1st Edition

Jung and Sex Re-visioning the treatment of sexual issues

By Edward Santana Copyright 2017
    190 Pages
    by Routledge

    190 Pages
    by Routledge

    C. G. Jung, despite not being widely known for his views on sexuality or the treatment of sexual issues, made extensive contributions to understanding the complexities of this field throughout his life. In Jung and Sex, Edward Santana makes the case that reclaiming this knowledge can address substantial problems with current treatments and support many who struggle with sexual issues.

    This thorough exploration of Jung’s approach to sexual issues presents a wide-ranging new look at his work and adds contemporary perspectives for helping those suffering with sexual difficulties. The book calls for an important bridging of clinical perspectives to address the contemporary challenges of complex sexual issues and brings attention to a large body of Jung’s work on human sexuality, ranging from pioneering thoughts on sexual expressions of the soul to understanding ways to treat sexual symptoms. Jung and Sex provides a comprehensive analysis of Jung’s views on, and clinical approaches to, sexual issues and treatments, using this knowledge in order to help those with sexual problems and the professionals who support them. It is an essential text for understanding critical dimensions of human sexuality.

    Jung and Sex is an important contribution that closes a gap in the literature of Jungian psychology. It offers unique insights into the subject for Jungian psychotherapists, analytical psychologists, sex therapists, and relationship counselors. The book also supports the work of academics and those interested in contemporary applications of Jungian and post-Jungian studies.

    Introduction 1. Jung and Sex 2. Sex and Analysis 3. "A Subjective Confession": Jung as Liberator and Moralist 4. Splitting Off Sex Therapy 5. "An Initiation into the Realm of Darkness" 6. The Spokesman and The Injured Deity 7. Re-Visioning Sex 8. The Mysterium References Appendices Index

    Biography

    Edward Santana, Ph.D. is a Registered Psychotherapist and director of a doctoral program in psychotherapy. He was executive director of the Ontario division of the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) and maintained a private practice in Toronto, Canada. He formerly worked as a clinical program supervisor, public relations executive, and congressional staff member. He currently lives and practices in Southern California.

    "While glaringly obvious in our culture, sex and sexuality are still only dimly understood: it is everywhere visible, subject to moralism, studied by psychologists, used and abused in advertising, confusing to adolescents, frightening to some, suffered by many in symptomatic forms. But Edward Santana covers the ground – from struggles between culture and instinct to pharmaceuticals and technology – in this brilliant study of Jung’s work, contemporary psychological treatment, and the importance of recognizing sexual life as a deep, exquisite expression of the human soul." – Lyn Cowan, Ph.D., Jungian analyst

    "This book should be required reading for any psychotherapist who treats people suffering from sexual difficulties. It will fill a void in the Jungian literature on sexuality. Dr. Santana's stress on the spiritual dimensions of sexuality is a necessary corrective to purely behavioral approaches." - Lionel Corbett, M.D., Jungian Analyst

    "Edward Santana’s Jung and Sex effectively answers the question: what would a nineteenth century born psychologist have to contribute to the field of sexual studies and therapeutic treatment, especially in an era dominated by behaviorism and cognitive psychologies? Jung not only repositions human sexuality through the biological and social into the realm of the spiritual but affirms that a sexual problem can only be solved by love, that is, by an engagement with the meaning dimension. This book asks the reader to approach the mystery of sex with a willingness to submit to psyche, a Greek word which translates as Soul." - James Hollis, Ph.D., is a Jungian analyst in Washington, D.C., and author of numerous books, most recently, What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life, and Hauntings: Dispelling the Ghosts Who Run Our Lives.

    "Edward Santana, in his brave book Jung and Sex, does something that is long overdue: a critical review of the moralism that has affected the Jungian community... a magnificent effort to renew our thinking about the spiritual dimensions of sexuality. The style is jargon-free, pleasant and sharp!” Ginette Paris, Ph.D., author of Wisdom of the Psyche: Beyond Neuroscience