The Animus Process: A 6-month Course in Stages, Shadow, and Clinical Integration
Session 1: Mapping the Animus: A Workshop on Animus Recognition & Mapping
September 21, 2025
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.
First workshop: September 21
Online
Whether he’s magnetic or mocking, idealized or unreachable,
the Animus shapes the way you relate to partners, to purpose, and to your own inner authority.
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…
Theoretical Foundations
My approach to working with the Animus is both clinical and symbolic.
It involves three main steps:
- Recognizing the manifestations of the Animus in your life (thoughts, attractions, blockages).
- Begin mapping personal Animus lineage.
- Trace the 4 stages of Animus development (Emma Jung).
-Recognize how father complex, cultural patterns, and transgenerational inheritance shape one’s Animus.
We also briefly explore how to gently integrating it—through inner dialogue, active imagination, embodiment but the integration will be explored at future workshops.
This process doesn't happen overnight - it is a lifelong relationship, and it is profoundly transformative.
When a woman reclaims her Animus, she stops looking outside for what she can finally embody within.
During the workshop, we will learn to create a map of our Animus to understand its imprint, its origins, and how it was shaped.
Mapping out the Animus: an inner mirror
As long as it remains unconscious, the Animus acts as an invisible force: it can support or sabotage, inspire or hinder.
Mapping allows you to see it as it manifests today, identify its origins, and pave the way for its integration.
The Animus can be mapped much like a mental or symbolic map: it involves visually representing the different facets, origins, and influences of the Animus in your early life and creating a timeline of the Animus evolution and psychic construction.
That process help the Animus integration more concrete rather than invisible, abstract, and internal.
Why map out the Animus?
Because as long as we don't see it, we experience it often in the form of projections.
By constructing a map, we transform an unconscious, abstract concept into consciousness.
The process of creating our own map of our Animus enables us to break away from repetitive relational patterns by understanding the root of the Animus projections within our psyche.
Mapping the Animus is a clinical and symbolic tool that allows us to give form to this invisible being that the Animus.
It is a process that involves:
- Identifying one's origins
- Observing its current manifestations in one's inner life and relationships
- Situating one's stage of development according to Emma Jung's model
- Distinguishing one's allied and shadow aspects
Art: Paul Klee
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Your Animus map shows where you are — in this session, we’ll explore how he got that way through the father wound and other influences.
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:
Understand how the father wound shapes Animus development
Recognize the link between early attachment and adult relational patterns
Identify how unintegrated Animus energy shows up in inner dialogue, romantic projections, and blocks to creative authority
Receive practical tools (journaling, active imagination, reflection exercises) to begin recognizing your animus, its voice, its origins.
Leave with clarity on how to continue the work of Animus integration
Refund policy for sessions
Please note that all registrations are final and non-refundable.
Depth psychology values commitment and containment. When someone signs up, it’s often part of a deeper, unconscious process—a psyche-level contract. A no-refund policy reinforces the idea that once a commitment is made, the work begins, even if resistance or ambivalence surfaces later.
No changes, transfers, or cancellations will be accepted once you have registered. In the unlikely event that the workshop is canceled, you will be contacted via email and offered an alternative of equivalent value.
For any questions regarding our policies, feel free to reach out at lyna@womenofdepthpsychology.com.
Live workshop on 9/21/2025
11:00am PST - 1:00pm PST
Join the live lecture + receive the recording + PDF presentation + Inner Work journaling pages
Price: $55
Early registration gives you access to the full live session, the replay, and a downloadable PDF with prompts and guidance to deepen your personal practice.
This is the first workshop of a 6-months series.
Pay-in-4 options are available at checkout
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
Early bird offer until September 21st:
$250 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.
October 26, 2025
November 23, 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: 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.