Jungian Philosophy

My philosophy is rooted in the work of Carl Jung. I believe that deep in each of us there is an inner integrity that longs for expression and like an acorn that matures into an oak tree, we are meant to grow and mature into wholeness. Given the right conditions an acorn becomes an oak, not a maple tree or a pine tree, but an oak tree, fully expressing its “oakness.” However if an oak tree is scarred, it continues to adapt and grow around the irritation, perhaps needing to adjust its branches or even slow its growth in order to survive. So too we often respond to outer circumstances with adaptations that cover deep hurts and mask our true identity. I believe that it is never to late to have the right conditions that help us remediate those challenges and become uniquely who we are meant to become.

Finding our uniqueness is a natural process leading to the development of our true personality, by becoming whole or “healthy.” Jung called this process “individuation” and he was clear that our overly rational western mind needed the unconscious to correct its “one-sidedness.” This “other side” is largely unconscious and not readily known to us. And like a rudderless ship the unconscious can move us in ways we may not want to go if we are not connected to its life giving force.

Individuation, or becoming “whole” in Jungian language involves paying attention to the unspoken messages in the unconscious through our dreams, images and messages from the body. These messages help us to understand what the unconscious is communicating to us and when as we begin to hear those often-neglected messages we are able to come back to balance. Although individuation is a natural process analysis can serve to facilitate a dialog between our conscious mind and contents in the unconscious. When we relate with the unconscious the inner psychic union that develops can help us to discover and live from our Soul.

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