'Jung' at heart
Center furthers
teachings of psychologist Carl Jung
By Nikie Johnson
Daily Cougar Staff
In 1958, a group of five women entering
middle age formed a reading circle to better educate themselves on the
issues of the world. Among other things, the women in that reading circle
became very interested in the teachings of psychologist Carl Jung.
Forty years later, that small reading circle
has evolved into the C. G. Jung Educational Center of Houston, an organization
with more than 500 members and 2,000 participants each year. It officially
became the Jung Center in 1961, when Carl Jung sent a letter to the group
giving them his permission to use his name in conjunction with their group.
That letter now hangs in the foyer of the
Jung Center, which is located in the Carolyn Fay Grant building at 5200
Montrose Blvd. The building was constructed in 1974 as an art gallery,
and was purchased a year later by the Jung Center. It is now used to hold
courses, workshops and other special events that aid in the search for
psychological and spiritual meaning.
"The growth of the Jung Center comes from
the diversity of topics offered on one question: that of ultimate meaning,"
said Sean Fitzpatrick, the Jung Center's coordinator of outreach and special
projects.
Max Lacayo/The Daily Cougar
The Carolyn
Fay Grant building in the Museum District houses the C. G. Jung Educational
Center of Houston. The center teaches classes that focus on aspects of
analytical psychology and the expressive arts.
The six- or 12-week-long classes cover
topics as diverse as Beethoven, Chinese brush painting, geometry, origami
and yoga, as well as Jungian psychology.
According to Fitzpatrick, out of the 100
organizations in the country that are associated with Jungian psychology,
the Houston Jung Center is the only one that teaches both analytic psychology
and the expressive arts.
"Expressive arts, as opposed to the fine
arts, are of service in the introspective process," he said. "Here, the
focus is not so much on technique as on using art to express self-understanding
and cultural environment."
The building that contains the Jung Center
is as eclectic as the courses offered inside. Upon entering the building,
visitors can see it is still used to exhibit artwork -- there is a constant
rotation of local and national artists' work on display in all of the center's
rooms.
Much of the facility is occupied by the
center's library/bookstore and office space. The center mainly utilizes
two of the building's rooms for classes: a large room where most art and
discussion classes are taught, and another room with hardwood floors and
a closet full of large pillows, where movement and meditation classes are
held.
Jung was a protégé of Sigmund
Freud, the famous psychologist and father of psychoanalysis. Fitzpatrick
explained the two had a father-and-son relationship, but around 1914 or
1915, Jung began to form differing opinions.
"Jung had a more ambiguous notion of a
'collective unconscious,'" Fitzpatrick said. "This is one of the key reasons
the Jung Center has been so successful in Houston especially, because it
promotes the positive values of cultural aspects in everyday life."
The Jung Center has an alliance with The
Honors College at UH. One of the founders donated money to the Honors College
to support existing programs in The Honors College that encourage the Jungian
perspective. That donation pays for any Honors College student to attend
one class per semester at the Jung Center.
Anyone is eligible to get scholarships
to attend classes at the Jung Center. For non-members, most of the classes
cost $90 for six weeks and $180 for 12 weeks. But Fitzpatrick said the
center tries to lower prices for students.
"There is a scholarship fund, and students
who apply for scholarships can usually attend classes free of charge, or
for a very minimal fee," he said. The Alma Owen Lloyd Scholarship Fund
provides financial aid for all courses and other programs.
The center also holds a conference every
fall that any UH student can attend for free. This year's topic was "The
Power of the Personal Story."
The bookstore is open to the public, and
Fitzpatrick said many psychology students come in to find books there.
Fitzpatrick noted the yoga and meditation
classes are especially popular with UH students. Jen Burnett, a junior
pre-business major, is taking a yoga class there this fall.
"I was recently diagnosed with arthritis,
so I decided to try yoga to help with flexibility," she said. "I love it."
Fitzpatrick said the Jung Center attracts
many students who are looking for a deeper sense of self and place in the
community, and a place to reduce stress after a day of classes.
"The Jung Center is for people who try
to reconcile a need for a sense of purpose and ultimate meaning," he said.
"We don't focus on any single way of looking at things. It is impossible
to hold one ideology over another, so we talk mainly about questions, not
necessarily answers."
Burnett said one of the best things about
the Jung Center is open dialogue.
"It's a really great opportunity because
it's a class where you don't get a grade, so you can let your mind wander,"
she said. "It really helps you broaden your horizons.
"It's the kind of opportunity that gives
students the chance to just philosophize. They say, 'Now you've read this;
what do you think?' It focuses on you and your view, not on the author
and his teachings," Burnett said.
