Ian Brown's article in The Globe and Mail delves into why Donald Trump retains support despite apparent contradictions. It features an interview with Jungian analyst Vladislav Šolc, who provides psychological insights into the draw of strong, assertive figures like Trump. Šolc explores how deeply-rooted fears and emotional responses can override logical considerations, explaining how voters' unconscious motivations and desire for perceived stability during tumultuous times may lead them to align with such leaders.

For the complete analysis, visit The Globe and Mail article.

Therapy Route, spearheaded by Enzo Sinisi, is an invaluable resource in the mental health space. It offers essential support, guidance, and information for individuals seeking to navigate their mental health journey. Personally, I’ve found Therapy Route to be incredibly helpful in connecting with top-tier mental health professionals and insightful resources. Whether you're exploring therapy options or looking for in-depth articles on mental health, I highly recommend Therapy Route. Enso’s vision and dedication to making mental health care more accessible truly set this platform apart.

https://www.therapyroute.com/therapist/Vladislav-Solc-Glendale-US

Description

In this course, participants will learn fundamental concepts of Jungian theory related to dream analysis and practical techniques for its application. They will gain the ability to articulate Jungian ideas, understand psychological phenomena, analyze dreams, interpret symbols in various contexts, and apply these skills in clinical practice and daily life. Additionally, the Dream Interpretation course will provide participants with the opportunity to explore their own dreams and those of their clients in a confidential setting.

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Abstract:Examining the QAnon movement through a Jungian lens, this analysis draws parallels between archetypal defense mechanisms and the Homeric myth of Odysseus, specifically his stay on Ogygia Island. The paper introduces terms like "Dark Religion" and "theocalypse," exploring the phenomenon of mind possession in religious fundamentalism and conspiracy theories. Symbolically, Calypso, as "the concealer," functions as an archetypal protective system, diverting ego-consciousness from reality and constructing a false belief system. "Theocalypse" describes religious inflation by unconscious contents, resulting in specific mytho-poetic ideologies and archetypal images whose function is to protect ego from experiencing painful emotions.The manifestation of Dark Religion is evident in QAnon Conspiracy Theory followers who believe in a secret war led by Donald Trump against a satanic child-trafficking cabal. This dark belief system is characterized by traits such as seeking secret signs and clues, absolutism, rejection of modernity, reactivity, aggression, a paranoid worldview, and the assertion of a special ability to see with their hearts—reading between the lines, to name a few.Commonalities between conspiratorial and fundamentalist thinking emerge from the dynamics of inferior consciousness and subsequent ego inflation, explaining both the archetypal nature of conspiracism and its resistance to rational correction. Conspiratorialists assert additional qualities, such as being chosen to perceive the truth, promoting a superior truth without relative values or "gray" areas (superiority). Their knowledge is held unwaveringly and treated as infallible faith, often invoking sources like idols and refusing to question their authority. Vehement rejection of opposing theories (defensive selectivity) characterizes their mindset, along with a surrender of will to their leaders (submission to authority). Conspiracists actively pursue the goal of converting others (reactivity) and accept responsibility for the state of affairs only in a fantasy world, avoiding self-reflection (projection).Conscious thinking remains free from unconscious influence only when recognizing numinous contents and withdrawing projections from objects. A symbolic perspective, treating conspiracy theories as symbols rather than rational constructs, provides a non-dismissive understanding of strong adherence to such beliefs. Examining QAnon symbolically through the lens of Jungian psychology, while understanding how adherents enact unconscious complexes and cultural complexes, offers more effective ways of understanding their beliefs than what traditional schools provide.Breaking away from restrictive beliefs requires embracing living symbols tethered to reality, facilitating genuine feeling-insight, authentic suffering, and thereby fostering a connection with one's psyche.Keywords:Theocalypse, Conspiracy Theories, Dark Religion, QAnon, Jungian Psychology.

