Upcoming Seminar

What: Saturday Morning Seminar with Doug Tyler, PhD: Merlin and the Mercurial Nature of Jungian Analysis

When: February 20, 2010

Where:  Patricia Neal Rehabilitation Center Classroom--5th Floor, Fort Sanders Medical Center, 19th Street and Clinch Ave., Knoxville, TN 37919

Time: TBD

Fees: $45 for Members and Scholar Members if registration sent by February 15; No charge for Graduate Student Members if registration sent by February 15.  After February 15, fees are $60 and $10 respectively.  Nonmembers: $75.

Dues: We will also be collecting 2010 dues: $70 for members and $25 for graduate student and scholar members.

Registration: Send check (made out to APS) and registration information to APS, c/o Paula MacMorran, PhD, 603 Main Street, #211, Knoxville, TN 37902

Amenities: Graduate Student members will be selling snacks and refreshments with contibutions supporting the Graduate Student Assistance Fund (GSAF). Pink Freud book bags will also be on sale for $20 contrbution to GSAF.

Continuing Education: 3 hours of CE available

And now for the write-up . . .

Description of Program

Ever since and, in part, because of his break with Freud in 1913 Jung’s psychology has undergone shifts in thinking and application. The seemingly mercurial nature of his original ideas are reflected in what Jungian analysis has become. Much of Jung’s theory is grounded in two fundamentals: the tension between opposites and the teleological nature of the psyche. This latter notion has remained central throughout the years because it relies upon the primacy of the Self, an archetypal image of a person’s fullest potential and psychic totality. 

Jung talked and wrote volumes about psychology and much less about the practice of analysis.  Jungian analysis, as practiced today, has expanded beyond his view of what is commonly called “classical analysis,” and is informed by two other schools of thought, developmental and archetypal. In this workshop we will first explore these shifts and modern views of Jung’s applicability to analytic work. These shifts both draw Jung closer to contemporary analytic theory and practice and set his psychology apart. We will use these foundations to first introduce Jungian constructs and then spend the remaining time exploring unconscious material through dreams.

One attribute of Jung’s psychology which remains intact today is the use of literature, legends, fairy tales, myths, etc. to amplify conscious and unconscious material (e.g., dreams) for the purpose of deepening the understanding and transformation of one’s complexes and life experiences. The story of Merlin as an image of the magician, poet, shapeshifter, and wise old man is such a legend, and we will use it (and its modern reflections in such characters asYoda, Dumbledore, and Gandalf) to amplify Jung’s psychology and its overt effort to discern emerging unconscious contents.

What is it about this image that captivates a broad spectrum of society today? I would posit one reason is that such fantasy reflects an unconscious desire/need to access the unconscious itself. Psychologically speaking, magic, prophecy, shapeshifting, etc., occur regularly in dreams; but one must be willing to hear and bear such incantations. Merlin offers us an image and story by which we can observe the development of analysis and how this process lives both intrapsychically and in the relational analytic process - all of which is in service to the psyche’s attempt to balance a consciously lived life through unconscious interventions.

Objectives: TBD

Schedule: TBD

About the Presenter
Doug Tyler is a member of APS and a graduate of the University of Tennessee Counseling Psychology Program. He is currently in private practice in Knoxville and a candidate with the Inter-Regional Society for Jungian Analysts

And now the skinny on CE etc. (you've seen it all before). . .  

APS Contact: APS and Division 39 are committed to conducting all activities in conformity with the American Psychological Association’s Ethical Principles for Psychologists. APS and Division 39 are also committed to accessibility and non-discrimination in continuing education activities. Participants are asked to be aware of the need for privacy and confidentiality throughout the program. If program content becomes stressful, participants are encouraged to process these feelings during discussion periods. If participants have special needs, we will attempt to accommodate them. Please contact Kathleen Erickson  ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it )  with any questions, comments, or concerns. 

Membership: This meeting is open to members and other interested professionals.  We will be collecting dues for 2010 at this meeting. Please include a check for $70 (professional) or $25 (scholar or student in mental health graduate program) along with your fee for the seminar to remain a current member during 2010. 

Continuing Education: 3.0 continuing education credits are available for full attendance at this program. Upon completion of a conference evaluation form, a certificate will be issued, which serves as documentation of attendance for all participants. Psychologists will have their participation registered through Division 39. Division 39 is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Division 39 maintains responsibility for the program and its contents.

Graduate Student Assistance Fund (GSAF): APS is committed to providing opportunities for graduate students to learn more about psychoanalytic theory and practice. The GSAF was established to raise additional funds for this purpose. Please consider making a separate tax-deductible donation to the GSAF.