Conspiracy Theories! What is it about those powerful energies? How can we understand this phenomenon or even talk about it?

April 29 at 9:30 am - 1:00 pm EDT

1320 Cambridge Blvd., Columbus, Ohio 43212.

It will also be available by Zoom. Scroll below to register. We hope you can join us. Three CEUs will be available. There is a nominal CEU charge for members and a $15 CEU charge for non-members, in addition to the registration fee. See “Tickets” below.

Conspiracy theories have been gradually occupying larger domains of cultural and political life. This presentation will take a symbolic perspective and offer a non-dismissive understanding of the reasons for strong adherence to conspiracy theories. Inadequate and noncredible representations of numinous energies in consciousness unwittingly contribute to the creation of structures with notable mythological parallels. Jung referred to this phenomenon as an “axiom of psychology,” which can explain both the archetypal nature of conspiracism and its resistance to rational correction. Thinking is free from the unconscious influence of the Self only to the extent that it is able to recognize and to relate to numinous contents, on one hand, and to withdraw projections from the object, on the other. Exploring conspiracy theories as symbols rather than rational constructs offers more fruitful solutions to our current social problems.

Šolc and Didier remind us of the importance of healthy religious institutions and communities that have the spiritual tools to help us discover deeper religious meanings through worship, prayer, and ritual practices that contain powerful numinous energies for our understanding. Yet we should be careful of religious grandiosity which might protect us from our own suffering, doubts and from the deeper Self emerging from valuing paradox, imagination, conflict and emerging novelty in religious experience and understanding. – David J. Dalrymple, Ph.D., affiliate minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Charleston, a pastoral psychotherapist and Jungian psychoanalyst

Participants will learn:

The psychological phenomena and dynamics underlying dark religion and conspiracism.
The definition of the ego and the Self as used in Jungian theory.
How the Self, namely non-credible representations of numinous energies, influences the way ego holds onto the dark religion & conspiracy theories.
What constitutes that adherence to be considered excessive, unhealthy.
What are mythological and clinical parallels of the phenomena.
How to identify the difference between spirituality and Dark religion.
Where conspiracism and creed overlap.
The basic idea of numinosum in Jungian psychology.
The phenomena of identification, inflation, possession, and split-off.

Vlado Šolc is a psychotherapist and Jungian Analyst practicing in Glendale, WI. Vlado received training from C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago and Charles University in Prague. Vlado is an active member of IAAP and Aurora Medical Group. Vlado focuses on psycho-spiritual crisis (loss of life’s meaning and direction), mind-body connection (psychosomatic issues), immigration & cultural issues, and women empowerment (emancipation). His specialties also include treatment of addictions, individual and marital psychotherapy with adult, and youth populations. Vlado lives in constant awe about the miracle of existence. Vlado has presented in North America, Asia and Europe. He is an author of numerous articles and depth psychology-oriented books: Psyche, Matrix, Reality; The Father Archetype, In the Name of God – Fanaticism from Perspective of Depth Psychology, Dark Religion, Individuation and Democracy in the Time of Conspiracy Theories.

TICKETS

Dark Religion and Conspiracy Theories

Saturday April 29

9 AM – 1:30 PM

This program will be presented in person at First Community – Location: 1320 Cambridge Blvd., Columbus, Ohio 43212

CEUs are available

To register click here 

Conspiracy theories have been gradually occupying larger domains of cultural and political life. This presentation will take a symbolic perspective and offer a non-dismissive understanding of the reasons for strong adherence to conspiracy theories. Solc uses the term “dark religion” to describe all forms of fanatical, radical and extreme religions. His research shows how dark religion leads to profound conflicts on both the personal and cultural level—including terrorism and wars. surveys the vast contemporary cultural and religious landscapes. In this program he will discuss different psychological phenomena and dynamics underlying religious extremism and fundamentalism; show how the Self influences the way one holds onto a radical creed; introduce some mythological and clinical parallels, and explore our own feelings when confronted with Dark religion.
Vlado Šolc is a psychotherapist and Jungian Analyst practicing in Glendale, WI. Vlado received training from C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago and Charles University in Prague. Vlado is an active member of IAAP and Aurora Medical Group. Vlado focuses on psycho-spiritual crisis (loss of life’s meaning and direction), mind-body connection (psychosomatic issues), immigration & cultural issues, and women empowerment (emancipation). His specialties also include treatment of addictions, individual and marital psychotherapy with adult, and youth populations. Vlado lives in constant awe about the miracle of existence. Vlado has presented in North America, Asia and Europe. He is an author of numerous articles and depth psychology-oriented books: Psyche, Matrix, Reality; The Father Archetype, In the Name of God – Fanaticism from Perspective of Depth Psychology, Dark Religion, Individuation and Democracy in the Time of Conspiracy Theories.

