Hello Darkness, My Old Friend…

Hello Darkness, My Old Friend…

“People will do anything, no matter how absurd, in order to avoid facing their own souls. One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.” - Carl Jung, Psychology and Alchemy, Page 99.

Here, Dr. Jung captures the heart and purpose of the type of psychotherapy I and many of my psychodynamic colleagues practice.

Jung believed it was a difficult and painful thing to look deep into our own souls in order to bring to the surface of our consciousness all the pain, fear, and sadness that we might find down there. So we develop techniques to avoid this process. We try to think positively. We avoid negative thought and “drama.” We push outward instead of inward. 

To Jung, this is counterproductive. Real wholeness comes when we sit with the pain in the depths of our soul and bring it to consciousness. It involves reaching deep within, plunging our face below the surface of the water of our consciousness, and naming what we see down there. 

If we are fearless in this practice, we can begin to put words to our pain as we integrate it with the other, more tolerable aspects of life. It is this integrated life that is most whole and most fulfilling. And again, we don’t get to this place by “imagining figures of light.” We get there by pushing into the darkness to make friends with it. 

As a therapist, this also mirrors my goals for treatment. I want to sit with you and help you explore the scary depths of the soul, as I metaphorically hold your hand and help you find courage. I do this because I believe an integrated and whole life is more fulfilling than a “happy” life.