I started training at Carl Gustav Jung Institute in Zurich in 2020. I wanted to develop my skills and knowledge, and become truly a part of the international professional community (more interactions with foreign colleagues, cultural experience exchange, clients from non-russian environments alongside with my established practice in Moscow). In 2022 I faced a very difficult choice: to continue my life in Russia (but that life would be different in comparison with the previous one), to find a job in Europe and relocate to Europe or to Great Britain, to figure out something else. Finally, I concluded that staying in Russia would ruin all my most meaningful orientations in life. Relocation and a job in Europe or Great Britain would require so much involvement from me (time and financial aspect) that I would get stuck in my training as a jungian analyst and studies in Carl Gustav Jung Institute. I decided to go to Asia. My family and I lived in Uzbekistan and in Thailand for a while the last two years. I found an English language education for my daughter and proceeded with my studies. I felt it was really valuable to continue my path in the Jungian community.
Unfortunately, the geopolitical situation was getting worse and in winter 2024 I found out that after 20 years of travelling and studying in Europe I received two dismissals for obtaining the EU visa. I approached and informed the leadership of my Institute that I couldn’t obtain a visa to come personally. The Institute (with exception of covid times) provides only face to face education. I was very scared that I would have no chance to meet the requirements, become a member of IAAP and that I would be forced to complete my program. However, the leadership of Carl Gustav Institute permitted me to complete some unfinished tasks remotely. I received much support from them at each stage. The attitude of the curatorium was that they were willing to help me if I faced any obstacles beyond my control. In Spring 2022 I wasn’t able to use my previous payment methods for supervisions and for semesters and I didn’t know when and how I would find the new ones. I found them pretty soon, in Summer 2022. And I always paid in advance since then, considering the unpredictability of everything. But before I was able to fix my situation with payments in Spring 2022 both my supervisors (one from Germany and the another one from the USA told me not to be worried about money and to attend supervisions as they were scheduled without any breaks). The curatorium had the same intention. They said I could pay when I found the solution. I was very touched, surprised and even I was crying when I saw how people try to help me and give some support. Many lecturers, who knew me, regularly wrote personally and checked whether I needed any help. I felt as a part of the community.
Today, I am working on my thesis and case reports (the last requirements for graduation from the Institute in Zurich) and I am preparing my relocation to Australia. By answering the next questions I will try to explain why I am settling down in some new unexpected places instead of just living where I was born.
SAFOJ asked me how difficult is it to create or maintain a Jungian practice in Russia today? Are there economic or political obstacles?
From one perspective I believe that it is quite possible to maintain a Jungian practice in Russia today. You can work with your clients, meet them in your office, provide skills and knowledge that you develop as a jungian analyst. There are trainers, living in Russia, with internationally recognised status. Just like in the past. However, my observations are that the Russian community became much more isolated in comparison with the not too distant past. As representatives of the Russian government state in the mass-media “western countries are not the entire world, there are many countries with whom we have friendly relationships; we are not isolated, we should collaborate with them”. In fact, what are these countries fully available to collaborate with Russian specialists? Latin America, Africa, China and some countries in Asia. As a person who has lived in Asia the last two years I can say that I didn’t find here any developed jungian community for collaboration. If we take China, most likely they have such a community, they have the local adaptation of almost any community from overseas. The Chinese are open to collaborate with Russians, they look pretty friendly and cooperative, indeed, however the language of their collaboration is Chinese. So I never witnessed the Chinese presenting a conference report on Russian International events arranged by jungian communities in Moscow or in St. Petersburg or my jungian colleagues travelling to China to perform in some professional events. What I did witness is that Jungians or Shamans from Latin America were invited and came to Moscow, and that Russian professionals were invited to their conferences. The same observations I have about developed regions of Africa. It is definitely some sort of exchange and multicultural enrichment. But this happens extremely rarely, at least in non remotely setting. And sometimes some lecturers from America, UK, Australia or from Europe are risky enough to perform remotely for Russian communities (I saw no examples of their personal coming, it doesn’t mean I am 100% sure there weren’t such events). However, my conclusion is that increased difficulties and restrictions significantly affected the involvement of Russian professionals into the international community. Africans and Latin Americans even being knowledgeable professionals are far to travel and those exchanges are rare and restricted because of inevitable logistic obstacles. As I mentioned, even as a student of Carl Gustav Jung institute leaving abroad, I get restricted to obtain the EU visa, I can’t travel there. And this affected even my involvement in the international professional community of Jungians. In the past, I was able to make friends in the EU easily. Because I was in Europe almost every year, in most years – multiple times. My face-to-face presence led to network building without any additional deliberate efforts. And in the last two years no new acquaintances from the EU occurred in my life. My foreign colleagues are much more focused on people whom they can meet personally. If you do something remotely you become just like a “TV show” for other participants who can see each other in real life. And my connections with other students (except ones who already became my friends in the past) got very poor in the last two years in comparison with the period between 2020 and 2022. Therefore I suppose Russian Jungian Communities and their members, participants of professional events, lose a lot in the current situation when participation of foreign guests gets almost only remote.
This was one aspect, the most observable. Less obvious economic obstacles are that in January 2022 an average price for a session of a jungian analyst in Moscow was 5,000 rubles. It was about 70 dollars. That was in some way equivalent to an average price for consultancies in America (110-120$) in January 2022. Because the expenses for everyday life and services were proportionally lower in Russia than in America. Today in 2024 5,000 rubles is about 50 dollars. And the cost of living is almost two times higher than in 2022. This means that the financial possibilities of an average Russian significantly decreased. Considering threefold increased prices for airline tickets from Moscow in any direction abroad an average Russian is very financially restricted to travel overseas.
The average price for consultancy of recognised jungian analysts in Russia hasn’t increased since 2022 according to my observations. In addition to that, it is very unpopular for Russian community (relating to mental health, not only Jungian) members to increase the amount of fee annually for actual clients. Most of my colleagues from Russia didn’t increase fees for their old clients, irrespective of the fact that Russian currency has dramatically changed its prime cost since 2022. Some of them (not all of them) increased the prices for new clients. In addition to that, obtaining a visa can be an unsolvable obstacle for many professionals. And I have faced that problem myself.
And the last disappointing thing that I noticed, for many of my colleagues who live in Russia right now their practice becomes more with people from their own culture and location. As in my example with students from Jungian Institute in Zurich the international connections become more virtual and weak. And foreign clients become a more exceptional phenomenon for many practising analysts in Russia. Among my relocated colleagues this tendency can be the opposite. In my experience at least half clients in my current practice have recently relocated and their processes of life relate more to urgent adaptation and overwhelming challenges (not isolation and helplessness in combination with unpredictability, typical today for living in Russia).
Are there Russian Jungian books, articles and/or podcasts being disseminated?
As far as I know, yes. The dissemination is continuing. It would be great if Russian Jungian communities get bigger in the near future, more established and producing more products like (writing the articles, arrangement of events, Jungian books translation – from foreign languages into Russian and from Russian Language into foreign languages). But nobody knows whether explosive growth will be possible in the next couple of years. Perhaps, it won’t happen, taking into account all the unfavourable factors. And the recent law about non propaganda of LGBT is severely affecting the book industry, including professional literature and investigations.
Is there a lively Jungian community in Moscow and St. Petersburg?
Yes, they proceed with their activities, considering limitations described above. I am not so familiar with the community in St. Peterburg. But I keep in touch with ROAP (Russian Society for Analytical Psychology) and MAAP.
