The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga : Notes of the Seminar Given in 1932 by C.G. Jung [Hardcover]

C. G. Jung (Author), Sonu Shamdasani (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 29, 1996

"Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model of something that was almost completely lacking in Western psychology--an account of the development phases of higher consciousness.... Jung's insistence on the psychogenic and symbolic significance of such states is even more timely now than then. As R. D. Laing stated... 'It was Jung who broke the ground here, but few followed him.'"--From the introduction by Sonu Shamdasani

Jung's seminar on Kundalini yoga, presented to the Psychological Club in Zurich in 1932, has been widely regarded as a milestone in the psychological understanding of Eastern thought and of the symbolic transformations of inner experience. Kundalini yoga presented Jung with a model for the developmental phases of higher consciousness, and he interpreted its symbols in terms of the process of individuation. With sensitivity toward a new generation's interest in alternative religions and psychological exploration, Sonu Shamdasani has brought together the lectures and discussions from this seminar. In this volume, he re-creates for today's reader the fascination with which many intellectuals of prewar Europe regarded Eastern spirituality as they discovered more and more of its resources, from yoga to tantric texts. Reconstructing this seminar through new documentation, Shamdasani explains, in his introduction, why Jung thought that the comprehension of Eastern thought was essential if Western psychology was to develop. He goes on to orient today's audience toward an appreciation of some of the questions that stirred the minds of Jung and his seminar group: What is the relation between Eastern schools of liberation and Western psychotherapy? What connection is there between esoteric religious traditions and spontaneous individual experience? What light do the symbols of Kundalini yoga shed on conditions diagnosed as psychotic? Not only were these questions important to analysts in the 1930s but, as Shamdasani stresses, they continue to have psychological relevance for readers on the threshold of the twenty-first century. This volume also offers newly translated material from Jung's German language seminars, a seminar by the indologist Wilhelm Hauer presented in conjunction with that of Jung, illustrations of the cakras, and Sir John Woodroffe's classic translation of the tantric text, the Sat-cakra Nirupana.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga serves as an excellent introduction to the higher realms of consciousness.... I enthusiastically recommend this book as an introduction to realms of analytic thought generally outside the classical and mainstream views." -- David Nichol, Psychoanalytic Books: A Quarterly Journal of Reviews

"In these four lectures... Jung placed some very complex Indian concepts within the Western psychological understanding of his time, thereby helping us to grasp better both systems of thought and realization." -- Betsy Halpern, Quadrant

"Shamdasani has performed a valuable service by editing these seminar notes and making them available to a wider audience. In addition to Jung's four lectures [he] provides an excellent introduction as well as informative footnotes.... This volume is a welcome addition to the Bollingen Seminar Series." -- William E. Kotsch, Journal of Analytical Psychology

About the Author

Sonu Shamdasani is a historian of psychology at the Wellcome Institute for the History of Medicine, London. He is the editor of Theodore Flournoy's From India to the Planet Mars: A Case of Multiple Personality with Imaginary Languages (Princeton), of Michael Fordham's Analyst-Patient Interaction, and, with Michael Munchow, Speculations after Freud: Psychoanalysis, Philosophy, Culture.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Princeton University Press (April 29, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0691021279
• ISBN-13: 978-0691021270
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,291,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, an influential thinker and the founder of analytical psychology (also known as Jungian psychology). Jung's radical approach to psychology has been influential in the field of depth psychology and in counter-cultural movements across the globe. Jung is considered as the first modern psychologist to state that the human psyche is "by nature religious" and to explore it in depth. His many major works include "Analytic Psychology: Its Theory and Practice," "Man and His Symbols," "Memories, Dreams, Reflections," "The Collected Works of Carl G. Jung," and "The Red Book."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading both for Jung and for Shamdasani, February 26, 2006

By 

Robin Robertson "Psychologist and author" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga : Notes of the Seminar Given in 1932 by C.G. Jung (Hardcover)

Jung's ideas on Kundalini are brilliant, but reveal more about Jungian psychology than Kundalini.
As with all of Shamdasani's writing, his introduction provides a historical context that both enriches Jung's interpretation and tells us much of the era in which his ideas emerged

23 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars An Incredibly Intense Read, May 24, 2007

By 

S. Cummings "dragonfly" (someplace, nice) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga (Paperback)

I found this book an incredibly intense book to read. There's nothing simple about it. I had hoped for both clarity and understanding and received neither. I kept reading...hoping upon hope that Shamdasani's words would hold me spellbound and captivated.

I seek truth in its simplest form, but did not find it here. While I am certain that Shamdasani's intent was to provide the reader with an intelligent read, his need for intellectual diatribes created, in stead, an emotional abyss; I found that I could not connect with his analysis without great intensity of focus. Frankly, I didn't have either the time or the inclination to work that hard to grasp the connections.

Had Shamdasani employed simplicity of thought and content as his guides, the average reader might actually benefit from his wisdom and intellect.

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful for the not so spritual, June 7, 2010

By 

N (Boston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Psychology of Kundalini Yoga (Paperback)

I love Jung & I Love Kundalini yoga, but before I ever stepped foot in a yoga class, I read as much as i could find at the time. This book was very helpful to me. its also been very helpful when I explain the very spiritual, intangible practice of this very specific type of yoga to my atheist / scientifically minded / concrete thinking friends. Even some of my new age-y friends have trouble understanding when I describe sitting in a room full of white people wearing turbans, chanting in Sanskrit and waving their arms around for 90 minutes. But this book really helps bridge the divide of understanding. Jung takes a very scientific approach and breaks it all down. its a great book, even if you're not planning to don a turban and chant Sanskrit for an hour with your finger oddly entwined.