On Not Knowing Beforehand

The subject of this discussion is derived from a phrase in Jung's essay on the transference. There he writes: ‘Inseparable from the persona is the doctor's routine and his trick of knowing everything beforehand, which is one of the favourite props of the well-versed practitioner and of all infallible authority.' That, Jung contends, is impossible when it comes to psychotherapy because, sooner or later in any deep analysis, ‘Doctor and patient … find themselves in a relationship founded on mutual unconsciousness’ (Jung 1946, p. 176).

That was written in 1946, as part of a criticism of using medical procedures in the conduct of psychotherapy. At that time was he finding it difficult to describe his stage of transformation which turned out to be a sort of non-method?

It was not that he found methods and techniques inapplicable, for he claimed to conduct psychotherapy according to the methods of Freudian or Adlerian psychology in suitable cases. He presumably used his theory of types to arrive at a decision; it will be remembered that he had classed Freud as an extravert and Adler as a introvert. But neither of these authorities had described adequately what he himself had evolved. It was not until 1963 that he made a step forward. He formulated his practice by the statement: ‘I am unsystematic very much by intention’ (Jung 1963, p. 131) - that was said in the context of placing the individual at the centre of his practice; he continues: ‘To my mind, in dealing with individuals, only individual understanding will do. We need a different language for every patient. In one analysis I can be heard talking the Adlerian dialect, in another the Freudian’ (ibid.). His own dialect was not mentioned directly but it would seem to be a story-telling method imbued with his great knowledge of the symbolism inherent in myths. So it does not appear that he has divested himself of method as much as he sometimes claimed.