Jungian psychoanalyst Eva Wertenschlag-Birkhäuser | Painting the unconscious | Speaking of Jung

Eva Wertenschlag-Birkhäuser, M.A., is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Bern, Switzerland.

Born and raised in Basel, Eva studied history and German literature at the University of Basel, earning a master’s degree in 1975. The following year, she began training as a Jungian psychoanalyst at the C.G. Jung Institute Zürich where she earned her diploma in 1985 with the thesis, “The Dialogue between King Caled and the Alchemist Morienus: Love and Alchemy.” Her thesis advisors were Marie-Louise von Franz, Theo Abt, and Godi Isler.

Since then, Eva has been practicing as a Jungian psychoanalyst, and in 1994 became a member of the Board of the Research and Training Centre for Depth Psychology According to C.G. Jung and Marie-Louise von Franz in Zürich. She served as president from 2005 until earlier this year and remains active as a faculty member and training analyst.

Along with her brother Kaspar Birkhäuser, Ph.D., Eva co-founded the Birkhäuser-Oeri Foundation which preserves and catalogues the work of their late parents, artist and analysand Peter Birkhäuser (1911-1976) and Jungian psychoanalyst Sibylle Birkhäuser-Oeri (1914-1971). The Foundation possesses the comprehensive body of paintings, graphic art, and writings by the couple, as well as valuable personal records and revealing background material. Research and publication of the understanding of these unique documents remains ongoing, and their space in Basel is open to the public.

Together, Eva and Kaspar have published two books about their father’s work. Light From the Darkness: Paintings by Peter Birkhäuser with Commentary by Marie-Louise von Franz was republished earlier this year by Daimon Verlag (https://amzn.to/40K4q3g). This new bilingual edition includes additional paintings and 38 full-page color illustrations on art paper. And the comprehensive coffee table book, Der Rote Faden: Malerei und Grafik von Peter Birkhäuser (The Red Thread: Paintings and Graphics by Peter Birkhäuser), includes over 100 illustrations of Peter’s paintings, more than 50 published here for the first time, as well as historical documents and photos (https://amzn.to/4pVAps5).

Eva’s in-depth book on the religious and healing dimensions of her father’s artwork, Windows on Eternity: The Paintings of Peter Birkhäuser – An Interpretation Based on Depth Psychology (which is now my favorite Jungian book of all-time), was published by Daimon Verlag in 2009 (https://amzn.to/4ny669c). It includes two essays by Marie-Louise von Franz: “Peter Birkhäuser – A Modern Artist Who Strikes a New Path,” and “Funeral Address for Peter Birkhäuser.”

In addition to research and teaching on alchemy and art, Eva has investigated and lectured on the culture of the West African Dogon for many years. She recently published a book about the creation myth of the Dogon people where she explores their archaic vision of the creation and transformation of consciousness. Das Dritte Wort: Der Schöpfungsmythos der Dogon (The Third Word: The Dogon Creation Myth) was published in German in 2022 (https://amzn.to/4gBbhTo). Her essay, “The Dogon: The Creation of Consciousness Through Agriculture,” was published in English in the book Cultural Understanding of Soils: The Importance of Cultural Diversity and of the Inner World by Springer in 2023.

🔊 Audio edition with full show notes:
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Light From the Darkness – https://amzn.to/40K4q3g (14% off at Amazon US)

Der Rote Faden – https://amzn.to/4pVAps5

Windows on Eternity – https://amzn.to/4ny669c

The Mother: Archetypal Image in Fairy Tales – https://amzn.to/42rgMOC

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