Live CE Webinar Open for Registration

Course Description

This course explores Gnosticism and its relevance to depth-oriented and psychodynamic clinical practice. Gnosticism was not only an early, unorthodox expression of Christianity, but—according to Carl Jung—it projected an intricate theology that provides us a psychological blueprint of the Western psyche as it emerged from the ancient world and gradually took the form of modern culture. From this perspective, engaging with Gnostic material becomes a necessary step in deciphering the unconscious conflicts and forms of psychological suffering that continue to trouble the modern Western psyche. Key themes include Gnostic creation myths, the archetype of Sophia, and Jung’s sustained engagement with Gnostic symbolism and cosmology. Emphasis will be placed on amplifying Gnostic thought through a Western psychological lens, highlighting its relevance for contemporary psychodynamic therapeutic work. Clinical implications for assessment and case formulation will be explored throughout. The material is presented conceptually rather than religiously, and no prior knowledge of Gnosticism is required.

Curricular Notes

AION 416 serves the curriculum by introducing alienation, fracture, and conflict-with-the-world as foundational psychological conditions rather than pathologies to be resolved prematurely. Within the AION architecture, this course provides a symbolic framework for understanding why psyche experiences the world as fallen, distorted, or hostile—and why suffering often presents as a problem of meaning rather than adaptation. Its function is not to teach Gnosticism as belief, but to restore conflictual cosmology as a legitimate psychological orientation. By doing so, the course legitimizes experiences of estrangement, mistrust of surface reality, and longing for hidden knowledge as structurally meaningful dimensions of the Western psyche—especially relevant in clinical work with depression, despair, nihilism, and moral injury.

At the advanced stage of training, clinicians must be able to tolerate world-negating experiences without correcting, normalizing, or dissolving them too quickly. AION 416 supports this maturity by offering a symbolic language in which alienation and protest are intelligible, purposeful, and psychologically generative rather than merely regressive or defensive.

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CE Value

This event spans 6 clock hours and awards 6 hours of Continuing Education.

Fees

$420 for CE credit
$380 for non CE / auditing
$320 for pre-licensed students

course status

This course is a live webinar. It counts as Elective credit towards any of Aion's certificate programs.

faculty

Izzy Gliksberg, MA, MM

Prerequisites

None

Discord Link

Discord Link

If you’re curious about this course, or enrolled in it, please join our Discord Channel dedicated to it.

Event
details

Upon completion of this seminar, participants will be able to:
  1. Summarize the Gnostic myth of Sophia and explain its relevance to unconscious processes such as alienation, fragmentation, and the search for meaning.
  2. Differentiate Gnostic psychological perspectives from orthodox theological frameworks and articulate their relevance for contemporary psychodynamic thinking.
  3. Apply Gnostic symbolic concepts to psychodynamic assessment and case formulation, particularly in relation to experiences of dissociation, split-off affects, and psychic exile.
  4. Evaluate how Gnostic perspectives on knowledge (gnosis), alienation, and awakening may inform the therapist’s stance and the therapeutic process.

Aion Institute courses are open to all licensed mental health professionals, residents, interns, and graduate students in training, as well as members of the lay public who have an interest in psychodynamic psychology. Please use the following descriptions of our instructional level to gauge your own comfort level with the content.

✅ Introductory Level
For those beginning the path or seeking reorientation.
Courses at this level provide foundational knowledge in psychodynamic and integrative frameworks. No prior specialization is required—only a readiness to engage with depth-oriented psychological thought. These classes introduce core concepts, language, and philosophical underpinnings essential to the Aion curriculum.

Intermediate Level
For those building structure upon the foundation.
Intermediate courses deepen theoretical understanding and clinical application. Participants are expected to have prior exposure to psychoanalytic or Jungian concepts. These courses explore the evolution of major schools of thought, integrative approaches, and the emergence of relational and neurobiological paradigms, inviting greater complexity and case-based reflection.

Advanced Level
For those prepared to engage with nuance, synthesis, and transformation.
Advanced courses assume substantial familiarity with depth psychological theory and practice. Here, we move toward integrative models, complex case formulation, and contemporary theoretical frontiers. The focus is on synthesis, symbolic analysis, and the practitioner’s evolving stance as both healer and theoretician.

Hard Mode
For those willing to be changed.
Hard Mode courses are not merely advanced—they are initiatory. Designed for highly motivated participants, these offerings require deep reading, active participation, and a willingness to engage psychologically, imaginatively, and ethically. They are immersive, demanding, and transformational. These courses may involve longer sessions, seminar-style discussion, original writing or creative response, and the expectation that participants contribute to a shared field of inquiry. They are suited for those who seek to embody the work, not merely study it.

The Aion Institute reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule any event, for which registrants will receive a full refund or credit. Refunds for payment processed online via electronic means will be refunded back to the credit card within 2 weeks after the cancellation.

Participants who wish to cancel their registration and paid registration fees online may be eligible for refund.

Participants may cancel their registration through the self-serve page accessed via the link included in the confirmation email sent after registration.

Please keep in mind that canceling a registration on the self-serve page does not automatically process a refund. Aion will refund cancellations made at least 24 hours prior to the start of this event.

The Aion Institute is committed to providing an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all participants.

This event is conducted online using a virtual meeting platform (Zoom). We encourage all attendees to ensure that their technological setup—audio, video, internet connection, and device settings—meets their individual accessibility needs prior to the event.

If you require any additional support, accommodations, or accessibility considerations in order to participate fully, please don’t hesitate to contact us through one of the contact forms on this website. We will make every reasonable effort to ensure your learning experience is welcoming, respectful, and attuned to your needs.

There is no commercial support for this Aion Institute program, nor are there any relationships between the CE Sponsor, presenting organization, presenter, program content, research, grants, or other funding that could reasonably be construed as conflicts of interest.

Continuing Education (CE) Provider Approvals

The Aion Institute is approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. The Aion Institute (AIO279) maintains responsibility for this program and its content.