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VĚDA | VLADISLAV ŠOLC | PD 4/2024

Proč se člověk stane vyznavačem konspirační teorie? Za nekompromisní ideologií se často skrývá nezpracovaná vnitřní bolest. Jungiánský analytik VLADISLAV ŠOLC rozplétá důvody omezujících přesvědčení a naznačuje cestu ke svobodě.V Homérově díle ztroskotá Odysseus na ostrově Ogygia. Než ho moře vyvrhlo na břeh, přišel o všechny své muže. S otevřenou náručí ho zde přivítá krásná nymfa Kalypsó, která mu slíbí nesmrtelnost. Řecké slovo kalyptein znamená skrýt, přikrýt… Náš hrdina stojí před volbou: schoulí se v konejšivé Kalypsině náruči jako v ráji, nebo bude pokračovat v cestě s příslibem návratu k Penelopé?Kalypsó symbolizuje toho, kdo zastírá a klame: síly, které nás odvádějí od reality. Psychologicky představuje proces inflace – nasycení našeho já mytologickými fantaziemi. Jde o archetypální obranný mechanismus, jenž chrání já před prožíváním bolestných emocí. „Zabíjí“ obtížné aspekty skutečnosti tím, že vytváří uklidňující alternativy a zároveň udržuje nežádoucí emoce v nevědomí.Kalypsó je tím, co mysl přijímá jako odpověď na utrpení světa, často v podobě organizované víry, kultů, konspiračních teorií nebo jakýchkoli svůdných přesvědčení. Tyto obranné struktury nazývám „temná náboženství“ – temná proto, abych zdůraznil jejich nevědomý nebo odštěpený charakter, a náboženství proto, že je zde současně přítomen obraz nadpřirozené moci – obraz Boží (imago Dei).TeokalypsaPro všechny fenomény temného náboženství jsem zavedl termín teokalypsa (theokalypsis), jenž popisuje proces náboženské inflace archetypem bytostného Já, vytvoření ideologie a přítomnost archetypálního obrazu-symbolu (imago Dei) odkazujícího na nejvyšší, transcendentní bytost. Teokalypsa = inflace + bytostné Já + obraz Boží. Termín naznačuje skrývání se za boha, kdy já je zastíněno energií bytostného Já ospravedlněnou náboženskými obrazy a ideologií.Jako archetypální obranný mechanismus chrání teokalypsa naše já před intenzitou traumatických vzpomínek tím, že vytváří iluzi bezpečí. Otevírá mysl obrazům a vytváří tak „náboženství“. Nevědomé obsahy zasahují, aby poskytly relativní stabilitu a úlevu od bolesti. To je typické pro náboženský fundamentalismus a jiné formy neochvějného přesvědčení, včetně konspiračních teorií. Inflační zapojení archetypálních energií ovlivňuje struktury myšlení a mění je v jakýsi druh kvazináboženské víry. Temné náboženství člověku brání v tom, aby naplno čelil svým emocím, a nahrazuje tak emoční prožitek představou odtrženou od reality. „Světlé“ neboli zdravé náboženství je nedefenzivní, symbolické a s realitou je více v kontaktu.Temné náboženstvíLionel Corbett ve své knize Understanding Evil: A Psychotherapist's Guide (Rozumět zlu: Psychoterapeutův průvodce) zkoumá psychiku fundamentalistů. Podle něj jsou přesvědčeni o tom, že jejich víra je jedinou správnou cestou ke spáse a že jen oni vědí, jaké jsou Boží záměry. Často odmítají moderní „vymoženosti“, protože v nich spatřují morální úpadek. Vyznávají přísný absolutismus a vzývají obraz trestajícího Boha, který je neomylný a patriarchální. Lidé zapletení v temném náboženství mohou být při vnucování svých názorů ostatním reaktivní, agresivní nebo i militantní. Snaží se vyhýbat pocitům rozporuplnosti, nejednoznačnosti či složitosti.Temné náboženství je spojeno s úzkostným a často paranoidním pohledem na svět. Jeho zastánci striktně dbají na určité hodnoty, podřizují se autoritám, jsou reaktivní, nekompromisní a touží po moci. Nejsou ochotni přijmout osobní odpovědnost. Temné náboženství přitahuje ty, kteří hledají dogmata, jasné odpovědi a pocit sounáležitosti. Charismatičtí vůdci a manipulativní sociální skupiny poskytují svým členům falešný pocit pozitivního směřování.

