Sonu Shamdasani: Jung Scholar & Editor | Jung Platform

Sonu Shamdasani

Sonu Shamdasani is a London-based historian of psychology and Professor of Jung History at UCL's Health Humanities Centre for the History of Medicine. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost scholars of Carl Jung's life and unpublished work.


Shamdasani is best known for editing and annotating Jung's Liber Novus, published as The Red Book, the private journal in which Jung recorded his visions and active imagination experiments between 1913 and 1930. Long kept from publication by Jung's family, the Red Book is widely considered the seed from which Jung's later psychology grew. Shamdasani's scholarly introduction and notes made this foundational, previously inaccessible text available to the public for the first time in 2009.


In 2003, Shamdasani co-founded the Philemon Foundation with Stephen Martin, an organization dedicated to publishing Jung's remaining unpublished works, including The Black Books, Jung's original private journals that preceded the Red Book. He continues to serve as the foundation's General Editor.


Shamdasani's scholarship has fundamentally reshaped how the field understands Jung's intellectual development, revealing the deeply personal, visionary experience that underpinned concepts like the collective unconscious, individuation, and active imagination.

Courses and talks

By Sonu Shamdasani
In conversation with... Sonu Shamdasani  
In this talk, Shamdasani discusses the relevance of Carl Jung's Black Books for understanding Jung's analytical psychology. The Red Book grew out of the Black Books.

frequent asked questions

Who is Sonu Shamdasani?

Sonu Shamdasani is a London based historian of psychology. He is Professor of Jung History at UCL's Health Humanities Centre for the History of Medicine. He is one of the foremost scholars of Carl Jung's life and unpublished work.

What did Sonu Shamdasani edit?

Shamdasani edited and annotated Jung's Liber Novus, published as The Red Book. This was Jung's private journal of visions and active imagination between 1913 and 1930. He also serves as General Editor of the Philemon Foundation, which publishes Jung's remaining unpublished works, including The Black Books.

What is the Red Book and why does it matter?

The Red Book records Jung's inner visions during a period of intense psychological upheaval. Many scholars consider it the seed from which Jung's later theories grew. Shamdasani's edition made this foundational text public for the first time in 2009.

What are the Black Books?

The Black Books are Jung's original private journals. He wrote in them before creating the Red Book. They record the raw visions and dialogues that Jung later reworked into the Red Book.

Is Sonu Shamdasani a Jungian analyst?

No. Shamdasani is a historian and academic, not a clinical Jungian analyst. His work focuses on the scholarly history of Jung's ideas and unpublished manuscripts.

Does Jung Platform offer courses by Sonu Shamdasani?

Yes, on Jung Platform we offer a free talk with Sonu Shamdasani: In conversation with.. Sonu Shamdasani. 

Most importantly, his scholarship directly informs several Jung Platform courses that explore the Red Book and active imagination, including Descent into the Red Book with Robert Bosnak.