Dream Interpretation Ancient and Modern: Notes from the Seminar Given in 1936–1941 - Updated Edition

by C.G. Jung, John Peck, Lorenz Jung

From 1936 to 1941, C. G. Jung gave a four-part seminar series in Zurich on children's dreams and the historical literature on dream interpretation. This book completes the two-part publication of this landmark seminar, presenting the sessions devoted to dream interpretation and its history. Here we witness Jung as both clinician and teacher: impatient and sometimes authoritarian but also witty, wise, and intellectually daring, a man who, though brilliant, could be vulnerable, uncertain, and humbled by life's mysteries. These sessions open a window on Jungian dream interpretation in practice, as Jung examines a long dream series from the Renaissance physician Girolamo Cardano. They also provide the best example of group supervision by Jung the educator. Presented here in an inspired English translation commissioned by the Philemon Foundation, these sessions reveal Jung as an impassioned teacher in dialogue with his students as he developed and refined the discipline of analytical psychology.

An invaluable document of perhaps the most important psychologist of the twentieth century at work, this splendid book is the fullest representation of Jung's interpretations of dream literatures, filling a critical gap in his collected works.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Carl Gustav Jung (/jʊŋ/; German: [ˈkarl ˈɡʊstaf jʊŋ]), often referred to as C. G. Jung, was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychotherapist who founded analytical psychology. Jung proposed and developed the concepts of extraversion and introversion; archetypes, and the collective unconscious. His work has been influential in psychiatry and in the study of religion, philosophy, archeology, anthropology, literature, and related fields. He was a prolific writer, many of whose works were not published until after his death.

The central concept of analytical psychology is individuation—the psychological process of integrating the opposites, including the conscious with the unconscious, while still maintaining their relative autonomy. Jung considered individuation to be the central process of human development.

Jung created some of the best known psychological concepts, including the archetype, the collective unconscious, the complex, and synchronicity. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), a popular psychometric instrument, has been developed from Jung's theory of psychological types.

Though he was a practising clinician and considered himself to be a scientist, much of his life's work was spent exploring tangential areas such as Eastern and Western philosophy, alchemy, astrology, and sociology, as well as literature and the arts. Jung's interest in philosophy and the occult led many to view him as a mystic, although his ambition was to be seen as a man of science. His influence on popular psychology, the "psychologization of religion", spirituality and the New Age movement has been immense.

Reviews

[Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As impressive as it was to read how Jung’s students respond to the many interpretations of dreams, it is truly amazing to read this whole account (which only covers what seems to be the book report section of these seminars) compiled by these students and editors. Like many professors, the deepest thought emerge in the lecture hall, and while I would like to believe they would all make appearances in the numerous curated volumes of Jung’s articles, there is something uniquely alive about the dialogue created in the moment. There is some mention about the reflection of consciousness only happening with the invention of writing, and while the unconscious remains a mystery, professor and students each contribute their thoughts on making a representative unconscious in the Zurich lecture hall. Can’t wait to track down the companion book on Children’s Dreams.

[Castles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jung's students summarize dream cases throughout history, and the analysis rises to a discussion between Jung and his students. The fact it's a seminar reveals a fascinating angle when it comes to Jung's theory in practice, and it's fascinating to read the dynamics of the dialogue between him and the students while he asks them questions and guides them toward brilliant solutions.

[Oskar Brenner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book consists of papers concerned with peoples dreams or theories of dreams from different time periods. My favorite chapter was "Discussion of Philipp Lersch, Der traum in der deutschen Romantik" partly because it gave a believable explanation for why the romantics wanted to "flee" reality (something which according to Jung was almost unavoidable, since they lacked proper symbols for processing the dominating archetypes after the enlightement, and thus were forced to introject their libido. So using the word "flee" is perhaps wrong, "disgust of sterile reality" would fit better). The book had interesting topics, but felt like a collection of miscellaneous lectures (which it was), which went against my expectations. I thought Jung would analyze series of dreams from the same dreamers, however only one chapter was dedicated on this (which took however a third of the book, which I liked). Realized as well that I suck on dream analysis, better to focus more on this task during the second half of life.

A nice quote by Jung on p.53:

... But if we are honest, we must admit doubting that we don't always exactly know what is good and what is bad. It actually demands divine powers to tell the final difference between good and bad. That's why mankind has always turned to divine revelations. We find the deepest doubts in ecclesiastical history about what is good and bad. These are very sensitive, fateful questions.

[Aaron Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

The gift of prophecy… is the highest property of man. The wise man is related to God, "because he tries to be near Him with knowledge, and with struggles for knowledge, which constitutes the divine being."

[Richard J. Barbalace · Rating 4 out of 5]

An academic discourse on dream interpretation through historic case studies.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Editor’s introduction: 2 stars

Page 1 to 68 of main text: 3 stars as Jung’s comments are scarce

Page 69 to end: 4 stars

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the scholarship and enveloping discussions, I became interested in Professor Jung's commentaries.

I suggest the paper by Marie-Louise von Franz on the visions of St. Perpetua, what Jung terms the "strange mentality of the Schismatics of the 2d century," and Dr. E. Ley's comprehensive paper on Dreams of the Renaissance Scholar Girolamo Cardano.

More immediate for me are the three levels of spiritual activity: Phantasia, thinking that advances first principles and preservation by memory. These dynamic levels resemble the first principle archetype idea, developmental processes and result. The number three points to three wishes, three bears, three little pigs, and the third-time charm.