The Animus Process: A 6-Month Course in Differentiation, Stages, and Clinical Integration
Session 5: The Animus – Guide and Inspirer
Finding the inner voice that inspires, structures, and connects
February 1st, 2026 - 11:00am PST - 1:00pm PST
Every woman carries a hidden masculine within her psyche.
Ignore him, and he’ll run your relationships from the shadows.
Recognize him, and he’ll become your greatest ally.
by Lyna Tevenaz Jones, M.A., ACMHC
The Animus: the inner masculine that every woman carries within her
“The animus is the deposit, as it were, of all woman’s ancestral experiences of man – and not only that, he is also a creative and procreative being, not in the sense of masculine creativity, but in the sense that he brings forth something we might call … the spermatic word.”
[- C. G. Jung, “Anima and Animus,” CW 7, par. 336.]
The Animus is a central concept in Jungian psychology.
It is not an external man, nor a simple memory of the father or past partners—but an internal, autonomous, and evolving figure, representing the masculine polarity of the female psyche.
Just as men carry within themselves an image of the Feminine (the Anima), women are inhabited, often unknowingly, by an inner masculine presence: the Animus. The aim of individuation is to constellate and integrate both aspects.
Session 5: The Animus – Guide and Inspirer
Online
The Animus version that once judged, inhibited, controlled can now become a force of vision, structure, and inner confidence.
In this fifth session of our journey with the Animus, we will enter a new phase of psychological work with the Animus. We will explore the stage where the Animus, transformed by consciousness and relationship, can cease to be a destructive counterforce and become an ally of the Self.
Where the Animus is integrated, it no longer interrupts the creative flow. It no longer rigidifies thought or blocks momentum. It becomes a mediating function between the Ego and the Self, an inner voice capable of structuring, inspiring, and directing psychic energy toward creation, self-expression, and aligned choices.
Why work with the Animus?
Because not doing so means the animus remaining trapped in your unconscious - it rules your life from the inside out, inserting itself into relationships, work, and hinders individuation.
Working with the Animus means:
Regaining your psychic authority
Breaking out of the cycle of romantic projections
Accessing structured and aligned creativity
Reconnecting with your discernment, your inner compass
Transcending paternal wounds without denying them
What to expect For Session 5
Theoretical Foundations
My approach to working with the Animus is both clinical and symbolic.
At the end of this module, participants will be able to:
- Recognize the positive functions of the Animus when it is integrated and differentiated (clarity, discernment, vision, support for creative drive).
- Differentiate between Animus inspiration and Animus possession: knowing when an idea supports life and when it takes over the psyche.
- Learn to enter into conscious relationship with the Animus through clinically grounded practices: observation, inner dialogue, symbolization, and verbal expression.
- Develop a guiding Animus in service of creativity, personal thought, and inner confidence - not as an external authority, but as an internal compass.
The Animus as Numinous Guide
The Animus, in its highest form, is a bridge between the ego and the Self. It does not seek to control, but to inspire.
After exploring the shadow aspects of the Animus, its critical, dominant, or abstract forms, this fifth workshop will explore a crucial threshold in the process of Individuation: the shift from the destructive Animus to the Animus that carries meaning.
This transformation does not occur through willpower alone, but through a process of differentiation, integration, and conscious connection.
When the Animus ceases to be an autonomous complex—that is, an impersonal inner voice, often rigid or disconnected from emotion—it can finally return to its essential nature: an internal source, an axis of inspired thought, a symbolic mediator between the Ego and the Self, a voice for inner truth.
The Animus is then no longer experienced as an imposing authority, but as an inner guide, a prophet in the psychological sense: one who announces not ready-made truths, but a direction stemming from the Self.
It becomes an inner compass, orienting thought, speech, and action toward what is right and life-affirming for the individual.
Clinically, this manifests as a newfound capacity to tolerate uncertainty without dissociating, to trust inspired thought connected to experience, and to allow a flexible inner authority to emerge, rooted in meaning rather than power.
At this level, the Animus ceases to be an obstacle to psychic life and becomes a mediator of development, serving the process of individuation.
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When projected, the Animus can trap us in illusions, dependencies, and suffering. But when it is recognized and integrated, it becomes an inner guide: a source of wisdom, discernment, creative power, and authentic expression. It is both the challenge and the key: that which binds us and that which sets us free.
Integrating the Animus
Integrating the Animus isn't just about "accepting your inner masculine" or "balancing your energies."
It's a slow, demanding, and deeply transformative process that also involves confronting the Animus as it is—not as you want it to be.
One of the most powerful steps in integrating the Animus is the withdrawal of projections: the very quality idealized in a man—or forcefully rejected—points to a part of self still in exile.
The Animus becomes conscious when we act out the qualities it carries.
About me
Lyna Tevenaz Jones is a psychodynamic and Jungian-informed therapist specializing in depth work with adults and adolescents. In my clinical work, integrate attachment theory, internal family systems, archetypal psychology, and affective neuroscience. My thesis research explored how symbolic imagery and active imagination can restore connection to the Self in the healing of childhood trauma and attachment wounds.
What You’ll Learn
By the end of this workshop, participants will:
Be able to more precisely identify how the Animus manifests in their relationships and in what ways it is projected (idealization, criticism, unavailability, fascination, etc.). They will be able to recognize their recurring relational patterns and understand their psychological function in light of analytical psychology.