Pokracovani zde

Ve jménu Boha. Tato
svého druhu ojedinělá kniha českého autora, který dnes
pracuje jako psycholog na univerzitě ve Wisconsinu (USA),
podává nedogmatický náhled směrem k psychologickému
pozadí pohnutek, směřujících k postojům vůči západní
kultuře, kterými jsou vybavováni jedinci, ale i skupiny a
společnost s islámským vyznáním. Kniha původně vyšla
Psychodiagnostika v době utváření multikulturního společenství
v USA a tedy jistým způsobem reaguje na události, které
Spojené státy postihly v poslední době. I přesto si její
obsah zachovává objektivitu pohledu. Pro čtenáře je v
jejím obsahu jistě zajímavé, když zjistí, že mnohé názory,
které vzhledem k archetypální psychologii C. G. Junga
evidujeme mnohdy přeci jen s trochou opatrnosti, jsou v
Šolcově podání logicky navazující a odkazující k nutnosti,
elementární pohnutky k některým způsobům chování
radikálních islamistů chápat v celokulturní ose motivů a
jejich původu.

Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from The Perspective of Jungian Psychology is a book on religious fundamentalism and fanaticism written by Jungian analysts Vladislav Šolc and George Didier. It was published in 2018 by Chiron Publications.

Wikipedia Page

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• Register for Vlado’s webinar series “The Mirage of Truth”
• Dark Religion on Amazon
• Dark Religion Audiobook on Audible
• Jung in the World

Two Jungian analysts discuss fundamentalism, shadow, and a new way forward. George Didier and Vlado Šolc, authors of the book Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology, join Patricia Martin for a conversation about the psychology of religion as a destructive force and why it is important to understand the shadow side of fundamentalism.

