Islamic Cultures and Jungian Analysis

ABSTRACT

The nature of the self, consciousness, and various levels of imagination have been subjects of in-depth investigation by various Islamic philosophers since the tenth century. There are significant parallels and similarities between the major ideas in analytical psychology and Islam, especially mystical Islam, with a great potential for cross-fertilization between the two traditions. However, very little is known or has been written in this area, and the applicability of Jungian psychotherapy/analysis to Muslim patients remains unexplored. Furthermore, the rise in Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism in the past decades have led to negative projections on Muslims, the demonization of Islam, and the development of cultural complexes, which together have contributed to biases toward individuals with Muslim cultural backgrounds. With the anticipated significant rise in the Muslim population in this century, depth psychotherapists can no longer afford to overlook this population. Knowledge of clinical work with Muslim patients and understanding how to navigate the clinical issues that emerge in working with this population are going to be essential for psychotherapists. The similarities between the major ideas in analytical psychology and Islam, and the relevance and applicability of Jungian analysis in clinical work with patients from Muslim cultural backgrounds, are explored in this article.

KEY WORDS:

• active imagination
• imagination
• Islam
• Jungian analysis
• Mundus Imaginalis
• Muslim
• Sufism
• Ta’wil

NOTE

References to The Collected Works of C. G. Jung are cited in the text as CW, volume number, and paragraph number. The Collected Works are published in English by Routledge (UK) and Princeton University Press (USA).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

D. Steven Nouriani

D. STEVEN NOURIANI, PhD, MFT, is a multicultural Jungian analyst and has presented on various topics in depth psychology at conferences in the United States and abroad for two decades. He teaches in the analytic training program at the C. G. Jung Institute of San Francisco and various universities. Dr. Nouriani is in private practice in San Francisco and San Jose, practices in English and Farsi (Persian), and works with children, adults, couples, and groups.