A mind free to explore with John A Sanford

Interview with John A Sanford about the many forms of Christianity, Jung's view on evil and Fritz Künkel's we-psychology

Mar 7

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My years of researching the dialogue between Jungian psychology and Christianity have been guided by what Jungian analyst Robert A Johnson named a series of slender threads, “the mysterious forces that guide us and shape who we are.”

Through Murray Stein, I was led to the works of Jungian Analyst and Episcopal priest John A Sanford (1929-2005). Sanford was a friend of Johnson and they both had their analysis with Fritz Künkel (who developed the today mostly forgotten idea of a "we-psychology"), in San Francisco.

Johnson said about Künkel, “He saved my life. He taught me a language which was coherent and which opened up the inner world to me.” In this episode of Psychology & The Cross, I share parts of an interview that was done with Sanford in the 1980s for the initiative profiles in Jungian-Christian dialogues by James Arrays.

Sanford begins the interview by defining his own understanding of Christianity as a religion, where the mind is free to explore. He then turns to clarify some of Jung's confusing statements about evil and to defend the Privatio Boni. Sanford does not seem evil as an integral part of God but as something allowed for by the higher purposes of God.

Sanford thereby inhabits the position of his mentor and analyst Fritz Künkel (who I plan an episode on for the podcast) by placing evil not within the Self (or within God) but within the ego(-centricity) of man.

Sanford ends the interview by broadening the definition of individuation, from an individual and narrowly psychological process to more of a spiritual and inclusive definition that includes life itself.