Participants will learn:

  • The psychological phenomena and dynamics underlying dark religion and conspiracism.
  • The definition of the ego and the Self as used in Jungian theory.
  • How the Self, namely non-credible representations of numinous energies, influences the way ego holds onto the dark religion & conspiracy theories.
  • What constitutes that adherence to be considered excessive, unhealthy.
  • The mythological and clinical parallels of the phenomena.
  • How to identify the difference between spirituality and Dark religion.
  • Where conspiracism and creed overlap.
  • The basic idea of numinosum in Jungian psychology.
  • The phenomena of identification, inflation, possession, and split-off.

Program Updates (constantcontact.com)

Three Ways of Why: A Conversation with Jungian Analyst Vlado Šolc about the Journey to Self

In this episode, I’ve brought back Vlado Solc, Jungian Analyst and psychotherapist practicing in Milwaukee, WI, my hometown. Vlado is a co-author of the book, Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology. After listening to this episode, you might want to listen to our last chat about his book in Episode 26 of Season 1. It’s titled Self-Reflection in a Time of Conspiracy Theories.

All along, you’ve been learning about Jung’s theory of individuation, which is the framework for exploring your unconscious. I didn’t start using that exact term until my last interview with Dr. Joli Hamilton. That episode is number 48 and titled, Staying Committed to Self When You’re in Relationship. It was a fun conversation about individuation not only being an individual experience, but individuation of a relationship too.

So today, we’re going to go deeper into Jung’s theory of individuation in a way that you’ll be able to relate to and will enhance your practice of self-reflection.

The foundation of my chat with Vlado is an article he wrote titled, Three Ways of Why. 

YouTube: Ep. 50 Three Ways of Why: A Conversation with Jungian Analyst, Vlado Solc #healing #therapy #midlife - YouTube

Dark Religion, Conspiracism, and The Religious Instinct with Jungian Analyst Vladislav Šolc

Episode - Listen Here

In this episode, Shane and Vlado discuss the psychology behind conspiracism, fundamentalism, and mythologies. Using a Jungian framework, they examine how and why conspiracy theories become powerful psychological tools. Other topics include the religious instinct, the unconscious, morality, individuation, purpose, meaning, and psychological defense mechanisms.

To understand the profound rise in conspiracy theories in recent times, Vlado explores how conspiracies function as an unconscious protective mechanism against the inferiority of consciousness and subsequently also inflates the ego. Conspiracy theory adoption is archetypal in nature and parallels mythological structures. The strong resistance of conspiracism to rational correction can be understood by examining how the “Inadequate and noncredible representations of numinous energies in consciousness unwittingly contribute to the creation of structures with notable mythological parallels” (Šolc, 2019).

“Thinking is free from the unconscious influence of the Self only to the extent that it is able to recognize and to relate to numinous contents, on one hand, and to withdraw projections from the object, on the other. A symbolic perspective offers a nondismissive understanding of the reasons for strong adherence to conspiracy theories. Exploring conspiracy theories as symbols rather than rational constructs offers more fruitful solutions to our current social problems.” (Šolc, 2019)

Reference

Šolc, V. (2019). Dark Religion and Conspiracy Theories: An Analytical Viewpoint. Jung Journal, 13(4), 14-34. https://doi.org/10.1080/19342039.2019.1676142

Conspiracy Theories and Unconscious Suffering: An interview with Jungian Analyst Vladislav Šolc

“I try to approach them the Jungian way – with understanding and love. I try to involve them in a dialogue but also to listen. Attempting to convince someone about the opposite only increases mutual resistance.”

Bizarre conspiracy theories, but also fundamentalist religions are found in history of humanity from times immemorial. Many different fields strive to understand those phenomena better. One of them is psychology. Jungian analyst VLADO ŠOLC examines them from the perspective of depth psychology.

How did you become interested in conspiracy theories?