They will have experimented with practical tools—a projection journal, relational mapping, and active imagination—which will help them begin to withdraw their projections and reintegrate the qualities they attributed to the other person.
Clinically, this means: better differentiation between the self and the projection, a decrease in emotional and intellectual dependencies, and an increased ability to invest their psychic energy in creativity, independent thinking, and more conscious and balanced relationships.
Recordings of Previous Classes
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Session 1 Recording: Mapping the Animus
Recording of session 1 + pdf presentation + workbook
$55
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Session 2 Recording: The Animus in Relationship
Recording of session 1 + pdf presentation + workbook
$55
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Session 3 Recording: The Animus in Myths and Fairy Tales
Recording of session 3 + pdf presentation + workbook
$55
The Shadow Animus Webinar Now Available
Receive the webinar + PDF presentation + Inner Work journaling pages
Price: $55
Pay-in-4 options are available at checkout
The Animus Process: A 6-Month Course in Differentiation, Stages, and Clinical Integration
The full series is the most cost-effective path:
6 workshops for $200 (a savings of $130).
You receive all the recordings of past classes + pdfs + inner work guides.
The Animus Journey
The Animus Journey
A 6-months journey with the Animus
A six-webinar journey to understand, connect with, and integrate the Animus - the inner force that structures thought, draws the gifts from the unconscious into consciousness, and shapes our relationships.
Through approaches based on Analytical Psychology, Psychoanalysis, neurobiogy and myths, you will learn to transform your critical inner voice into a guide and ally.
You can either purchase each session separately or register for the series, which is more economical if you plan on attending all webinars.
Every session will come in its own package, which will include:
Live lecture + recording +PDF guide + Inner Work journaling pages + separate 30mn Q & A
$200 for the full 6-workshop series (regular price $330).
September 21 , 2025
Module 1 – Mapping the Animus
Explore your earliest influences (father, male figures, transgenerational legacies). Discover the four stages of Animus development according to Emma Jung and create an initial map of your inner Animus. See details above.
Learning objectives examples:
Understand the concept of Animus in Jungian psychology.
Trace the 4 stages of Animus development (Emma Jung).
Recognize how father complex, cultural patterns, and transgenerational inheritance shape one’s Animus.
Begin mapping personal Animus lineage.
November 2, 2025
November 30, 2025
Module 2 – The Animus and Relational Projections
Learn to recognize how the Animus influences your romantic and professional relationships. Identify projection dynamics and unconscious repetitions, and discover how to begin removing your projections to gain inner freedom.
Learning objectives examples:
Recognize how the Animus is projected onto partners, mentors, or leaders.
Identify recurring relational patterns (e.g., attraction to unavailable men, rescuers, or tyrants).
Learn the first steps of withdrawing projections.
Module 3 – The Animus in Myths and Tales
Dive into the wisdom of universal tales: La Llorona, Bluebeard, Psyche and Eros, The Girl Without Hands… These stories reveal the many faces of the Animus. You will discover your own Animus myth and how it plays out in your life.
Learning objectives examples:
See how the Animus appears in myths, legends, and fairy tales.
Learn symbolic literacy: predator, guide, knight, prophet.
Discover one’s own “personal myth” of Animus.
January 4, 2026
Module 4 – The Shadow of the Animus
Discover the negative aspects of the Animus: the tyrant, the critic, the saboteur, and others. Understand their cultural and psychological roots, and learn how to set boundaries in the face of these inner voices that prevent you from moving forward.
Learning objectives examples:
Recognize negative Animus forms (tyrant, critic, saboteur).
Understand how cultural inheritance amplifies the Shadow Animus.
Learn boundary-setting practices with destructive inner voices.
February 1, 2026
March 1, 2026
Module 5 – The Animus: Guide and Inspirer
When differentiated, the Animus becomes a mediator, an inner prophet who paves the way for confidence, creativity, and inspired thinking. This module helps you recognize and communicate with this positive Animus.
Learning objectives examples:
Recognize the positive functions of the Animus.
Differentiate true Animus inspiration from possession.
Learn practices to constellate guiding Animus for creativity and confidence.
Module 6 – Integrating the Animus
Integrating the Animus isn't about identifying with it, but rather living with it as an inner partner. This final module offers concrete integration practices and helps you build your personal plan to continue this journey after the course.
Learning objectives examples:
Understand the difference between integration and identification.
Recognize signs of Animus integration (confidence, creative voice, boundaries).
Create a personalized plan for ongoing Animus work.
Taking good care of your psyche and your body.
This lecture is intended for educational and self-reflective purposes only and is not a substitute for individual therapy or professional mental health treatment.
By participating, you acknowledge that any emotional material that may arise is your responsibility to process, and it is strongly recommended that you engage in ongoing personal therapy for deeper integration. While care has been taken to create a safe and thoughtful experience, I am not liable for any psychological discomfort or triggering that may occur. Please honor your own boundaries and seek support from a licensed therapist if needed.
The unconscious is not neutral; it carries both light and shadow, and engaging with it requires reverence, humility, and a grounded internal container. For this reason, we will not be practicing active imagination together live.