Collective Trauma,Implicit Memories,the Body,and Active Imagination in Jungian Analysis1

This presentation attempts to show the healing potential underlying the inclusion of the patient's body in the analytic process, while honouring and revisiting the understanding of the psyche-body connection described by Jung in his early work. In addition, the author offers reflections on the impact of collective trauma whose aftermath, among others, has been the disappearance of thousands of people, consequently breaking the family genealogy, leaving hundreds of children stripped of their roots and true identity. Referencing clinical material, the author describes how the process of translation and integration—from the sensory-perceptual to the conceptual-symbolic—can be halted on account of collective trauma occurring at an early stage in development. Moreover, it is shown how the potential of the archetype or image schema, linked to the somatic-affective early experiences encoded as implicit memories, can be recovered, when Embodied Active Imagination is included in the analytic work. The patient's bodily gestures and somatic experience may bridge the gap between the preverbal-implicit knowledge and the emergence of emotions and images that allow for the creation of a new symbolic narrative.     

Jung’s Psychoid Monism

Jung’s final psychoid theory of archetypes was an additional attempt to find a solution to the philosophical problem of how to relate mind and matter. In the following essay Jung’s solution is summarized by a set of 17 theses, and Jung’s philosophy will be called psychoid monism. According to psychoid monism, what ultimately and primarily is, is the psycho-physically neutral domain of instinctual experience. The origin of this view can be traced back to Post-Kantian German Idealism (Schopenhauer, Schelling, Hölderlin), and a systematization of the view requires a dialectic approach and, in particular, contradiction-tolerant dialectic logic.     

Intersections of personal vs. collective trauma during the COVID-19 pandemic: the hijacking of the human imagination

This paper explores how the deadly shadow of COVID-19 passing over the Earth constitutes a collective trauma that frequently opens up or ‘triggers’ un-remembered personal trauma, and it provides clinical examples of these intersections. The paper further explores how the human imagination, which we normally utilize to make meaning out of traumatic experience, can be hijacked by fear – leading to avoidance of suffering and to illusory formulations and alternative realities such as conspiracy theories. Alternatively, the imagination can be employed in more realistic and creative ways – leading through conscious suffering to healing and wholeness. Which path the imagination takes is shown to depend on the capacity of individuals to feel the full reality of the human condition in general and the exquisite vulnerability of our existence as fragile human beings at this moment in history. Ernest Becker’s analysis of our ‘denial of death’ and his urgency to embrace our common human vulnerability is explored in relation to Jung’s early tendency to deny the body. The author proposes that the more creative uses of the imagination, connected to a more humble and realistic apprehension of our common destiny, may be seen in the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement that swept the world in the aftermath of the COVID-19 outbreak.     

Various relationships between predatory dominance and aggressive behavior in Pairs of cats

The experiments were performed on adult male cats selected initially as good mousekillers. Cats were tested in pairs and each pair was introduced separately to the experimental compartment. The attitude toward the partner before and during the predatory competition test as well as superiority in catching and killing the mice, considered as an index of dominance, were registered. In the course of experiment five types of relations between the predatory dominance and aggressive behavior were observed. The concept of dominance as an outcome of several factors was discussed. It was concluded that predatory dominance is not based exclusively on aggressive mechanisms, as it may be formed and sustained without overt aggression.     

Dominance assertion in male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

The social relations of three adult males in a captive chimpanzee group were evaluated for 12 months. The observations encompassed a period of transition in the dominance hierarchy providing an opportunity to assess behavioral patterns involved in the initiation of status changes. This study shows that dominance in the chimpanzee is expressed primarily through ritualized and non-contact behavior rather than by overt aggression. In particular, display behavior is important for indicating dominance rank, in communicating aggressive intent, and as a prelude to status struggles. The functional relationships between status, displays and other socio-sexual behavior patterns are presented.     

Some subordinates are more equal than others: Play fihgting amongst adult subordinate male rats

Adult male rats living together form dominance relationships, with one dominant and the remainder adopting subordinate roles. In previous studies, it was shown that in adult male pairs, the subordinate rat initiates more playful contacts and retains a more juvenile response to the playful contacts by the dominant. In this experiment, triads were used to examine the play between subordinate males. The subordinates directed fewer playful contacts to each other than to the dominant rat, and there was a symmetrical play relationship between the subordinates. After the dominant was removed from the colony, one subordinate became the dominant. Playful interactions amongst these pairs increased, with the subordiante intiating more playful contacts than the dominant. Furthermore, from a similarly low frequency of juvenile-type response to playful contact to each other when in triads, the subordinate in the dyads increased its frequency of juvenile responses to the dominant partner. This supports the hypothesis that the playful behavior of subordinate male rats towards the dominant is an adaptive response, playful behavior of subordinate male rats towards the dominant is an adaptive response, serving a “friendship maintenance” function. Finally, when in triads, one subordinate was more playful with the dominant than the other subordinate. It was the least playful subordinate that was the most likely to become the dominant. This sugests that within a colony, not all subordinates are the same. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Fighting experiences and natural killer cell activity in male laboratory mice

There is currently much interest in the potential impact of psychological factors on immune responses. An attempt was made to assess the effects of dominant/subordinate polarity in male mice on the cytotoxic activities of their natural-killer (NK) cells. On the basis of repeated agonistic encounters, categories of subordinate and dominat animals were selected. These animals were compared with manipulated controls (introduced to a novel test cage without an opponent on each occasion) and undisturbed controls (who remained in isolation without manipulation). In terms of NK activity, immunosuppression was observed in both dominant and subordinate categories when compared to undisturbed controls. There were, however, no differences between the fighting exposed subjects and the manipulated controls, suggesting that stress accounts for any changes. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Effects of prior agonistic experience on risk assessment and approach behavior evoked by familiar or unfamiliar conspecific odors

Risk assessment and appetitive behaviors in response to familiar and unfamiliar conspecific odors were measured in mice rendered dominant or subordinate by a series of resident-intruder encounters. Subordinate mice showed elevated levels of risk assessment in response to the odors of both familiar dominant and unfamiliar males. These behaviors were almost totally absent among dominant males exposed to familiar subordinate or unfamiliar male odors. Subordinate mice showed a marginally significant elevation in latencies to approach familiar, but not unfamiliar, dominant odors. Dominant and subordinate mice spent comparable amounts of time in the cage area containing familiar antagonist odors, however, and the durations of subordinates were mildly elevated, rather than decreased, when unfamiliar conspecific odors were present. There were no group differences in any of the appetitive behaviors. These findings suggest that apparent preferences for conspecific odors may arise from quantitatively and/or qualitatively differing emotional states. The inclusion of risk assessment measures is suggested to be a useful adjunct for studies of olfactory preference/rejection. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.