The interplay between the 'here' and the 'hereafter': life after death in the psychotherapy of C. G. Jung

This thesis explores the claims and experiences of Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung (1875-1961) regarding death, including his encounters with figures he referred to as “the dead” and his near-death experience following a heart attack in 1944. Through a close reading of Jung’s texts, it examines how these experiences influenced Jung’s psychotherapeutic methods, particularly his views on psychological development in relation to death and the notion of an afterlife. Organized chronologically, the thesis divides Jung’s life into three key periods—university years, midlife, and later years—focusing on his most significant works related to death and the dead. The key findings are as follows: First, Jung’s psychotherapeutic approach can be seen as a response to the reductive materialism of science prevalent both in his time and in modern science. Second, the individuation process, a central theme in his therapeutic approach, came to be understood by Jung as a preparation for death. Third, Jung regarded some figures of the dead as actual souls without bodies, and their presence profoundly shaped his therapeutic approach. His framework, particularly after his 1944 near-death experience, expanded to allow for the ontological possibility of these figures and the existence of life after death. Finally, Jung believed that psychological development continued beyond physical life, with the potential to achieve psychological wholeness after death, a central aim of his therapeutic practice. In conclusion, this thesis argues that Jung’s psychotherapeutic work represents an effort to address the mystery of what happens after death.