1. What got you interested in this topic? Vlado Solc

• I grew up in what we would refer to as "communism." I was young and naive and thought that the truth is something so obvious that it is virtually impossible to avoid it. There was a consensus among—I believe—most of us that it was a game of the powerful, who pretended that the King had beautiful clothes on. But when I moved to the US, I realized that this phenomenon, the phenomenon of Dark religion, permeates the whole society, and it does not evade places of the highest politics. During my studies at the institute, I connected Jung’s opus dot with what I saw around me and in me. I had a profound dream (a door in the cave dream).
• What signaled to you that the collective was ready for a book that explores this topic?
• Ready or not, here we come. Of course, there have been many writers who took upon the topic of fundamentalism. Marty and Appleby looked under the lid of fundamentalism in their comprehensive study—the fundamentalism project (1991). Karen Armstrong (2001). Chris Hedges (American Fascists, 2008). Jung himself wrote on this topic; it was his take, par excellence, and then Jungians such as Lionel Corbett or Roderick Main. I believe that our contribution is in bringing it home and pointing out that we all can be fundamentalists to a lesser or greater degree. What we call Dark religion is a stage of individuation. It is a matter of reconciliation between symbolic reality and something that we can call consensual reality. There is a thin thread between them, and maybe that is the thread that the world is hanging on, as said by Jung.
• Tell us how the book defines fundamentalism.
• We would like to get away from the historical and sociological definition of fundamentalism and rather coin the term DR that speaks to inadequate or unhealthy religious expressions. We can equally call it a “shadow” religion. It is when ego-consciousness creates all kinds of defensive positions. Numinous energies of the Self are broken into many parts and operate unconsciously, serving ego-goals. Phenomenologically there are three factors involved: inflation, the imago dei, and the ego. DR is when the ego is hiding behind God, but actually, it is all just a selfish, self-serving game.
• You write about the reality of evil. Why is it important for individuals and the collective to come to grips with the shadow side of religion?
• DR is a defense against full religious experience. Believing in the Great God does not make people great. It is really a deed that ultimately speaks for the religion people stand by. Shadow always harms, always creates consequences. George and I write about our patients who come to therapy to heal the shadow placed on them by their God-loving parents. The shadow of DR is particularly painful because it stands in opposition to God that is supposed to be the greatest.
• Your book also looks at the positive force that religion can be in a person’s life. Given that Carl Jung was raised in a Christian home and, in Memories, Dreams, and Reflections, writes about his upbringing as the son of a Protestant pastor. How would you describe Jung’s stance on the value of religion to the psyche?
• Jung believes that religions are psychotherapeutic systems of mankind. Religion as a process of consciousness can contain affect and turn into a beautiful experience, but as an unconscious energy, it can be abused in the most horrific way. We can consider religion to be a response to archetypal powers that are universal. Opus contra naturam. So, it is a natural, instinctive response, but as it becomes more conscious, we talk about spirituality.
• I want to raise the question of goodness. There is a common thread that runs through organized religion that is about doing good, being a good person, being a child of God, and the divine benevolence bestowed upon those who practice their faith. How does dark religion frame the idea of goodness? What happens when the faithful are made aware that they’ve invested their faith in something that also does harm? Does it give license for their followers to do the same? Or does it cause a psychological breach?
• Goodness is a philosophical concept, and just like the perfect circle, it does not actually exist in reality. It is an ideal to strive for, but it is always a process. There is always a shadow hidden even in the best intentions because the shadow is a twin brother of ideals. We see in our offices children of perfect parents. Individuation is about recovering oneself from the illusion of a false self. The Imago Dei of a perfect God puts a lot of pressure on folks who genuinely seek.
• Last Easter, I was very conscious of the power of ritual and symbols during Lent, from the ashes on my forehead to the sacrament of reconciliation, to the stations of the cross. The Catholic Church, for all of its epic corruption, did understand the human yearning for ritual and symbols, right down to the sensory signals of incense and beeswax candles. Personally, I get a lot out of that. What’s the benefit of participating in dark religion? How much of the recruitment and participation in dark religion is driven by the need for identity among the followers?
• To be clear, religion is only “dark” when the ego hides behind it. Symbols can be wells of life and offer numinous transformative energies. If those energies are used by the ego for its purposes, they become dark; if they serve the process of the enlargement of consciousness, they become light. The Catholic Church grew out of the same fertile ground as every other religion. We do not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.
• When it comes to religious institutions these days, corruption of mission and misuse of power are very much in the news. Do religious institutions corrupt themselves first and then become the source of cultural corruption? Or is corruption the milieu, and religion is just in the mix?
• The need for control goes hand-in-hand with the need for growth. There is a will to power but also the religious function of the psyche. Dark and Light, rational, and irrational are different sides of the same coin. The paradoxical nature of the psyche is thus present in religion; religion is the expression of the psyche. There has always been corruption, but religion seems to be a perfect “object” to hide behind because it is attractive and promises something awesome. Just like money, power, or sex, religion offers deep unconscious yearning that can be, at the same time, a trap.
• Taking a look at how the tenets of dark religion spread—religious cults, supremacist organizations, and fundamentalist spiritual leaders have taken to the internet to spread their message. It strikes me that we are in a cultural moment when religion is organized and expressed virtually. How will that alter the experience of spirituality? What about the numinous in that realm?
• Take, for example, conspiracy theories. It is so easy to spread them. They are growing in countless variations. Anonymity together with lies helps them grow on the internet easily, like fungus.

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Two Jungian analysts discuss fundamentalism, shadow, and a new way forward. George Didier and Vlado Šolc, authors of the book Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology, join Patricia Martin for a conversation about the psychology of religion as a destructive force and why it is important to understand the shadow side of fundamentalism.

• Register for Vlado’s webinar series “The Mirage of Truth”
• Dark Religion on Amazon
• Dark Religion Audiobook on Audible

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Vlado Solc, M.S., LCPC, CSAC, ICS, Jungian Analyst
Thursdays, March 7, 14, 21, and 28 | 5:00 – 6:15pm Central Time
5 CEs Available

Description

This online course explores the psychological dynamics and root causes of radical beliefs, including cults, extreme religions, and conspiracy theories. Participants will engage in an in-depth psychological analysis, examining the dynamics of entanglement in the unconscious energies of the Self.

