Citation

Dale O. J. Anal. Psychol. 2022; 67(3): 796-816.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2022, Society of Analytical Psychology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/1468-5922.12820

PMID

35856598

Abstract

Working with patients who end their lives through suicide is one of the greatest challenges and fears a clinician might face. This paper explores the experience of working with such patients in the course of psychiatric care and Jungian analysis. Jungian theory is used to explore a conceptual understanding of the dilemmas faced. Such theory points to an intractable conflict between Self and ego giving rise to unbearable distress, partly through difficulties arising in achieving individuation. The paper proposes that our difficulties in dealing with a patient's suicide might reflect a manifestation of relentless hope and, perhaps contentiously, these patients made a more considered decision in their final acts than prevailing clinical opinion suggests.

Language: en

Keywords

Humans; suicide; Psychotherapy; individuación; individuation; Individuation; individuazione; индивидуация; *Jungian Theory; *Suicide; asse Sé-Io; axe moi-Soi; ego; Ego; eje ego-Self; esperanza inquebrantable; espoir implacable; ideas suicidas; idee suicide; idées suicidaires; Io; moi; parasuicide; parasuicidio; Parasuizid; relentless hope; Sé; Selbst; Selbst-Ego-Achse; Self; Self-ego axis; Soi; speranza implacabile; suicidal ideas; suicidio; Suizid; Suizidgedanken; tentative de suicide; unerbittliche Hoffnung; неустанная надежда; ось Самость-Эго; парасуицид; Самость; самоубийство; суицидальные идеи; эго; 自杀, 自杀的想法, 自杀企图, 无情的希望, 自性化, 自性, 自我, 自性-自我轴