Letters of C. G. Jung: Volume 2, 1951-1961
To J. B . Rhine
Dear Professor Rhine: 18 February 1953
Thank you for your kind letter.
My state of health is unfortunately not so good as to allow me much work.
The work I am planning on ESP does not concern the fact itself (which you have demonstrated up to the hilt ), but rather the peculiar emotional factor that seems to be a very important condition deciding the success or failure of the ESP experiment.
As a rule (though not always) spontaneous cases of ESP happen under emotional circumstances (accidents, death, illness, danger, etc.) which usually arouse the deeper archetypal and instinctual layers of the unconscious.
I should like to examine the state of the unconscious in cases of minor or major events occurring not so rarely with our patients.
I have observed a great many ESP cases with my patients in the course of time.
The only trouble is to find suitable methods by which the state of the unconscious can be established objectively.
We have begun to try out such methods.
They are difficult and unorthodox, and need a very special training.
I am most obliged to you for offering your help, but in the actual state of our research I would not know where the statistical method would come in, although I hope once to get to a point where statistics can be applied.
It is annoying that my recent works are not yet published in English.
But what can you do when there are at least two committees occupied with the publication of my collected works?
I have tried to kick them into life, but they have taken more than five years over one single book, and it is not yet out.
I have written to Mr. Barrett of the Bollingen Press concerning my essay on synchronicity.
It could easily be translated and published.
Thanking you for your kind interest, I remain,
Yours sincerely,
C.G. Jung
~Carl Jung, Letters Vol. II, Pages 106-107.
