In the news with a highlight on Carl Jung and his Red Book

I’ve been waiting for this conversation and knew it wouldn’t be long before it hit the mainstream. About Carl Jung. The Red Book reveals he dealt with altered states. To me it’s clear that they are “psychotic” in nature. But why does that have to be assumed to be mental illness? I by no means assume it’s an illness. Nor would most cultures other than our own.

• Jung Confronts His Demons — WSJ — I think it’s all splitting hairs. — As Jung explained on the final page: “to the superficial observer, it will appear like madness.” Yet Mr. Shamdasani says Jung was engaged in a clearly controlled experiment. “There wasn’t anything like a psychosis,” he insists. In fact, what emerged during what many describe as a crippling depression were Jung’s groundbreaking theories on archetypes, the collective unconscious, and the process of individuation—the interior work one must engage in to become a person or individual.

• Carl Jung’s Frightening Demons — Psychology Today Christopher Lane — One reason for the enigma surrounding Carl Jung’s Red Book is that he never got around to finishing it. The haunting book ends mid-sentence, just after its author concedes, “My acquaintance with alchemy took me away from it . . .” It’s a tantalizing end to a book full of riddles.

More posts on Carl Jung and the The Red Book on Beyond Meds:

• Carl Jung had what would today be called an extended psychotic episode
• Carl Jung, another drug-free recovery from psychosis
•  In the news with a highlight on Carl Jung and his Red Book
• A journey into the Red Book (video)

And in other news:

• Foster Children Mistreated, Suit Against City Claims NYT —The psychiatric warehousing of our youth, I imagine it happens everywhere, not just NY. A federal lawsuit is seeking to bar New York City from allowing troubled foster-care children to be kept in psychiatric hospitals after doctors have recommended their release, a practice that routinely adds months to a hospitalization despite laws that require such children to be placed in the least restrictive environment possible.

• Veterans Blast Georgia Bill to Put PTSD Diagnosis on Driver’s Licenses — Veterans groups are blasting Georgia lawmakers for passing legislation that would allow a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder to appear on driver’s licenses.–The legislation, which awaits Gov. Sonny Purdue’s signature, would permit servicemembers and veterans to request a PTSD denotation, which would appear on their driver’s licenses as a specific health problem, much like poor eyesight.

The Red Book