Coined by the author, the term “Dark Religion” includes fanatical, radical, and extreme belief systems, leading to significant conflicts on both personal and cultural levels, including terrorism, possessions, and wars.

The concept of Dark Religion reveals that spirituality is an intrinsic dimension of human life, fulfilling one of its most essential needs. However, it takes a troubling turn into the “dark” when it denies, ignores, or separates itself from its vital roots. The course examines the dynamics between ego-consciousness and unconscious contents from the perspective of Jungian psychology.

Key Course Topics

Understanding Dark Religion: Explore how spirituality turns “dark” when disconnected from its vital roots, leading to the development of extreme belief systems.

Exploring Various Ego-Self Dynamics: Investigate unhealthy, non-credible relationships to unconscious contents resulting in projection, identification, alienation, inflation, or possession.

Psychological and Mythological Dimensions: Examine mythological and clinical parallels of the phenomena of Dark Religion. Explore psychological dynamics underlying conspiracism and other non-credible representations of numinous energies in consciousness. The course will also explore possible reasons why the ego clings to dark religions and self-deceptive beliefs. What constitutes excessive or unhealthy adherence?

This course offers a comprehensive examination of the psychological underpinnings of radical beliefs, providing participants with valuable insights into the complex interplay of psychology, spirituality, and societal challenges in the 21st century.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, participants will:

1. Define Ego and Self: Develop a comprehensive understanding of the concepts of the ego and the Self within Jungian theory, enabling them to articulate and differentiate these fundamental psychological concepts.
2. Understand Psychological Phenomena: Explore and comprehend phenomena such as identification, inflation, possession, and split-off in the context of Jungian psychology, equipping participants to recognize and analyze these dynamics within themselves and others.
3. Define Compensation and Amplification: Acquire a solid grasp of the definitions and applications of compensation and amplification in Jungian psychology, allowing participants to recognize and interpret these concepts in psychological dynamics.
4. Differentiate Symbol and Sign: Distinguish between the symbol and the sign within the Jungian framework, empowering participants to discern and interpret these concepts in various contexts and expressions of unconscious content.
5. Identify Mythological Parallels: Examine mythological narratives to identify parallels and archetypal representations of the dynamics between the ego and the Self. Participants will gain insights into the broader cultural and symbolic significance of these concepts.
6. Understand Libido Flow Dynamics: Explore the concepts of regressive and progressive flow of libido within Jungian psychology, allowing participants to identify and analyze the movement of psychic energy in individual and collective psychological processes.

Course Methodology

• Engage in lectures, discussions, and case studies for enhanced comprehension.
• Analyze mythological stories to discern symbolic representations of ego-Self dynamics.
• Participate in practical exercises and applications for dream analysis, connecting theoretical knowledge to clinical praxis and everyday situations.
• Join interactive sessions to clarify concepts and facilitate active learning.

Course Outcome

Participants will leave this course with the ability to articulate and differentiate fundamental Jungian concepts, recognize and analyze psychological phenomena, interpret symbolism in various contexts, and apply their knowledge in practical dream analysis. This comprehensive understanding will empower participants to navigate complex psychological dynamics with a nuanced and informed perspective in clinical settings and everyday life.

Required Reading

• Šolc, V., Didier, G., J. (2018). Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology. Chiron Publications, Asheville. Chapters 1, 3, 5 (PDF will be emailed upon registration)

Suggested Reading

• Šolc, V., Didier, G., J. (2018). Dark Religion: Fundamentalism from the Perspective of Jungian Psychology. Chiron Publications, Asheville.
• Casement, A., & David, T. (2006). The Idea of the Numinous. Routledge, London.
• Stein, M. (2020). The Bible as a Dream. Chiron.
• Corbett, Lionel. (2001). Spirituality Beyond Religion. Sounds True Publications.
• Sommer, Will. (2023). Trust the Plan.