18^th International Congress of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) (2010)

What a pleasure and privilege it was to attend the 18^th International Congress of the International Association for Analytical Psychology (IAAP) in Montreal the week of August 22-27. As a volunteer committee that was tasked with trouble-shooting at the break-out sessions of the Congress, the twelve members of this group had an insider’s view of the workings of the international group.

The crowning achievement without doubt was the election of Montreal’s own Tom Kelly as the president-elect of the IAAP after serving the last three years as vice-president. We are proud of his achievement and trust that he brings to the organization a deeply caring and generous capacity.

The Congress theme, “Facing Multiplicity: Psyche, Culture and Nature,” was borne out by the presence of a multiplicity of cultures at the event. There were delegates from Japan, Korea, South Africa, Israel, Australia, Ukraine and Russia along with those from established centres in Italy, France, UK, the U.S. and Germany. South America, and especially Brazil, also had a strong contingent. The world had come to Montreal’s door.

Developing Groups in places like the Ukraine and Tunisia spoke of the range of Jungian activities world-wide. Meetings of “routers” addressed the issues of training candidates who are far from established centres and struggling with adequate liaison on such issues as supervision. Many established analysts travel long distances to keep the fires burning in places where Jungian analysis is only beginning to take hold. Some long-distance supervisions are even being conducted via SKYPE

Nature was another major thread of this Congress whose presence appeared in an early break-out session. German-born and London-based Gottfried Heuer talked about “The Nature of Burn-Out and the Burn-Out of Nature: The Sloth and The Chickadee” in which he referred to the Crow chief Plenty Coups, a warrior, diplomat and visionary, whose vision sustained him in spite of the massacre of his people. The chickadee was a tutelary spirit in his vision. This tiniest of birds, like the people under its chief, used its listening skills to help it survive. Education and collaboration became essential survival tools.

Barbara Holifield, from the San Francisco Bay area, perfectly complemented this first break-out session. Her own personal brush with nature and a lengthy therapy ultimately enabled a deeply wounded woman to find some salvation in a commitment to environmental causes. This eloquent presentation evoked the gentleness and compassion of the therapeutic space and how that “holding” activated a healing process through the client’s engagement with nature.

Among the numerous clinical sessions, Donald Kalsched elaborated on his theories about archetypal defenses. In “Defences in Dreams: Clinical Reflections on the Multiplicity Necessary for Survival-in-Pieces” he suggested that if the god-image itself is dark, as was presented in Jung’s writings like Answer to Job and illustrated in the play based on the Jung-White letters, which was staged at the Congress, then the self and its defenses should also be seen darkly. A complex subject and a rich theme.

This Congress took place under the constellation of the highly successful publication late last year of Jung’s Liber Novus – The Red Book. Its editor, Sonu Shamdasani, talked about how Jung’s personal psychology became a cosmology. This was a somewhat dry historical presentation of the creation of this magnificent tome. A follow-up discussion the next day of its significance brought it to life with comments on the reaction to the book almost a year after its publication. By last June – The Red Book had sold 45,0000 copies and was into a sixth edition!

Shamdasani dramatically declared that the spectacular images in the book should not be looked at until its text had been studied for many years! At least one analyst objected to this statement; if image is psyche then text should be of a lower order. In any case Jung’s experience in these numinous but treacherous years was fundamental to understanding all of his later works. In fact it was stated that all his works would now have to be reconsidered in the light of this newly discovered, ground-breaking work.

The launch of two new books suggested current themes in the Jungian universe. John Hill’s At Home in the World: Sounds and Symmetries of Belonging and Thomas Singer’s Psyche and the City: A Soul’s Guide to the Modern Metropolis speak to the worldly dimension that has taken hold in the Jungian enterprise. Multiplicity on the inside has now turned outward – and in large measure.

While Hill’s book sold out at the Congress, the Singer book was not an easy sell at our Jung society’s first event of this season. Psyche and the City offers a fascinating view of many of the world’s great cities – among them Paris, London, Moscow, New York, Capetown, Sydney, Jerusalem, Cairo, and even Montreal (in Thomas Kelly’s eyes), all told from very unique perspectives. Are we really reluctant to open to worlds that are unknown to us, that are far from “home”?

Once again Guy Corneau opened his heart, talking about his experience with cancer – “Cancer: Facing Multiplicity within Oneself.” He chose not to aggressively fight the disease but rather tried to befriend it. Among the multi-faceted strategies he used, from imaging techniques on the cellular level to high dosages of chemotherapy, he brought the feeling tone that is often lacking at such high-minded events. We will be fortunate to have him present this talk to us in December.

His counterpart that day, Italian analyst Marta Tibaldi, a fellow survivor, talked about cancer resiliency and creativity. She referred to the Biblical account of Jacob wrestling with the angel, concluding that although the illness certainly comes on like a curse, it can sometimes also be seen as a blessing!

James Hillman was present, now walking with a cane and needing support to climb to the podium. He is no less vital and rigourous in his philosophical musings. Along with his old baseball counterpart Kazuhiko Higuchi, he practically boasted that they are already “in the afterlife!” Perhaps they were xpressing a sense of liberation, no longer needing to strive to prove themselves.

Hillman was heard to say that this event was ruled by the Great Mother! Sure enough, at the closing ceremonies the newly minted graduating women far outnumbered the men. This evidence seemed to validate Jung’s statement in 1959 about the Annunciation of Mary auguring a shift in consciousness. The vision on the stage at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel on Friday afternoon, August 27, 2010 was surely a testament to that fact as perhaps 30 of the 35 new analysts who took the stage were women. These included a very large contingent of Mexican and Russian graduates, greeted from the floor by loud and emotional celebration! (There were numerous Marias!)

On the political side, the panel on "What could be Jungian About Human Rights Work?" was disappointing, perhaps attesting to the overly ambitious intentions of Jungians to heal the world. In spite of the presence of a South African moderator and her experience of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, a solution to the Palestinian/Israeli conflict seemed as remote as ever .

In his study of the divided German soul since World War II and in the aftermath of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Robert Wimmer told of a cryptic meeting with a fellow German in Turkey and his terrible story, which must be kept secret. The dread of self-revelation haunting East Germans was as forceful as ever even twenty years after the unification of the two Germanys. Terror endures and takes many forms.

While it is widely acknowledged that the personal is political and the psyche has collective roots, it is also true that psychological gatherings have many personal moments. Some of the best moments of this congress for me were highly personal and will be remembered as felt images: huge hugs from Montreal-born Henry Abramovitch; warm smiles from Michael Vannoy Adams; sharing a drink with stranger Gottfried Heuer, a new friend, consulted daily for tourist information; seeing Federico de Luca Comandini, daughter on his lap in the hotel lobby, smiling warmly, a day after a session on active imagination. Perhaps as touching were the exultant looks on the faces and the briefest of debriefings of fellow volunteers after attending a brilliant session, proof that this Congress was a once in a life time experience that will continue to enrich us for some time to come. Copenhagen 2013, anyone?

–Murray Shugar