Basically, through Jung. When I studied at the Jungian Institute in Chicago with George Didier, a colleague of mine, we researched fundamentalist forms of religion. Then we discovered various interesting parallels between those aspects of religiosity and conspiracy theories.

What are those similarities?

They manifest through archetypal patterns. These are for example demonization of natural events, the fight between good and evil, solutions to big cosmological questions, grandiose heroic fantasies, promise of salvation or redemption. Or a belief that a politician is a chosen saviour. Take for example QAnon’s conspiracy theory that claims that a powerful pedophile [democrats] satanists bleed children and extract from them adrenochrome, a substance that assures immortality. It is an ancient idea of the elixir of life. You see they perhaps envy that democrats have access to this divine privilege while they suffer and have so much anger. Conspiratorialists believe that Hollywood celebrities, influential philanthropists or billionaires are part of this cult. Well, a person who is going to bring an end to this is Donald Trump. During the final judgment day that Q called a storm all of them will be brought to justice and America restored to its lost greatness. Note the parallel with the apocalypse (Biblical revelation). The QAnon movement compounds too many parallels with the cult.

What role does the Dark Religion play here?

We can see it in the mode of how people approach such “theories”. We speak of archetypal fantasies. The main attributes are rigidity, literal and concrete thinking – remarkable lack of symbolic comprehension. Ego thus adheres to those contents through fascination and almost unshakable “faith.” Authorities and teachings are idolized and deified. They are elevated to the realm of gods. Then there is no questioning them as they hold the “truth.” Take for example the Flat Earth theory; its followers close their minds to any evidence or critical reasoning. They do not want to have their beliefs questioned. The truth is not as important to them as the benefits they receive from their theory. It’s a matter of immediate gratification. All investments would have to be replaced by higher value to be abandoned. They do not see it at the moment. All criticism is thus rendered as scam and manipulation. Here’s a strong similarity with fundamentalist creed that we termed Dark Religion, or theocalypsis.

What was your way of understanding those phenomena?

Our approach was a priori Jungian. We recognize and study the role the unconscious plays when it comes to human behavior, including feelings and cognition. We were concerned especially with unprocessed emotional contents that are consequently projected onto the outside world where they are perceived as images and form mythical stories. Such images often find archetypal expressions precisely in what we call conspiracy theories. To their followers they serve as containers for holding disturbing, unprocessed negative emotions; those can be now under certain control in the mind of a conspiratorialist. Conspiracy theories allow for the creation of superiority feelings and help relieve anxiety and the like. Conspiratorialists consider themselves a special, strong persons capable of accepting the “dark truth” of a given conspiracy. In their own eyes of course, they stand on the side of good; they are heroes of their own myth.

How can contents of personal unconscious lead to adherence to conspiracy theories? 

more here

Dose of Depth

Self-Reflection in a Time of Conspiracy Theories: A Conversation with Vlado Solc, Jungian Analyst & Author of Dark Religion: Fundamentalism From the Perspective of Jungian Psychology

Enjoy my chat with Vlado Solc about what's beneath the surface of fundamentalism and conspiracy theories. He is the author of  (written in partnership with George Didier). Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology.

Episode Here

Dark Religion: The Psychological Roots of Fundamentalism and Conspiracism

Conspiracy theories have been gradually occupying larger domains of cultural and political life. Conspiracism seems to replace or supplement fundamentalist religious beliefs while it supplies material that is in turn used for endorsing political and ideological agenda.

This presentation will take a symbolic perspective and offers a non-dismissive understanding of the reasons for strong adherence to conspiracy theories. Approaching conspiracy theories as symbols rather than rational constructs offers more fruitful solutions to given problem than put forward by traditional psychological schools.

Dark Religion with Vlado Solc

37.00

Live Presentation Saturday June 4 & 11, 2022 Noon - 2pm Pacific / 3 - 5 pm Eastern via Zoom

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Is global warming a hoax? Is Earth actually flat? Is the CIA responsible for the attack on the WTC in New York? What is Quanon? Why do many adhere vigorously to conspiracy theories? The rise of irrational beliefs, fake news, alternative facts, and conspiracy theories, along with fundamentalism, fanaticism, and propaganda of governments calls for a no-holds-barred depth psychological exploration. This course will examine depth-psychological phenomena and dynamics of dark religions and their connection to conspiracism.

