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Conference hydra::dejavu

Title:Psychic Phenomena
Notice:Please read note 1.0-1.* before writing
Moderator:JARETH::PAINTER
Created:Wed Jan 22 1986
Last Modified:Tue May 27 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2143
Total number of notes:41773

738.0. "Synchronicity" by PBSVAX::COOPER (Topher Cooper) Mon May 16 1988 20:20

    On November 8, 1986 the American Society for Psychical Research
    sponsored a one-day seminar entitled "Psychic Factors in
    Psychotherapy."  Dr. James A. Hall, M.D., presented an address on
    "Jungian Analytic Meaning of Clinical Parapsychological Phenomena."
    The current (April 1988, Volume XIV, #2) issue of the ASPR Newsletter
    contains a synopsis, which I thought DEJAVUers might find interesting.
    I reproduce it (without permission) in full (text bracketed with "*"'s
    was italicized in the original) 

					Topher

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------

    Jung defined synchronicity as an *acausal connecting principle*.
    Synchronicity is complementary to causality, not competitive with it.
    The hallmark of synchronicity is the roughly simultaneous occurrence in
    time of an inner, "subjective" event and an outer, "objective" event
    *with the same meaning*. 

    Two events that seem to fit into a synchronistic pattern may have a
    causal explanation *in addition* to the synchronicity.  Synchronicity
    may be pictured as a "radial" meaning, in contrast to the "linear"
    meaning of causality.  In the image of a wheel, a synchronistic meaning
    might simultaneously "radiate" down to "spokes" to different points on
    the rim of the wheel.  Causal meanings, in the same imagery, would
    occur from one point to another upon the rim of the wheel. 

    Synchronicity is one form of acausal orderliness, that form which is
    judged by human meaning and, therefore, requires a human understanding
    for the perception of its occurrence.  There may be other forms of
    acausal orderliness, such as the regularity of radioactive decay, in
    which the mass action of the radioactive mass is quite precise,
    although there is a complete indeterminism as to when a particular atom
    may disintegrate. 

    In clinical situations, synchronicity often appears to occur in dreams
    -- for instance, a dream containing a dramatic motif that is not
    meaningful to the dreamer, but has a clear, relevant and dramatic
    association in the mind of the analyst.  At times it seems as if the
    dream-making ability of the patient's unconscious has used material
    from the unconscious mind of the analyst to dramatically call attention
    to the analytic situation. 

    Jung gave several examples of synchronistic phenomena that seemed to
    occur to awaken the patient to the reality of the psyche.  In one
    instance, while he was discussing with a resistant patient the
    patient's dream of a scarab, a scarab-like beetle flew through the open
    window and landed between them. In another instance, a woman who
    resisted dreams of her sexual difficulties was talking with Jung when
    two birds lighted on the ground between them and began to copulate.
    The woman laughed at the synchronicity and was then willing to consider
    the sexual conflict reflected in her dreams. 

    Jung's theory of archetypes is relevant to synchronicity.  Jung said
    that archetypes are *psychoid*.  This psychoid nature of the archetype
    means that from our human point of view, we are simply unable to tell
    if the archetypal structure is an ordering principle of the psyche
    alone, of matter alone, or some deeper principle that underlies both
    the psyche and the physical world.  We are within a system that we
    also, to a significant degree, influence by our beliefs and desires. 

    The clinical utilization of synchronistic phenomena requires a clear
    adherence to the individuation process of the patient.  Otherwise,
    synchronistic phenomena may evoke a shamanistic transference in the
    patient, who will then see the analyst as possessed of mystical powers;
    this almost invariably leads to resistance to the analytic process
    itself. Viewed in perspective, as reminders of the psychoid nature of
    reality, synchronistic phenomena can free both the patient and the
    analyst from a false and reductionistic immersion in mere personal
    psychodynamics to the exclusion of the transpersonal and archetypal
    aspects of human reality. 
T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
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738.1messages from ???USAT05::KASPERLife is like a beanstalk, isn't it...Tue May 17 1988 15:1421
    I found that once I became aware of this idea, I became more aware
    of when such happenings take place.  I find that after a series of
    two, three or even four events there is usually something very
    significant that is trying to be communicated.  For example,
    a few months ago I was looking through a book on pastel portraits.
    I was taken by two in particular on facing pages, one of a man, one
    of a woman.  The artist had captured  something very powerful (to me)
    in the expression of the woman, a kind of sorrow.  In reading about
    the portraits, I found that the subjects were the Lindbergs (Anne and
    Charles).  Later that day I was driving to the store.  I turned the
    corner and my eye immediately focused on a street sign, Lindberg Ave.
    At this point there wasn't any significance.  But, the next morning I
    opened a daily affirmation book to the page for that day.  There was
    a quote by Anne Morrow-Lindberg.  The quote was significant and very
    relavent to what was going on in my life at the time.  A kind of
    reminder to get focused.  Too much to be an accident or just another
    coincidence!

