Joint Seminars of Lithuanian and South African Jungian Analysts March – May 2026

When I go to bed tonight, I can only have a smile of immense gratitude that I am amongst my people.

With these words, Ian McCallum concluded a joint project by Jungian analysts from Lithuania and South Africa. Despite the large geographical distance, in the spring of 2026, Jungian psychologists from both countries came together to collaborate and share their knowledge and experience about cultural trauma and the resources to overcome it. Two online seminars were attended by members of the Gauteng Associate Professional Membership Group (GAPMG) of South Africa and members and students of the Lithuanian Association for Analytical Psychology (LAAP).

The main organizer and the soul of the project, having done a tremendous work for the project to come true, was Mervyn Davidowitz, a Jungian psychologist, who lives in South Africa and has his roots in Lithuanian Jewish, Litvak, culture. Presentations were provided by Jungian analysts Dovilė Petronytė Kvedarauskienė, Asta Adler and Ian McCallum.

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On March 14, Dr Dovilė Petronytė Kvedarauskienė and Dr Asta Adler gave an online seminar Jungian exploration of the Dark Shadow of Authoritarian Regimes in Eastern Europe and its Impact on Mental Health in the Context of the War in Ukraine to GAPMG members. Dovilė’s presentation “Confronting Destruction After Surviving an Authoritarian Regime: The Sources of Resilience of Lithuanian People” aimed to show how the soviet regime, which sought to destroy the Lithuanian people and their culture, left behind a cultural trauma with damaging consequences that took many years to overcome. The presentation described the political, social, cultural, and psychological measures taken to cope with and heal this cultural trauma following the restoration of Lithuania’s independence. Knowing, being conscious of their and their ancestors’ history and sharing it are one of the most important factors correlating to resilience. At the end of the presentation, it was demonstrated how trauma responses as well as resilience resurfaced with the outbreak of Russia’s war against Ukraine in 2022.

At the beginning of her speech, Asta shared her insights on the destructive psychological consequences caused by the Shadow of the Holocaust that took place in Lithuania during World War II. In her presentation “The Mirror of the Experience: Working as Psychologist During the Ukraine War,” Asta offered analytical reflections on psychological support for the people of Ukraine, including our Ukrainian colleagues who not only provide support to others but also need it themselves. Asta herself leads regular online support groups for Ukrainian psychologists from the start of the full-scale war. According to Asta, the events in Ukraine feel like the worst nightmare, and those who suffer initially are skeptical towards psychological aid providers - it takes time and patience to earn trust. However, a deep and real connection between people can have a positive psychological effect and help them cope with the situation.

The presentations were followed by a lively discussion, as South Africa also faces important historical and current issues related to cultural trauma, its memory, and its transformation.

On May 15, more than 50 LAAP members and students, along with about 10 colleagues from South Africa, participated in an online seminar led by Dr Ian McCallum titled Individuation, Identity and Resilience: Lessons from the Wild. Ian McCallum, a psychiatrist, Jungian analyst, explorer of African wildlife, writer on ecology and psychology, and poet, delivered a talk, which began with—and can be summarized by—the statement that resilience lies in the flames of our hearts. From the wild we can take psychological lessons that make us resilient: unpretentiousness, passionate living, defending our territory, being awake and alert to what is happening here and now. Speaking about identity and individuation, Ian McCallum referred to the South African thorny tree that illustrates how one should live one’s life. The thorns pointing forward tell us to look ahead, follow our dreams, become who we are born to be, and not forget future generations—to whom we will leave a legacy. The thorns that hook backwards teach us to never forget where we have come from. Being conscious of our past, present and future makes us both responsible and resilient.

Ian McCallum’s insightful and poetic talk touched the flames of our hearts.

“Our script is unique, but our issues are universal,” Ian McCallum said. We therefore look forward to continuing fruitful cooperation between our two countries, both distant and close, in the future.

Dovilė Petronytė Kvedarauskienė

President of LAAP