Unconscious Influences

Unconscious Influences
by Karen Saura
copyright 2003, all rights reserved

We exist in a world defined by conscious intention and filled with unconscious urges. The psyche as a whole is composed of two parts, the conscious and the unconscious. We all share this common make-up of our psychic nature. In fact, it is from the unconscious that our most creative impulses emerge. This is the eternal well of insight and creativity from which true visionaries, artists, and writers draw their inspiration. The conscious mind sets the structure and the unconscious fills the structure with the substance that gives it meaning. Where the unconscious is the ocean, the conscious is the vessel which gives it shape and measure.

What is necessary in order to have a creative relationship between the unconscious and the conscious? How will we define the vehicle of communication? Since the unconscious exists beyond the realm of the conscious (hence the term “unconscious”) possible ways of connecting with it must be found in order to allow it to slip through the control mechanisms of the conscious mind. Methods or practices of consciously accessing the unconscious include meditation, dream analysis, free form drawing and painting. If an individual has a relationship with the unconscious, a communication is established which allows for a balance to exist between the conscious intent and the unconscious urges.

The “shadow” is one of Carl Jung’s most useful terms for the unconscious part of the human psyche. Through conveying a visual image of what we intuitive sense of the unconscious we gain a glimpse of the realm of the unconscious as a dark place where that which we’d rather not encounter dwells... shadowy, murky, always lurking just behind us. The shadow is simply the whole unconscious.

During the late 19th and early 20th century, while the concept of the unconscious as a psychological force was emerging in psychotherapy, artists were simultaneously exploring their personal connection to the unconscious, dredging up dream imagery and drawing upon the realm of the shadow as the center and driving force of their art. For surrealism, Dali, De Anea, even Chagall, capturing dream imagery and the unconscious became not only the artistic objective, but also the defining subject matter for most art through the 20th century. In fact, except for Impressionism, all art movements which emerged during the last century have been defined by the conscious exploration of the unconscious.

Robert Bly describes the unconscious in his book, The Little Book on the Human Shadow, as a “long bag we drag behind us, heavy with the parts of ourselves our parents or community didn’t approve of” (Bly, 1988, p. 2). Bly asserts that we are born whole and as we grow and develop we are forced to reject various parts of ourselves in order to be accepted into society. In our attempt to “fit into” society, we gradually deny parts of ourselves, fragmenting them and hiding them away in this long bag of unconscious shadow stuff as we conform our public persona to fit the status quo.

Jung speaks of “splinter psyches” in The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche (Jung, 1981, p. 98). These “splinter psyche” are bits of the psyche which have split off most frequently as a result of a so-called trauma, emotional shock, or as a result of a moral conflict, ultimately deriving from the apparent impossibility of affirming the whole of one’s nature. “This predisposes a direct split no matter whether the conscious is aware of it or not” (Jung, 1981, p. 98). Jung’s description of these “splinter psyches” and how they relate to the conscious and unconscious describe, from Jung’s perspective, the same dynamics which Bly alludes to with his metaphor of the parts of ourselves stuffed into the “long bag we drag behind us” (Bly, 1988, p.2). Jung goes on to describe how the conscious and unconscious work together to absorb these parts of self which have been fragmented or rejected and must be hidden from view. “The unconscious helps to assimilate the splinter [which has been rejected by the conscious psyche]” (Jung, 1981, p. 98). The splinter psyches are then absorbed by the unconscious without conscious awareness. Now, embedded in the unconscious, Jung describes these splintered bits as going on to exist as “living units of the unconscious psyche” out of sight of our conscious perception, yet present and subtly affecting our conscious activities in unexpected and surprising ways. Bly speaks of the act of eating the shadow, consciously bringing these denied, splintered psyche fragments to the light of our conscious attention and consuming them with awareness, thus re-accepting them as significant aspects of our being and liberating all the creative energy they held bound in their prison of unconsciousness.

