Alignment of consciousness to the deep psyche
Alan Mulhern
Routledge eBooks March 22, 2018 DOI: 10.4324/9780429475450-2 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that Jung's approach to the unconscious can be seen partly as a creative response to Freudian methods and proposes a focus-awareness technique for psychotherapy that involves listening to the deep psyche, expressing inner pain or complexes honestly and forcibly, and contacting both dark and light aspects of the psyche, situated within transpersonal traditions such as psychosynthesis. |
Abstract
Jung&s;s method of contacting the unconscious and working with it can be understood partially as a creative reaction to the Freudian methods which he adopted in his early practice. In the spirit of Jung&s;s creative methods for contacting the contents of the unconscious, but also in line with the use of meditational-type practices within psychotherapy, this chapter illustrates a method that can be used under certain conditions. It focuses-awareness technique, which at its most simple includes listening to the deep psyche, expressing honestly and forcibly whatever pain or complexes lie within it, and contacting the dark and light aspects of the psyche. Jung developed many transpersonal components in his efforts to align consciousness to the unconscious. The chapter outlines the psychotherapeutic journey, to Assagioli&s;s vision of psychosynthesis, as well as to some key figures in the transpersonal tradition such as F. Vaughan and J. Welwood, illustrating how the use of awareness methods for accessing the unconscious may be used.