“Until we make the unconscious conscious, it will direct our lives, and we will call it fate.” Carl Jung
This quote by Carl Jung perfectly summarizes the basis of analytic psychology. What we are unaware of in our psyche is actually in control of our lives and causes us to act out in unhealthy patterns in our work, in our relationships with others, and most importantly, in our relationship with ourselves. How many times have you found yourself attracting the same type of relationship over and over, with unhappy results? How many times have you found yourself getting “activated” by situations with friends, partners, or at work? Have you found yourself listlessly “going through the motions” of life, knowing that you have more potential within, but having difficulty tapping into it? Some of this can be attributed to shadow, or the parts of ourselves that we are ashamed of, the parts we don’t want ourselves or others to know. Another part can be attributed to repressed and suppressed emotions that were difficult to process, so they get pushed down into the depths of the unconscious. Most often, this stems from childhood when we did not have the capabilities or emotional bandwidth to handle what was happening. Whatever we are unaware of, whatever we are actively avoiding, will always show up in our personal lives, and as Carl Jung stated, we will call it fate. So how do we tap into the unconscious? My first recommendation would be to pay close attention to your dreams. When you are asleep, your conscious defenses are not at work, and the unconscious shows itself in images through your dreams. I recommend a dream journal to all of my clients, to be kept at the bedside along with a pen. Upon awakening, write down all aspects of the dream that you can remember, along with the feeling tone of the dream. Give yourself quiet time and space to be with aspects of the dream, and allow thought to emerge from a quiet place. I have had some very powerful and enlightening conversations with clients when they bring their dreams to our sessions, and find it to be an essential element of any therapy. Writing is another powerful way that we can tap into the unconscious aspects of our minds and hearts. Having a sacred place where you can bring all your feelings, thoughts, memories, and sorrows can help to release the emotion from the body, freeing up space for vibrant living. At the end of most sessions, I will often offer up a journal prompt to my clients to help them in the continuation of whatever themes we are working on. Active imagination is another tool that can be used to tap into the unconscious aspects of our psyche. Active imagination is where you sit with whatever is coming up for you, and have a conversation with it, whether it is a person, a part of your shadow, or a dream element. This imaginative conversation creatively opens the doors to the psyche and often allows for an insight to emerge from the depths that was not available to you consciously. I recognize that we are a culture of “quick fixes”. It seems that every psychologist or “expert” is writing a book on how to heal from the past, or teaching us how to live. We all want 5 easy steps to emotional freedom, but in my experience, there is no substitute for the difficult, often painful, but ultimately rewarding work of deep inner exploration.