Three Ways of Why

“I no longer seek the cause of a neurosis in the past, but in the present. I ask, what is the necessary task which the patient will not accomplish?”

Jung, CW 4, par. 570

Precise questioning is conditio sine qua non of successful analysis. When asking questions, the analyst not only asks the client, but also poses questions to his or her own self. While communicating with the client, the analyst “looks” inside, and there, asks questions and “listens” for answers. The analyst not only actively searches in his memory, where he/she seeks understanding, but also observes feelings, images and ideas that passively arise from unconscious. The analyst’s psyche mirrors and at the same time complements missing links of the complex life situation of analysand and also his/hers own. The analyst not only helps the patient to find a new, “broader” meaning of his problem, but also enters the field in which both could undertake transformation.

The analysis is a creative team-work. In a way it is a maieutic, Socratic method of dialogue with the difference that the objective of analysis is to ask questions in such a way so they contribute to the revelation of a fuller life story, i.e. self-knowledge. The aim is not to achieve some kind of logical truth, but rather a new attitude; the greater degree of freedom that includes the acceptance of painful also-truths. The so-called behavioral therapies basically focus on the patient’s conscious intentions and analyze whether these intentions are in conflict with the demands of the given reality. In Jungian analysis there is a third variable that enters the healing process, and that is unconscious. The unconscious has its own intelligence: it can have its own will, its own intentions and secrets, or even an “opinions,” which could often be at odds with the opinions of the ego. It is the “Other” that we also dialogue with during the process of analysis.

Conscious and unconscious

Let’s ponder for a moment on the paradoxical relationship between conscious and unconscious. Conscious, just like the unconscious, has no “substance” that we can quantify, measure or localize per se. We can only know about it via our own conscious medium and thus through its own subject.  The very fact that the psyche can never be objectified – even though it can be perceived that way during the states of extended consciousness – by definition makes it an unconquerable mystery.

Read Full Article HERE

Ve jménu Boha

Universum Recenze

Vladimír Smékal

Vladislav Šolc Ve jménu Boha: Fanatismus v pojetí hlubinné psychologie Triton 2013

