This is a personal account of how I discovered the reality of the unconscious and its workings. From an early age, I felt a persistent sense of dis-ease, an inability to find satisfaction in my life. There was a profound discontent that seemed inescapable. Over the years—amid false starts and failures—I came to understand the impact of the unconscious on my life. While this discovery brought immense relief, it also became a source of alienation, as my newfound understanding was not easily grasped by my family or those close to me.
Working with the unconscious proved to be a challenging endeavour. At first, I was highly sceptical of its existence, but since it seemed to be the best explanation available, I decided to give it a chance. Slowly and painstakingly, I came to accept its reality. For me, this was a solitary and often lonely journey, but one I persevered through. By the time I concluded regular analysis, five years had passed, and I felt I was emerging as a transformed individual, with a much clearer understanding of myself.
In the years that followed, my relationship with the unconscious deepened. I carefully recorded and interpreted my dreams, as I had learned during therapy. Carl Jung often referred to the "inner therapist"—a part of the psyche that becomes internalized during analysis. Initially, this inner personality was faint and elusive; I scrutinized my thoughts and feelings for any sign of its presence. Eventually, it manifested, and I began a dialogue with it, similar to face-to-face therapy. This interaction continued for nearly two decades.
Over time, however, the nature of this process began to change. The more I connected with the inner analyst, the more I found myself arriving at the answers I sought. Gradually, the presence of the inner analyst faded. I was puzzled at first but eventually realized that some form of fusion or integration had occurred. Adapting to this new awareness took time, and while it felt like the end of a long process, it was clear the journey was ongoing.
During this period, I noticed a shift in my dreams. Previously, they revolved around unfamiliar events, places, and people, rarely reflecting my everyday life. However, this began to change, and I started dreaming about everyday situations with increasing regularity. This shift drew my attention—it seemed my inner world was mirroring my external world.
This realization compelled me to differentiate the inner and outer worlds in my life. The external world, with its concreteness and materiality, demanded an attitude grounded in rationality and common sense. In contrast, the inner world required a symbolic approach, as I had practiced during therapy. For a time, I believed this marked the end of my process. However, it was not.
One day, I had a sudden insight: since my inner and outer worlds had become so closely aligned, why not approach the outer world symbolically, as I did with the inner world? The idea shocked me, and I reflected on it for weeks before deciding to explore it. To my surprise, it worked. Gradually, I found myself less focused inwardly, as the boundaries between the inner and outer worlds dissolved. I had reached a state where the microcosm and macrocosm of myself were one and the same. To maintain balance, I introduced certain protocols into my daily life.
The content of this final insight is profound and will be elaborated upon in future blogs. For now, I will focus on the ongoing process and highlight some of the consequences of this discovery.
From a Jungian perspective, these processes closely align with the concept of active imagination:I will commence with the Jungian viewpoint as active imagination best relates to the processes I have been describing.
• Active imagination can continue to be used as described by Jung
• Active imagination can be applied to the external world if it is seen in a symbolic manner. This involves new attitudes to the shadow and how it is integrated.
• Greater emphasis may need to be given to psychotherapy practice when using active imagination
• The psychological understanding of active imagination will require further expansion and exploration
Other psychologies, if viewed from the standpoint of active imagination as I have explained, can be seen as variants of the traditional expose of Active Imagination as it has been proposed in the new genre.
NoteIn a previous blog some five different stages were identified in the process of the emergence of the inner analyst in the psyche. There are:
• The emergence and recognition of the inner analyst
• The interactions with the inner analyst
• The merging of ego consciousness and the inner analyst
• The emergence of an enhanced ego?
• The potential of the new ego
Each of the above stages will be addressed in a separate blog entry. Comments