The religious function of the psyche

Excerpt - Lionel Corbett

THE HEALING POWER OF THE NUMINOSUM IN JUNG’S THEORY OF PSYCHOTHERAPY

In a letter written in August, 1945, Jung states that: [T]he main interest of my work is not concerned with the treatment of neurosis but rather with the approach to the numinous. But the fact is that the approach to the numinous is the real therapy and inasmuch as you attain to the numinous experiences you are released from the curse of pathology. (Jung, 1973, p. 377) Here Jung articulates a theory of psychotherapy which stands in contrast to all personalistic therapies, and which expresses the essence of his thinking. It is perhaps no coincidence that this letter was written following the extraordinary visionary experiences Jung (1965, Chapter 10) had while ‘on the edge of death’ during his heart attack. The fact that Jung links the experience of the numinosum with the healing process is a key part of his theoretical system. And like it or not, all psychotherapists have a theory of therapy which guides them. Anything we say carries with it the implication that it will in some way be helpful to the patient to whom it is addressed. Every move we make in therapy therefore implies a personal commitment to a particular theory of what is healing. Every theory of therapy carries with it conscious or unconscious assumptions about the source of healing, about how the patient ‘uses’ the therapist for his own needs, and about the correct role of the therapist in this process. It is worth being as conscious as possible about one’s own ideas here, because each theory of cure implies fundamental notions about human nature, about motivation and about the value and uses of relationships. We should be aware that Jung’s theory of the healing power of the numinosum is actually a religious theory, and those of us who adhere to it, rather than practising psychotherapy in a purely secular manner, are returning the care of the psyche to the province of spiritual practice, as was the case in antiquity.