‘Holism in Psychotherapy: some historical, philosophical, and practical observations’

On Friday 13 July Principal Investigator Professor Roderick Main gave a presentation on ‘Holism in psychotherapy: some historical, philosophical, and practical observations’ at the University of Essex and Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust’s fourth joint annual research conference, on the theme of ‘Mental health research for the 21^st century: shaping evidence, policy and practice’, The Tavistock Centre, London.  

The presentation outlined the ‘“One World”: logical and ethical implications of holism’ project, focusing on its potential relevance for psychotherapy; reviewed some definitions and characterisations of holism; offered observations on the history of holism, including its cultural reception; noted some of the metaphysical and ethical issues associated with holism; and finally discussed the relevance of holism for psychotherapy and in particular psychoanalysis and analytical psychology, suggesting that forms of ‘critical holism’ may be useful for preventing the dominance of narrow models of mental health. 

Forthcoming publications from the Holism project:

“Jung and Deleuze: Enchanted openings to the Other: a philosophical contribution

(By Christian McMillan)

To be published as part of a special issue in the International Journal of Jungian Studies (December 2018)

(Further details can be found under ‘Publications’ from the drop-down menu)

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“Jung and Aesthetics” (Jung on Art) in Philosophizing Jung (ed. Dr. Jon Mills)

(By Christian McMillan)

To be published as part of an edited volume with Routledge in the Philosophy and Psychoanalysis Book Series (late 2018)

(Further details can be found under ‘Publications’ from the drop-down menu)

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EDITED VOLUME:

Title: JUNG, DELEUZE, AND THE PROBLEMATIC WHOLE

Edited by

Roderick Main, David Henderson, and Christian McMillan

(Intended publisher – Routledge, 2019)

For further details of the chapters to be included in the volume please follow the link below.

Jung, Deleuze and the Problematic Whole – Contents, chapter outlines and biographical details

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EDITED VOLUME:

Title: HOLISM: POSSIBILITIES AND PROBLEMS

Edited by

Christian McMillan, Roderick Main and David Henderson

(Intended publisher – Routledge, 2019)

For further details of the chapters to be included in the volume please follow the link below.

Holism: Possibilities and Problems – Contents, chapter outlines and biographical details

9th June 2018 – Clinical and Social Praxis of Jungian Psychoanalysis

Dr. David Henderson (Co-Investigator) gave a report on the Holism project in Seville, Spain to the International Society for the Development of Jungian Psychoanalysis. The details of this event can be accessed via the links below.

Jornada Praxis Psicoanalisis Junguiano – 9th June 2018

https://sidpaj.es/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Jornada-Praxis-Psicoanalisis-Junguiano-v.1.pdf

‘Mind, Matter, and the New Real’

Centre for Theory and Research, Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California

From 3 to 7 December 2017 Professor Roderick Main attended an international invitational symposium on ‘Mind, Matter, and the New Real’ at the Centre for Theory and Research, Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California, where he presented a paper titled:

‘Egoless awareness, numinous matter, and the scope of C. G. Jung’s holism’.  

The aim of this presentation was to demonstrate, contra widespread scholarly opinion, that Jung’s thoroughgoing holism extended, in his later thought, to encompassing even some of the further reaches of introvertive mystical experience, while the limitations he nevertheless placed on such experience can also be understood holistically as expressing his implicitly panentheistic metaphysics.

The organisation hosting this symposium, the Esalen Institute, has been one of the world’s most influential centres of holistic theory and practice for over fifty years (see https://www.esalen.org/ctr).