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The well-known German psychoanalyst, Hochheimer, editor of the exclusively psychoanalytic journal Psyche, has written a small book on Jung's psychotherapy. As a motive
for this undertaking, he states his own feeling of affinity (Verwandtschaftsgefühl) to certain aspects of Jung's ‘anthropology’ and a certain fascination for Jung's ideas.
According to the author, this book is based on ten years intensive theoretical and practical occupation with this subject. Out of Jung's immense work he has collected statements which connect to such topics as: theory of neurosis, method of psychotherapy, transference and counter-transference, ways of dealing with dreams.
The choice of Jung's quotations is excellent and seems to show the author's readiness for differentiated evaluation and subtle understanding of analytical psychology. He knows that any statement of Jung's psychotherapy would stand in the air without careful elaboration of his views on the psyche. Two chapters are therefore devoted to an account of Jung's basic concepts.
There is no open criticism of Jungian concepts. In fact, the author's aim seems to be directed towards proving that attacks or ironical remarks against Jung are based on unchecked prejudices or rely on hiding behind a pseudo-scientific approach. He pleads for openness to the specific ‘atmosphere’ in which Jungian psychotherapy takes place. Jung's language is not precise and logical but ‘evocative’, and its style fits the irrational contents it deals with. Hochheimer sees in Jung's remark ‘any coming to terms with a cut-off part of the psyche is therapeutically effective’ a clue to why so many different psychotherapeutic methods can have good results, but he particularly wants to draw the reader's attention to the specific values of Jung's contribution to modern psychotherapy.
Yet one feels that a snake lurks in the grass. Hochheimer calls Jung's approach to the psyche ‘spagyric’. Now this term stands for alchemy and in its Paracelsian sense is not dis