    Needless to say, I pay attention to these events when they occur.

    Terry
738.2Another referenceCLUE::PAINTERHeaven is a place on EarthTue May 17 1988 18:315
    
    Scott Peck writes a bit more on this in his book entitled "The Road
    Less Traveled".  
    
    Cindy (ever_the_Jung_and_Peck_fan)
738.3to be jung at heartFRSBEE::STOLOSThu May 26 1988 19:316
    my favorite synchronictic event happened to me when i was driving
    my car once. I read alot of jung he's very interesting. while driving
    i was thinking if there were laws of synchronicity and if they could
    be described in mathimatical notation, as soon as that thought was
    in my head I was passed by a car on the road with JUNG on its vanity
    plate!!
738.4Jung and healthy again?BTO::BEST_GFri May 27 1988 17:4221
    
    
    Thanks for entering this note Topher.  I find Jung very interesting.
    I have read his book Man_and_His_Symbols and loved it.  It helped
    me through a very hard time when I was way too involved in the subject
    matter of this conference.  I was taking it too seriously.  Jung
    put everything in perspective.  I sort of felt that he could veiw
    all levels of reality objectively, which gave me a much firmer base
    on which to stand.
    
    Jung only briefly mentioned synchronicity in this book though.
    Does anyone have any other titles handy?  Not just concerning
    synchronicity, but all of Jung's theories?
    
    Any information is much appreciated.
    
    Thanks.
    
    Guy
    
    
738.5A bookUSAT05::KASPERLife is like a beanstalk, isn't it...Fri May 27 1988 18:447
	re: .4

	Yes, titled 'Synchronicity' by C. Jung (Pelican/Penguin (?) Books).

	Good book.

	Terry
738.6Reply to .4, Best_G, (Where Jung left off)NEXUS::MORGANHuman Reality Engineering, Inc.Fri May 27 1988 19:345
    There is also a new form of psychology termed Archetypal Psychology,
    which is pretty much started by Hillman. He takes up where Jung
    left off.
    
    You might want to check this out in the future.
738.7The Jung-ger the betterBTO::BEST_GTue May 31 1988 12:4810
    
    re .5,.6
    
    Thanks for the information.  I would like to check out this Hillman
    guy.  Sounds like he's using a lot of Jung's ideas.
    
    Thanks again.
    
    Guy
    
738.8another book: KoestlerIJSAPL::ELSENAARWandering... Wondering...Thu Jul 07 1988 11:5214
    There's another book where synchronicity is discussed. It's "Janus
    - a summing up" by Arthur Koestler. In remember that he referred
    to more books about the subject. One aspect intrigues me, though.
    Basically because I recognize it. I myself am highly aware of
    synchronicity, and I seem to know very often when it is *relevant*,
    and when it is just some kind of coincidence. This is always the
    tricky part when I try to explain it to others; I have no answer to
    the question "and how do I know it is relevant?". 
    
    BTW, another book of Koestler is worth mentioning. It's "the act
    of creation", presenting a very useful model for creative thought
    processes.
    
    Arie 
738.9The afternoon when the 50s endedSMURF::BREAUWhat time is this place?Fri Jun 02 1989 19:4244
    
    Re: .8  Another book by Koestler about this topic is "The Roots of
    Coincidence."  Its a 100-page paperback.  One of the most interesting
    things I learned from this book was the thought that if our retinas
    were sensitive enough to actually "feel" the pressure of a photon of
    light, then our brains would not have evolved to distinguish between
    "here" and "there", and we could simply "be".
    
    another example of synchronicity:
    
    I'm sure most of you heard these before, but I'll repeat them here
    because it fits the topic.  The Littleton Stamp and Coin company uses
    this to advertise a penny for .25 that features Kennedy looking at
    Lincoln.
    
    1. Lincoln was elected in 1860.
    2. Kennedy was elected in 1960.
    3. 7 letters in each name.
    4. Both slain on Friday.
    5. Both slain with wife present.
    6. Both directly concerned with civil rights.
    7. Both had the legality of their election contested.
    8. Kennedy's secretary Lincoln warned him not to go to Dallas.
    9. Lincoln's secretary Kennedy warned him not to go to the theater.
    10. Both of their successors were named Johnson.
    11. The names, Andrew Johnson and Lyndon Johnson, each contain 13
        letters.
    12. Both served in the U.S. Senate.
    13. Both were Southern Democrats.
    14. Lyndon Johnson was born in 1908.
    15. Andrew Johnson was born in 1808.
    16. Booth and Oswald were both Southerners favoring unpopular ideas.
    17. Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and hid in a theater.
    18. Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and hid in a warehouse.
    19. Booth and Oswald were murdered before trial could be arranged.
    20. Lincoln and Kennedy were carried in death on the same caisson.
    21. Booth and Oswald were born 100 years apart.
    22. The names Lee Harvey Oswald and John Wilkes Booth each contain 15
        letters.
    
    Or maybe this should be in a numerology note?
    
    - Jim