The War of the Gods in Addiction: C.G. Jung, Alcoholics Anonymous, and Archetypal Evil

by David E. Schoen

The War of the Gods of Addiction, based on the correspondence between Bill W., one of the founders of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Swiss psychiatrist, C.G. Jung, proposes an original, groundbreaking, psychodynamic view of addiction. Using insights from Jungian psychology, it demonstrates why the twelve steps of AA really work. It explores, through theoretical and clinical material, modern and ancient myths, and fairy tales, the crucial process of neutralizing the archetypal shadow / archetypal evil, an aspect of all true addictions. It also explains how dreams may be used in the diagnosis and treatment of addiction. This book bridges the longstanding gap between the mental health and twelve-step recovering communities in ways that significantly encourage mutual understanding and benefit.

Genres: Addiction, Psychology, Nonfiction

162 pages, Paperback

First published August 27, 2009

Reviews

[Autumn Cisneros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Handbook on navigation and protection from archetype shadow evil complex. A must for everyone battling. A life time companion. It shifted the light on a dark matter. Read it. Be armed informed and ready your already in the battle. Some of you know it some do not. This is your wake up.

[Maggi Horseman · Rating 5 out of 5]

the best book on addiction I've ever read. from a Jungian perspective. Also delves into letters between Bill W and Carl Jung.

[Gidi Rosenfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall this is a great book about how A.A. mirrors the Jungian framework and why it is important for A.A. to remain its own thing as opposed to treating addiction through therapy. The insights on the psychodynamics of addiction are great, though I found the section on evil to be somewhat redundant and not entirely relevant enough to take up almost half the book. Then again, some of the things that happen under addiction do take on an archetypally evil character.
That being said, Schoen is very opinionated about what it means to be addicted and how addiction should be approached. I don't necessarily disagree with his takes, but just because A.A. is great doesn't mean it works for everyone, and surely it is not the only possible route to treating addiction. Still, I must give credit where it is due, as there are very few books on the Jungian view of addiction, let alone Jung's correspondence with Bill W.. The first section alone (Jung-Bill W. letters) makes this book worth reading.

[Scott · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this more than I did. I appreciated the Jungian view of addiction. However, melding that into AA and saying AA is doing Jungian-type work is, in my opinion, a vast exaggeration of what AA offers and a vast understatement of what Jungian psychology offers. I say this as someone who has used AA as part of recovery and who works with the Jungian psychologist. I don't have anything against AA, but it simply is not the miracle Schoen wants it to be. I think leaving AA out of the analysis would have offered a much more fruitful outcome.

[Kerry Janse · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was such an eye-opener to see the correspondence between Bill W and Carl Jung. The reality that addiction is something that needs to be fought from a spiritual perspective, spiritus contra spiritum, is so true. And that the two factors that enforce victory over addiction are surrender to God, my terminology, and linking into a recovery community. I enjoyed Schoen’s reference to many of the Jung analysts out there. Well worth the read for anyone involved in helping those enslaved by addiction.

[Ruth Anne Corbett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wow, this book is a very interesting read. I recommend it to anyone in a 12 step fellowship.