Pro pragmaticky utilitárně zaměřeného čtenáře je terminologie jungiánské psychologie obtížně srozumitelná, ale nesporně daleko výstižnější v uchopení základních funkcí a procesů, jimiž se duše vyrovnává s požadavky, výzvami a způsoby, jak zvládat úkoly života. Autor si vytyčuje za cíl prozkoumat různé psychické procesy a stavy označované jako náboženské a ukázat jejich možný vliv na duševní stav a jednání člověka, jestliže tyto obsahy „nabudou nebezpečných rozměrů“. Nesměřuje však k redukcionismu náboženského na psychologické, jak by bylo možné se domnívat. V recenzi se nebudu tolik věnovat jungovskému jazyku a jeho využití v autorově výkladu funkce a úlohy náboženství v lidském životě – to autor provedl velmi zdařile –, ale naznačím obecnější poselství, které jungovský přístup k objasnění náboženství přináší. Kvalifi kovaná předmluva Andrey Scheansové, která s Vlado Šulcem sdílela společný výcvik jungovsky orientované psychoterapie, na třech stranách výstižně interpretuje základní pojmy, které autor ve svém díle rozvíjí a aplikuje. Už věta „Bůh není a nemůže být předmětem bádání“ může někoho provokovat, ale autor přesvědčivě objasňuje, že předmětem vědeckého zkoumání je náboženství. A to lze doplnit i myšlenkou, že Bůh je předmětem víry a že teologie je vědou, která zkoumá tvrzení a metafory týkající se Boha, jež jsou v posvátných textech všech světových náboženství, a na základě této analýzy formuluje argumenty pro Boží existenci a úlohu v životě lidí i v rozvoji vesmíru. Jedním z hlavních cílů publikace je objasnit prostředky jungovské psychologie, jak se v náboženském životě člověka (včetně povrchnosti a lhostejnosti nebo až fundamentalismu) uplatňují archetypy, tedy nevědomé způsoby nazírání, hodnocení a sklonů, které jsou dány snad ještě více tradicí a duchovní atmosférou prostředí, v němž člověk vyrůstá, než záměrnou výchovou. Čtenář studiem knihy získá porozumění tomu, jaké konstelace osobnostních dispozic vedou nejen k náboženskému fundamentalismu či fanatismu, ale i obecně k radikalismu, který je v každodenním životě stejně nebezpečný jako fanatismus v životě náboženském. Klíčový vysvětlovací pojem jungovské psychologie, s nímž autor často pracuje, je pojem numinozity. Je to termín z lat. ,numinosum‘, jímž je vyjádřeno dynamické působení sil nezávislých na vědomé vůli člověka. Jung používá tento pojem pro označení hluboce citově prožívaných zážitků našeho bytostného já, stav změněného vědomí v reakci na vliv nějakého objektu, události či nějaké prožívané přítomnosti něčeho neviditelného, ale tušeného. Autor formuluje závažnou myšlenku, kterou by měl mít ve vědomí každý, kdo radikálně prosazuje uplatnění náboženství v každodenním životě sekulární společnosti: „Numinozita může léčit i působit jako jed, může být zdrojem tvoření, ale i zkázy.“ A upozorňuje v této souvislosti, že dějiny nás učí, jak snadno se může nastartovat davové šílenství, kdykoliv se politika propojí s náboženstvím. Podnětné jsou myšlenky týkající se vědomí a duše (psýché), jejichž reálnou existenci kniha předpokládá a uvádí k tomu argumenty. Jungovský pojem ‚individuace‘ jako stávání se sebou a utváření našeho lidství, považuje autor za vývoj přirozeně náboženský a přímo říká, že je to proces „zakoušení božského“. Za citaci stojí jeho tvrzení: „Organická jednota duchovních a náboženských zkušeností povznáší každodenní bytí na proces zhmotnění svátosti a na druhé straně přibližuje božské k vědomí tím, že umenšuje jeho nekonečnou odlehlost a neuchopitelnost.“ V souvislosti s objasněním krajních náboženských hnutí zavádí autor pojmy ‚theokalypsis‘ a ‚theonemesis‘. ‚Th eokalypsis‘ je na základě přesvědčivě popsané metaforické etymologie „schovávání se za Boha“ – tedy věřit tomu, že to, co děláme, je realizací Božích úmyslů a přání. A v jádru takového pojetí jsou některé hlavní hříchy jako pýcha nebo i apatie. A podobně pojem ‚theonemesis‘ autor objasňuje jako důsledek posedlosti bytostným já, což se v jednání může projevovat jako hněv, kompenzace pocitů méněcennosti zpupností a nadřazováním se atd. Kniha rozhodně stojí za studium. Analytické, ale i jinak zaměřené psychoterapeuty a kněze, i učitele a personalisty může nesmírně obohatit také v chápání zdrojů a procesů jednání člověka i v pochopení překážek, jež stojí v cestě dosahování osobnostní zralosti.

Book Reviews Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology. (2018). By Vladislav Solc and George J. Didier. Chiron Publications

Reviewed by Gerald A. Weiner

In the time of Trump, in the time of troubles, there is a great need to understand how we got
there. The writings of Vladislav Solc and George Didier, take us beyond a narcissistic sociopath into the
religious space that supports him.
Didier and Solc analyze and explain how the dark side of the Shadow, what they call “Dark
Religion” has shaped radical fundamentalism. They take this one step further and tell us that we should
oppose all forms of moral absolutism. For them, individuation is both a psychological and a religious
process. The two are inseparable. The authors are continuing C.G. Jung’s quest to understand the
numinosum. To them, extreme religion threatens our very existence.
In their introduction, the authors pose questions that should be important to all of us. How
does one recognize Dark Religion? Who are the most vulnerable to its seduction and alluring energy?
What happens when a person becomes possessed by the energies of the Self that are not made
conscious? Why is it that spirituality remains part of human nature and one of our most essential needs?
Throughout the book they answer these questions from a Jungian perspective. They also provide us with
interesting examples of client cases, all of which furthers our knowledge of Dark Religion.
According to the authors, Dark Religion obscures the true nature of spirituality and cripples
one’s relationship to numinosity. The fundamentalist believes he/she has established one-to one
correspondence of identity with God. By doing this they confuse their own will and actions with the will
and actions of God. In extreme cases it becomes easy for them to justify murder in the name of God.
Solc and Didier provide us with many insight into this thought process. As they explain, the
fundamentalist hides behind the image of God and assumes God’s authority as their own. Only they
know the will of God. (...)

Read more here.