The conscious and the unconscious exist as complementary parts of the whole of our psyche. They must exist in a relationship of balance, and if one is emphasized while the other neglected, various degrees of psychological imbalance are the result.

Jung explores this relationship which exists between the conscious and the unconscious whereby “the unconscious behaves in a compensatory or complementary manner towards the conscious” (Jung, 1981, p. 69) and vice versa. If a form of communication has not been established between the conscious and unconscious a situation results of a state of too great a one-sidedness. When the unconscious is allowed to rule, a psychotic condition results in which the individual lives under the direct influence of the unconscious. The opposite extreme would be an individual who structures their life under “directed conscious functioning resulting in a considerable dissociation from the unconscious” (Jung, 1981, p. 69).

Our modern lifestyles demand this type of concentrated, directed conscious functioning. Yet, the unconscious cannot be denied, or ignored. The further we are able to remove ourselves from the unconscious through direct functioning, the more readily a powerful counter-position can build up in the unconscious, and when this breaks out it may have disagreeable consequences” often through a slip of the tongue or a lapse in memory (Jung, 1981, p. 71).

When denied and repressed, the unconscious intervenes again and again in daily life in a disturbing and apparently unpredictable manner. Life can be flowing along according to the consciously structured plan and then suddenly, when you least expect it, something totally unexpected resonates with some hidden aspect of self, some “splinter psyche” stuffed in our bag of shadow material, and out it pops in all it’s disgusting, repressed, emotionally charged, terrifying glory. A monster rearing its ugly head through a tear of the psychic fabric, twisting the moment from rational sensibility into a cubist nightmare of distorted reality colored with rich, rejected, unconscious shadow-stuff. After the initial shock from the trespass of this unwanted unconscious interjection into the present moment subsides, the conscious mind makes a desperate scramble to grab at bits and pieces of rationalization, excuses, and blame, quickly and effectively shoving that monster back into the long dark bag of shadow stuff.

Yet, the unconscious cannot be denied. That would be as futile as denying dreams or sleep itself. Throughout history and spanning cultures the unconscious has held a relevant position in the basic structuring of humanity’s varied expressions. Jung speaks of a collective unconscious shared by the whole of humanity which ties together the planetary psyche via universal archetypes of psyche forces. These archetypes can be found in the imagery which weaves through cultural expressions spanning the ages - defying social, political, and religious boundaries. The grim reaper, virgin, hero, the shadow - these archetypes are universal and serve as a larger background upon which the individual unconscious defines itself within the specific constraints of the individual’s unique religious, cultural, and personal construct.

Our world is structured by conscious intention which is filled from the richness of the vast sea of the unconscious. When tapped into and drawn into the conscious realm, this rich unconscious source serves as an eternal well of insight and creativity for all to draw from. As we each reclaim our creative source through taking personal responsibility for reabsorbing our own shadow self and bring the personal unconscious into conscious awareness, the very act of eating our shadow and facing our fears transforms us bringing each into a lighter, more playful and joyful place of personal _expression. Perhaps through the process of our individual enlightenment we each eat a bit of the global shadow of humanity and thus serve the collective whole to progress towards the collective enlightenment of the global consciousness of humanity.

About the Author:

Karen Saura MEd, MH, is a Master Herbalist, science teacher, and holistic nutritional counselor. She emphasizes the use of whole, organic foods, nutritive herbs and supplements to promote optimal health, prevent disease, manage chronic illness and to rediscover the joy of healthy eating. Phone consultations are available.e-mail: ksaura@gmail.com .

References:

Bly, R. (1988). A little book on the human shadow. San Francisco, CA: Harper & Row.
Danrich, M. (2003). Spiritual school of ascension. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii: Ascend Press.
Jung, C. (1981). The structure and dynamics of the psyche. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Robertson, R. (1995). Jungian archetypes. York Beach, ME: Nicolas-Hays.