 presenting on forensic work and the writing of True Crime mysteries at Tamarack Tap Room from 2:00 to 3:00 in Woodbury.  Frank will be at Tamarack from 11:00 to 4:00 signing and selling books and answering questions about his work.  Tamarack is the new “hot spot” in Woodbury featuring tap brewed at various breweries throughout the state and a great menu. Stop in and have a cold beverage and ask the questions you’d love to ask about forensic work or forensic shows.  Frank will be sharing a little about what they get wrong on movies and TV.  Cover model, Elise Yates, will be present, dressed as she is on the cover of Last Call.  She will be available for pictures with patrons. Tamarack is located at 8418 Tamarack Village in Woodbury, Minnesota.​​​​​ Tuesday, March 10, 2020, presentation at 6:00 p.m. on Last Call and forensic psychology at the Maple Plain Library in Hennepin County located at 5184 Main Street East, Maple Plain, Minnesota.  Book signing, and questions (on forensics and writing true crime) answered before, during and after presentation.March 12, 2020, speaking on Forensic Psychology and forensic techniques used in investigations, in the auditorium at Brainerd High School from 10:00 to 10:40 a.m. on March 12, 2020.  Brainerd High School is located at 702 South Fifth Street, Brainerd, Minnesota.Saturday, March 14, 2020, presenting on his newest mystery, Last Call, and answering questions about forensic work at the New York Mills Library at 10:30 a.m.  Frank will speak for approximately one hour and will be at the library before and after the presentation to sign and sell books and answer questions related to forensics or true crime writing.  The New York Mills Public library is located at 30 Main Avenue North, New York Mills, Minnesota.Thursday, March 19, speaking at the Senior Center in Sartell from 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on the writing of True Crime mystery and my forensic work.  It’s a chance to get your questions answered about forensics, learn some new forensic techniques, and hear about what they get wrong in movies.  Last Call begins in Brainerd and ends in St. Cloud, identifying actual business and places in the Minnesota communities.  I will be at the Senior Center both before and after my presentation signing and selling books.  The Senior Center is located at 850 19th Street South, Sartell, Minnesota.March 20, 2020, Friday, presentation from 6:30 to 7:30 to the Belgrade book club and general public on the writing of true crime novels at Belgrade Public Library.  The Belgrade Library is located at 324 Washburn Ave, Belgrade, Minnesota.On Saturday, March 21, 2020 Frank Weber will speaking on forensic work and the writing of True Crime mysteries at Southern Star Brewing in Conroe, Texas from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.  Frank is the individual who’s called in to perform assessments in homicide and sexual assault cases.  He has profiled cold case homicides and recently narrated an episode of Murdered by Morning, an investigative show on the Oxygen channel. Frank will be at Southern Star Brewing from 5:00 to 9:00 signing and selling books and answering questions about his work.  There’s nothing better than a cold Southern Star beer on a hot night in Texas!  Southern Star was the first taproom to can beer in Texas, and trust me, they brew it right!  Stop in and have a cold beverage and ask the questions you’d love to ask about forensic work or forensic shows.  Frank will be sharing a little about what they get wrong on movies and TV.  Southern Star Brewery is located at 3525 North Frazier Street, Conroe, Texas. Sunday, March 22, 2020 Frank Weber will speaking on forensic work and the writing of True Crime mysteries at Saloon Door Brewing from 3:00 to 4:00 in Webster, Texas.  Frank is the individual who’s called in to perform assessments in homicide and sexual assault cases.  He has profiled cold case homicides and recently narrated an episode of Murdered by Morning, an investigative show on the Oxygen channel. Frank will be at Saloon Door Brewing from 1:00 to 6:00 signing and selling books and answering questions about his work.  Saloon Door Brewing is a comfortable, very chill environment. Stop in and have a cold beverage and ask the questions you’d love to ask about forensic work or forensic shows.  Frank will be sharing a little about what they get wrong on movies and TV.  Saloon Door Brewing is located at 105 A Magellan Circle, Webster, Texas. On Monday, March 23, 2020 Frank Weber will speaking on forensic work and the writing of True Crime mysteries at Platypus Brewing from 6:00 to 7:00 in Houston, Texas.  Frank is the individual who’s called in to perform assessments in homicide and sexual assault cases.  He has profiled cold case homicides and recently narrated an episode of Murdered by Morning, an investigative show on the Oxygen channel. Frank will be at Platypus from 5:00 to 8:00 signing and selling books and answering questions about his work.  Platypus Brewing has Australian inspired comfort food and comfortable seating. Stop in and have a cold beverage and ask the questions you’d love to ask about forensic work or forensic shows.  Frank will be sharing a little about what they get wrong on movies and TV.  Platypus Brewery is located at 1902 Washington Avenue, Suite E, Houston, Texas. March 27, 2020, speaking on most recent thriller, Last Call, at the Lunch & Learn event at 12:00 noon at The Center in Brainerd.  Frank will be at The Center signing and selling books both before and after the his presentation.  The Center is located at 803 Kingwood Street, Brainerd, Minnesota.Thursday, April 2, 2020, speaking on “The Sudden Rise of True Crime” panel with a true crime podcaster, judge, author, at the Bloomington Center for the Arts from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.  A reception, cash bar and appetizers in the lobby will follow.  The Bloomington Center for the Arts is located at 1800 West Old Shakopee Road, Bloomington, Minnesota.On Saturday, April 4, 2020 Frank Weber will speaking on forensic work and the writing of True Crime mysteries at Shakopee Brewhall from 6:00 to 7:00 in Shakopee, Minnesota.  Frank will be at Shakopee Brewhall from 5:00 to 8:00 signing and selling books and answering questions about his work.  Cover Model, Elise Yates, will make a special appearance, dressed as she is on the cover of Last Call, and will pose for pictures with patrons.  Shakopee Brewing is about great beer! Stop in and have a cold beverage and ask the questions you’d love to ask about forensic work or forensic shows.  Frank will be sharing a little about what they get wrong on movies and TV.  Shakopee Brewhall is located at 124 1st Avenue East, Shakopee, Minnesota. It only seems appropriate to include a clip of the excellent Minnesota band, Collective Unconscious.