Quick Introduction to Jungian Psychology Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded the school of analytical psychology in the early 20th century. While Jung began his career as a close associate of Sigmund Freud, he eventually broke away to develop his own theories and approach, which came to be known as Jungian psychology. At the heart of Jungian thought is the idea that the human psyche is a self-regulating system that strives for wholeness and balance. Jung saw the psyche as composed of...
Schizophrenia, Trauma, and the Double Bind: Bridging Neurobiology, Depth Psychology, and the Spectrum of Psychosis
Understanding Trauma Through Schizophrenia and Schizophrenia Through Trauma The relationship between schizophrenia and trauma has long been a subject of fascination and debate in the fields of psychiatry and psychology. While early theories often focused on developmental and psychodynamic factors, recent research has shed new light on the neurological and genetic underpinnings of the disorder. However, this does not mean that environmental factors, such as trauma, have been ruled out as contributing to the onset...
Illuminating the Mind: Lessons Psychology Can Learn from Anthropology and Philosophy
Why Does Psychology Ignore Philosophy and Anthropology? Time moves in one direction, memory in another.<br> We are that strange species that constructs artifacts intended to counter the natural flow of forgetting. - William Gibson, "Dead Man Sings" Psychology, as the scientific study of the mind and behavior, has made tremendous strides in understanding the human experience. However, two other disciplines - anthropology and philosophy - offer profound insights that can enrich and expand psychological...
Grief, Acceptance, Getting Over It:
Moving On from Trauma When Perpetrators Can't Understand "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Jesus as he was being crucified, encapsulates a profound truth about the nature of harm and healing. Very often, those who hurt us most deeply are acting out of their own unresolved wounds, defenses, and blindspots. They literally don't understand the impact of their behavior, because they lack the self-awareness, empathy, or emotional capacity to truly take in the devastation they've caused. This is a...
Madness or Genius? Schopenhauer’s Prescient Insights into Memory, Trauma and the Irrational Mind
The 19th century German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer is renowned for his profound and often controversial views on the nature of reality, ethics, aesthetics, and the human condition. Among his most intriguing and influential ideas are his reflections on the phenomena of madness and genius, which he saw as two sides of the same coin - deviations from ordinary cognition that reveal deeper truths about the mind and the world. Schopenhauer's perspective on these topics was deeply rooted in his overarching...
Why IFS Works: Philosophy, Biology, and Neuroexperience
Why Internal Family Systems (IFS) Therapy Works: Exploring the Philosophical, Biological, and Neuroexperiential Foundations The Internal Family Systems (IFS) model, developed by Richard Schwartz, has gained significant recognition as an effective therapeutic approach for treating a wide range of mental health issues. This essay explores the philosophical, biological, and neuroexperiential underpinnings of IFS, shedding light on why this approach works. We will delve into the concept of multiple consciousness, the...
Meta-Cognition: Observing Conciousness Itself to Heal Trauma
"Pain - has an Element of Blank - It cannot recollect When it begun - or if there were A time when it was not - It has no Future - but itself - Its Infinite realms contain Its Past - enlightened to perceive New Periods - of Pain." -Emily Dickinson, Pain - has an Element of Blank (1890) In this haunting stanza, Emily Dickinson captures the timeless, all-consuming nature of deep emotional pain. When we are in the throes of anxiety, depression, or trauma, it can feel as though this state has no beginning and no end....
The Dictionary of Norse Mythology for Jungian Psychology
Encyclopedia of Norse Myth for Depth Psychology and Comparative Religion Norse mythology, the pre-Christian religious beliefs and legends of the Scandinavian peoples, offers a rich tapestry of gods, goddesses, heroes, and cosmic events that continue to captivate the modern imagination. Yet compared to the well-known and widely worshipped deities of ancient Greece and Rome, the gods of the Norse often feel more enigmatic, their stories more fragmentary and elusive. This sense of mystery is partly due to the nature...
PTSD and Intuition: Did Our Reptile Ancestors have a Literal Third Eye?
The Subcortical Brain and the Roots of the Unconscious The human mind is a vast and complex landscape, with conscious awareness representing only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath the surface lies a realm of unconscious processes, instincts, and archetypal patterns that profoundly shape our perceptions, emotions, and behaviors. In recent years, advances in neuroscience and depth psychology have begun to shed light on the evolutionary roots of the unconscious mind and its intimate connection to the subcortical brain...
Turning Anger Into a Signpost: Understanding and Channeling Your Rage
How can I get over on Past Anger? Anger is a powerful and often misunderstood emotion. Many of us have been taught to view anger as a purely negative force - something to be suppressed, avoided, or released in cathartic outbursts. But what if anger could be more than just a destructive impulse? What if it could serve as a signpost, pointing us towards important truths about ourselves and our relationships to the world around us? At its core, anger is a signal that there is a mismatch between our inner experience...