Carl Jung’s connection with Alcoholics Anonymous
Carl Jung had a significant impact on the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous. He demonstrated profound humility and understanding in providing addiction recovery support.
Jung treated an alcoholic called Rowland H.. After treatment, Rowland soon relapsed. Following this relapse, Rowland asked Jung for a prognosis, whereupon Jung declared that he was a hopeless alcoholic. According to Bill W., co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, this pronouncement was “the first link in the chain of events that led to the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous”.
Being pronounced hopeless by one he admired so much, Rowland H. admitted powerlessness over alcohol. That powerlessness was the first step in Rowland’s recovery through what became the principles and practices of the 12 steps.
In a remarkable correspondence with Jung years later, Bill W. recounted Rowland’s journey and the importance of Jung’s acknowledgement that he could not cure Rowland H. of his addiction. Bill wrote,”this candid and humble statement of yours was beyond doubt the first foundation stone upon which our Society has since been built.”
In his reply to Bill W., Jung wrote: “Craving for alcohol [is] the equivalent on a low level of the spiritual thirst of our being for wholeness, expressed in mediaeval language: the union with God. … You see, Alcohol in Latin is ‘spiritus‘, and you use the same word for the highest religious experience as well as for the most depraving poison. The helpful formula therefore is: ‘spiritus contra spiritum‘”. (Jung’s letter to Bill W., 1961)
In other words, Jung prescribed Spirit to combat the sickness of consuming spirits. Cultivating a new and life-giving spiritual attitude is one of the main healing factors in 12-step programs.
Read Bill W.’s letter to Carl Jung and Carl Jung’s response to Bill W. here.