Boundaries of the Soul: The Practice of Jung's Psychology

A very readable view into a therapist's use and experience of Jung's Psychotherapy, with a creative use of dream analysis and religious, spiritual and mythical elements.

Having read Carl Jung now for the past twenty years, and having given his psychology much thought over this amount of time, it should come as no surprise I still turn to introductory material to help broaden and refresh my understanding of this analytical genius.I read June Singer first back in the eighties. It was a little book called 'Seeing Through the Visible World' and was a nice rumination on Jung and his relationship to the gnostics.In this great book, though, Singer proves to be expansive, well read and well experienced in Jungian philosophy and psychology.Singer proves, chapter by chapter, her deep grasp of the material and provides wonderful clinical examples of this particular brand of psychology at work.If nothing else, in seeking Wholeness, the crux of Jung's psychology, there is a dynamism and tension of opposites because Jung does not arrive at Platonic Forms that are static and good, but rather Archetypes, which are dynamic and therefore hold out the promise in polarity of both good and evil. His is an honest and sobering psychology and philosophy, a bareknuckled approach to the realities of life that sometimes borders on a Religion, what with Jung having become the prophet and harbinger of the modern subjective view to reality.Singer begins in this work with complexes, continues on through archetypes, the persona, the shadow, individuation and culminates in the reality of death and dying. But she does so with an extreme intelligence on the subjects that makes the material available and most, relevant, for a new generation of discoverers.While I have read other Jungian analysts such as Jaffe and Edinger, Singer takes the cake with this one, in my humble opinion!A landmark!

I first read this wonderful book some 30-odd years ago, and I've returned to it many times since. It remains one of the best introductions to Jung's thought & basic concepts that I know. Singer's personal touch, both in her own case histories & her autobiographical anecdotes, add to the book; the feeling is one of listening to a wise woman, rather than hearing a dry lecture. Singer not only knows her material intellectually, she knows it in her soul, and that comes through on every page. This book made me start paying attention to my dreams, and gave me a much-needed framework for understanding my life at a crucial time, when I was most in need of such a framework.While the revised & updated edition is excellent, I'd also recommend reading the original 1972 edition if you can find it. For example, Singer's chapter on Jung & the Counterculture is superb, and not nearly as dated as the author herself believed; in any case, it provides a valuable on-the-spot account of Jungian thought & its intersection with the 1960s, the impact of which is still being felt today. Yet it's also fascinating to read the follow-up stories of some of her patients in the newer edition.Jung is a much better known name today than when this book first appeared, but his thought isn't always as well understood as it might be. Let Singer take you on a revelatory tour of the Psyche & learn far more about both Jung & yourself than you ever imagined. Highly recommended!

I purchased this book, because I have always found Jung’s Analytical Psychology, and the themes and ideas that it works with to be very compelling. It has been a topic which I have revisited over and over again, from time to time. Especially his teachings and ideas revolving around the Collective Unconsciousness.The main reason why I bought this volume though was to hopefully gain a bit of an understanding of the psychoanalytical process as it is practiced. Especially as a simple Layman who has studied some of his ideas.This book is dense, in its information, and it is written in a style which is easy to read, and the knowledge of the author’s expertise with the system is easily identifiable.Now reaching the end, is it a book that I would read again, probably not, maybe some time in the future if the mood strikes me. But did I come out on the other end with what I purchased it in the first place for, I definitely did, and I can understand why many of the reviews here as well as within the book, are well founded as this being a classic text on the subject.

Knowing that many who have an interest in psychology find Jung's own writings abstruse, Singer, a long-time analyst and teacher, wrote this book to illustrate how she practiced analytical psychology. The book was first published in 1972 and revised in 1994. Singer died in 2004.Singer shows how analysts use Jung's ideas but is careful to note that there are few, if any, orthodoxies and psychological "techniques" that apply to this approach to psychotherapy. Thus, Jungians tend to be very open about such issues as how long therapy should last and how involved the analyst should become with analysands. Singer points out that her approach to therapy is uniquely her own.The book is organized into chapters to illustrate how Jungian ideas are used in therapy. The chapters cover key concepts such as archetypes, dreams, individuation, psychological types, persona and shadow, etc. The most helpful aspect of the book is how Singer intersperses stories from her practice throughout the book. Showing how a particular person works with dreams or encounters the shadow, for example, brings abstract concepts down to earth and allows the reader to experience the results of therapy.Singer's book is a valuable guide in making Jungian therapy more accessible and understandable.

I've read this before... It is absolutely what any student of psychology should read! And, anyone who Truly desires to know themselves and understand mind,Get This Book Now!!!

I liked the way Singer used her own experiences with clients to illustrate Jung’s teachings.

Brilliant update if original classic. One of the best books about jungian therapy highly recommended to anyone undertaking the jungian path in therapy. Essential readingb

This book deals with complex ideas in a easy to understand language. A very interesting read!

Outdated a bit