Description

Alchemical hermeneutics: Differentiating the polyphony of voices in the work

JASON A BUTLER PHD

Psychotherapist, San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Abstract

One of the primary aims of the alchemical hermeneutic method is to provide a path for engaging the unconscious influences present in both the researcher’s complex character as well as the complex character of the work itself (Romanyshyn, 2007). This essay will outline the history of thought that has supported the development of alchemical hermeneutics and demonstrate through example the way in which the alchemical hermeneutic method offers the researcher an opportunity to uncover the salient aspects of his or her personal prejudice in relation to the research through the exploration of complex projections, dream motifs, symptoms, and fantasies, welcoming these psychological expressions as integral voices in the research process. In relation to standard critical approaches aimed at objectivity, this method has the advantage of taking into account the unconscious factor at the root of any personal bias. Through the use of transference dialogs, a form of active imagination aimed at engaging with the imaginal figures related to the research, alchemical hermeneutics facilitates disclosure and differentiation of the researcher’s unconscious relationship to the work and draws attention to the unanswered questions that call, in a vocational sense, the researcher to the topic.

Keywords: alchemical hermeneutics, depth psychology, research, phenomenology, imaginal approach, archetypal psychology