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AA Bibliography Home
Articles in Jungian Psychology
Jung and Alcoholics Anonymous
The following information has been provided by Roger Heydt of
Pennsylvania:
Jung is credited with having set the course for what today is
known as Alcoholics Anonymous. No, not the founder of A.A. -- that
was a joint effort from Bill Wilson, a stock broker (alcoholic)
and "Dr. Bob" an Akron, Ohio, M.D. (also a confessed alcoholic).
It was Bill Wilson who told a story of one of Jung's patients,
"Roland," who was helped by Jung. Roland then associated with the
Oxford group of the day (in the 1920s I think). It was Wilson who
likewise in his attempt to get sober visited the Oxford groups,
meeting Roland, who informed Wilson of Jungian psychology and the
need for change at depth. Wilson later had one of these
"conversions" -- not to be confused with emotional stage healings
as seen on T.V. Wilson's "spiritual experience" led him to form
A.A. with Dr. Bob. in the 1930s.
I have found much of "Jung" in A.A. philosophy -- not the
"pop-rehab-behavioral-Skinner-type" A.A. as preached by what seems
to be nearly every "social agency" that deals with alcoholism and
drug addiction, but rather A.A. at its deeper levels as suggested
by Wilson and others in the early AA's in their understanding of
the "spiritual" necessity -- a complete renewal of the mind in
order for recovery to come about.
There is a one or two line mention of Jung in A.A.'s text book
(the Big Book), "Alcoholics Anonymous?" (pp. 26, 27.).
When Roland reportedly asked Jung if there was any sure way for an
alcoholic to recover -- truly recover, Jung is quoted as saying,
"Yes, there is. Exceptions to cases such as yours have been
occurring since early times. Here and there, once in a while,
alcoholics have had what are called vital spiritual experiences.
To me these are phenomena. They appear to be in the nature of huge
emotional displacements and rearrangements. Ideas, emotions, and
attitudes which were once the guiding forces of the lives of these
men are suddenly cast to one side, and a completely new set of
conceptions and motives begin to dominate them. In fact, I have
been trying to produce some such emotional rearrangement within
you. With many individuals the methods which I employed are
successful, but I have never been successful with an alcoholic of
your description."
It seems that Jung's pronouncement that the only hope for Roland
was a "spiritual experiecne" was the final straw in Roland's
treatment. He was deflated to the point of "giving up." As a
result he had the "rearrangement" and later explained it to "Ebby"
who in turn explained it to Bill Wilson who explained it to Dr.
Bob, who formed what became A.A.
Jung played a vital role in the eventual formation of what people
now recognize as A.A. At last count, I counted over 140 Twelve
Step programs patterned after A.A.: e.g. Overeaters Anonymous,
Narcotics Anonymous, Gamblers Anonymous, and many more. Jung's
ideas have obviously travelled far more than possibly even some
mainstream analysts may know.
Credit for this information should probably go to those before me
who led me in the right direction to discover it, particularly
Ernest Kurtz with whom I spoke briefly a number of years ago about
his book, Not-God: A History of Alcoholics Anonymous (1979:
Hazelden Books, Center City, Mn. 55012). Kurtz's notes on Jung's
role in A.A. are found on pages 8 and 9 and in a couple of
wonderful footnotes on the subject on pages 252 & 253, notes 5 -
8. Kurtz quotes from a 1961 letter written by Bill Wilson to Jung
and from Jung's reply, which was published in an A.A. monthy
magazine, "Grapevine" (Jan. 1963 and Nov. 1968(?)) All--or I would
suspect most--of the official documentaion on this may be found by
contactng A.A.'s main office in New York and the Hazelden folks in
Center City, Minnesota.
Jung, no doubt, did wonders in moving along the world of
psychotherapy, but he did even more than that in my opinion. He
helped make it possible through a set of circumstances
(unconsciously on purpose, so to speak) to have an organization,
and many more like it, that has helped millions upon millions to
recovery. Many, even in A.A., especially the "newer" A.A. members,
do not know Jung's part in the whole picture.
P.S. Kurtz found the obituary of Rowland H. in the New York Times,
Dec. 22, 1945. This may lead to more information on where Jung
fits into this picture. By the way, the correct spelling is,
"Rowland," although Bill Wilson continued to spell it Roland.
Thanks so much,
Roger Heydt
rog@microserve.net
Ashley, Pennsylvania |
