23.7. 1993 Vitoria-Gasteiz / Spain - World Federation of Music Therapy

G U I D E D I M A G E R Y A N D M U S I C , A N D T H E
P R O C E S S O F I N D I V I D U A T I O N I N T W O W O M E N
A T M I D - L I F E .
DENISE ERDONMEZ, M.MUS RMT-BC
The paper presents two case studies of women at midlife
and the process of individuation occurring through
G.l.M. therapy
Self and the Individuation Process.
In Jungian theory, individuation is the process of
integration resulting from the reconciliation of the
opposites within the "Self".
Jung believed that the Self is the integrative point
between the conscious and unconscious. Integration is
achieved when the Shadow aspects are accepted along
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with the contrasexual elements of the anima-animus.
Individuation tends to take place in the second half of
life - at the point of mid-life transition. It is the process by
which a person becomes a psychological individual a
separate, indivisible unity or whole.
The Shadow. The shadow is the inferior or
undeveloped part of the personality. The Shadow
normally appears in dreams, or in imagery as a
personality of the same sex.
The anima-animus archetype is the sum of the
contrasexual elements of the the parent of the opposite
sex. In women, the animus is the personification of the
masculine principle. The animus or anima usually
appears in dreams or imagery, as a member of the