Healing, but from what and for what?

The author explores the idea of healing throughout history, noting the concepts of deliverance and protection. She cites the evolution of healing techniques, starting with the Bible, and man’s need to be delivered from evil and protected by God. The advent of science preceded the birth of psycho-analysis, with Freud’s discovery of the unconscious and the repressed. To the work on infantile complexes, Jung added the idea that neurosis is a psychosocial phenomenon, expressing the suffering caused by unrealized potentialities. A clinical case illustrates the importance of transference and the dream for psychic transformation. The author then shows the danger of a healing process which would dogmatically seek deliverance from evil, a religious attitude which borders on magical thinking. Lastly, a side trip to the Orient opens new horizons.