Volume 39 · Number 5
MAY 2009
Clinical Implications of Synchronicity and Related Phenomena
By Ginette Nachman, MD, PhD
Synchronicity, as defined by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, encompasses a range of phenomena. Broadly speaking, Jung used the term to describe “the simultaneous occurrence of a certain psychic state with one or more external events, which appear as meaningful parallels to the momentary subjective state, and, in certain cases, vice versa.” Within this framework, Jung included more typical, meaningful coincidence experiences, as well as a range of psychic or “psi” phenomena, such as precognitive dreams, clairvoyance, and telepathy. Jung’s interest in these areas stemmed from a number of unusual personal experiences, as well as observations from his clinical work with patients. He was also influenced by relevant scientific research, most notably that of J.B. Rhine, with whom he maintained a long-term correspondence.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ginette Nachman, MD, PhD, is a Research Associate with Rhine Research Center, Durham, North Carolina.
Address correspondence to: Ginette Nachman, MD, PhD, Rhine Research Center, 2741 Campus Walk Avenue, Building 500, Durham, NC 27705.
Dr. Nachman has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
The author would like to thank Dr. Stanley Krippner, Dr. Eberhard Bauer, and Dr. Bernard Beitman for their comments, and Dr. John Palmer for his assistance with source information for this article.
10.9999/00485713-20090424-02
Synchronicity, Weird Coincidences, and Psychotherapy
Creating Synchronicity in Treatment and in Other Human Relationships
Jan Fawcett, MD
Synchronicity, Weird Coincidences, and Psychotherapy
Bernard D. Beitman, MD
Two Patients who Think their Family Members have been Replaced by ‘Imposters’
Brenda J. Talley, MD;
Luke Michels, MD
Brains Seek Patterns in Coincidences
Bernard D. Beitman, MD
Weird Coincidences Commonly Occur
Stephanie L. Coleman;
Bernard D. Beitman, MD;
Elif Celebi, MD
Characterizing High-frequency Coincidence Detectors
Bernard D. Beitman, MD;
Stephanie L. Coleman
Synchroners, High Emotion, and Coincidence Interpretation
Bernard D. Beitman, MD;
Albert Shaw, MD
Synchronicity and Psychotherapy:
Jung’s Concept and Its Use in Clinical Work
Robert H. Hopcke, MFT
