Jung and Sex

While glaringly obvious in our culture, sex and sexuality are still only dimly understood: it is everywhere visible, subject to moralism, studied by psychologists, used and abused in advertising, confusing to adolescents, frightening to some, suffered by many in symptomatic forms. But Edward Santana covers the ground - from struggles between culture and instinct to pharmaceuticals and technology - in this brilliant study of Jung's work, contemporary psychological treatment, and the importance of recognizing sexual life as a deep, exquisite expression of the human soul. - Lyn Cowan, Ph.D., Jungian analyst This book should be required reading for any psychotherapist who treats people suffering from sexual difficulties. It will fill a void in the Jungian literature on sexuality. Dr. Santana's stress on the spiritual dimensions of sexuality is a necessary corrective to purely behavioral approaches. - Lionel Corbett, M.D., Jungian Analyst Edward Santana's Jung and Sex effectively answers the question: what would a nineteenth century born psychologist have to contribute to the field of sexual studies and therapeutic treatment, especially in an era dominated by behaviorism and cognitive psychologies? Jung not only repositions human sexuality through the biological and social into the realm of the spiritual but affirms that a sexual problem can only be solved by love, that is, by an engagement with the meaning dimension. This book asks the reader to approach the mystery of sex with a willingness to submit to psyche, a Greek word which translates as Soul. - James Hollis, Ph.D., is a Jungian analyst in Washington, D.C., and author of numerous books, most recently, What Matters Most: Living a More Considered Life, and Hauntings: Dispelling the Ghosts Who Run Our Lives. Edward Santana, in his brave book Jung and Sex, does something that is long overdue: a critical review of the moralism that has affected the Jungian community... a magnificent effort to renew our thinking about the spiritual dimensions of sexuality. The style is jargon-free, pleasant and sharp! Ginette Paris, Ph.D., author of Wisdom of the Psyche: Beyond Neuroscience