Mystical Gnosis and Esoteric Technē in the Writings of W.R. Bion

Abstract:This paper proposes the existence of a series of developments in Bion’s later writings that were obliquely indebted to his utilization of mystical texts and esoteric techniques, which it is proposed he deployed as resources for revitalizing traditional psychoanalytic theory and practice. To support this hypothesis, evidence is adduced to support the contention that Bion was covertly inspired by Jungian ideas, which he utilized as a catalyst for developing his own theoretical and clinical innovations. In this context Jung is identified as a contemporary avatar of esoteric ideas and practices transposed into a psychoanalytic register. It is further proposed that certain elements in Bion’s later writings effectively constitute a defacto ‘esoteric matrix’ developed out of a bricolage of mystical and esoteric texts, which he utilized as tools to augment and enhance his own lines of thinking. By way of conclusion, some tentative comparisons are made between elements of Late Antique theurgy and their corresponding analogues encountered within late Bionian psychoanalysis.