Reviews from notable Jungians and AA Historians

Ian Mc Cabe, Ph.D ., Psy.D., author of Carl Jung and Alcoholics Anonymous.

This groundbreaking philosophical exploration seamlessly intertwines the wisdom of Alcoholics Anonymous with the profound insights of Jungian scholars like Erich Neumann and the mystical teachings of Meister Eckhart. Cody Peterson’s book shines new light on the intriguing connection between Jung's visit to New Mexico with his very eccentric companion, a Renaissance Berkeley philosopher, who evoked in Jung his ongoing search for a relationship with a “Freudian” father figure. This thought-provoking book offers the reader a Jungian guide through the redemptive process of the 12 step program of AA which is at the core of the personal transformation of the alcoholic.

Indeed, the author goes further and credits “The archetype of the Alcoholic with helping to elucidate the birth of consciousness and the role that the opposing states of good and evil play in the quest for a coniunctio.” This book is a must read , not just for Jungians, but for all practitioners and relatives who work and live with alcoholics. 

Jay Stinnett, AA Author and Historian

In this invigorating work, The Shadow of a Figure of Light, author Cody Peterson is able to infuse the C.G. Jung - Bill Wilson narrative with insights of indigenous spiritual investigations.  The introduction of a Shamanic character, Jaime, allows the author to refract aspects Jung’s personal journey and relationships through a Carlos Castaneda like lens. Peterson’s insightful reflections on Wilson’s methodology may prove helpful to those seeking to comprehend the shadowland of alcoholism. 

Steven Herrmann, author of William James and C.G. Jung: Doorways to the Self

The quintessentially American approach to spirituality that has spread around the world was a vocation James and Jung both wrote out of, and they taught their new vision of what it means to live a spiritual or symbolic life through their collected writings. Wilson caught this wave of American spirituality in a way the culture was ready for when the Big Book was published in 1939. Today, eighty-five years later, with the scholarship in Jamesian pragmatism and Jungian analytical psychology Peterson has managed to master, readers will be glad to imbibe his own spiritual offering.

Murray Stein, Ph.D., author of The Mystery of Transformation.

Cody Peterson has written a book whose extension is deep, wide, and high. It rests on the solid foundations of careful scholarship and personal experience, it broadens our understanding of alcoholism beyond the reductive neuro-physiological explanations, and it elevates the vision of Bill Wilson and the Twelve Steps using the psycho-spiritual wisdom of C.G. Jung. It’s a very readable book and highly to be recommended to anyone with an interest in the practical use of analytical psychology for addiction to anything, including the ego.