Your state of being is the quality of your present moment. It is your attitude to how you are experiencing life.
Since ancient times the psyche has been a fundamental concept for understanding human nature. The study of human behavior and the nature of the mind has been of interest to many philosophers, scholars, psychologists, and scientists over the years from healing and more recently from a developmental perspective. There are many philosophies, theories, and concepts that give insight into understanding our state of mind and our ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving that can be applied to helping people heal, develop and live a more purposeful life.
As humans, it is inevitable that we face new situations daily, some of which are easy to deal with and some of which can be troubling and even debilitating at times. Some people may even face each day as if it were an obstacle that they need to overcome. Despite having emotional wounds or experiencing life as a series of obstacles, many people do not have the knowledge or the tools to deal with these painful experiences and in living life (more) well. They often go on with everyday life accepting that this is how life is and, in many cases, living life in a state of survival or avoidance.
At times we may also find ourselves questioning our lives, our purpose, and our behaviour. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Why am I behaving this way? Why am I not happy? Why do I feel unfulfilled? Why am I always seeking more? We start by looking externally for answers and for the fulfillment, trying all sorts of things with little success. Despite all our efforts and repeatedly asking these questions, we seldom find answers that leave us feeling content over an extended period. Instead, we find ourselves continuing to do what we have always been doing, living life as we have always been living life and facing the same frustrations and challenges over and over again. This way of living lends itself to living a life in a state of continual chasing and striving, always seeking more. Days, weeks, months, and years can pass by without one finding lasting and meaningful fulfillment, and one never truly reaching their full potential.
So, considering so many people are living their lives in such a way, how does one live life (more) well? The Jungian theory is a psychoanalytical approach developed by Carl Gustav Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst. It is an approach that helps individuals to bring their psyche in balance through a process of becoming more conscious for the purpose of transformation and ultimately self-actualisation. Jung believed that many everyday troubles occur when one’s psyche is out of balance and if it is not brought into balance one ends up living their life with insincerity, an incongruence with who they truly are, feeling out of sorts. Jung believed this imbalance is caused by an over-valuing of the conscious ego viewpoint and dissociation with one’s instinctual foundation. Consciousness is defined as the state of being aware of and responsive to one’s surroundings. It can also be defined as a person’s awareness or perception of something. One of Jung’s most fundamental beliefs is that the purpose of human life is in becoming conscious. “As far as we can discern,” Jung writes, “the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” – Jung, C.G. Memories, Dreams, Reflections, p. 326. Jung goes on to state that the reason why consciousness exists, and why there is an urge to widen and deepen it, is very simple: ‘’without consciousness, things go less well’’. – Jung, C.G. CW 8, par. 695
If becoming conscious, as Jung believes, is the purpose of human life and that it enables living life (more) well, then why are we not all actively working on becoming more conscious?
We are complex human beings. Who we are, what we do, and our state of being is heavily influenced by our ego, our conscious, and our unconscious minds. Our conscious mind contains all the thoughts, feelings, and beliefs that we are aware of and have acknowledged. Our unconscious mind consists of raw material such as emotions, impulses, and images that one is not consciously aware of. It is the depository of all deep cognitive processes, automatic processing of information, intuition, fantasies, dreams, archetypes, and complexes.
According to Jung, the psyche is a self-regulating system and there is an inborn, natural process within each of us that brings about a balance of the psyche. Imbalances are an integral part of who we are, given our innate ability as humans to adapt, grow and transform. Unconscious contents are a core part of our psyche and are instrumental in helping us to live life in a state of balance, yet unconscious contents can trap us if we do not have the knowledge, tools or courage to engage with them and integrate them into our consciousness. When one is in need of evolving and adapting conflicting contents naturally surface from one’s unconscious mind. This knowledge, along with the understanding of the process to bring one’s psyche into balance, is an incredibly empowering and liberating tool available to everyone. However, the images and the emotions that arise from one’s unconscious and from one’s shadow self are often too uncomfortable for one to experience, and the nature of which may not make sense to one at the time and the experience may feel very unsettling and uncomfortable. This inner conflict is the self-healing function of the psyche in action. It is drawing one’s attention to the imbalance and the need for change. Despite there being sufficient intelligence to understand this natural inborn process there is often so much resistance to it. Instead of allowing this process to happen, we find that many people resist and suppress this self-healing ability out of fear and a lack of consciousness at the moment of what is going on. As humans, we tend to dislike discomfort and to move away from it, however, growth and transformation are not possible without some level of discomfort. Many people who can’t face feeling the discomfort continue to live their lives as they have always been, with little change and in most cases facing the same frustrations over and over again. When one develops a great resistance to the discomfort, the resistance can often feel more painful than if one were to lean into and make sense of the discomfort.
We have come to see, through Jung’s discovery of the process of active imagination, that when one is able to engage with, relate to, and acknowledge one’s unconscious contents one is able to become free of them. There is great value in observing an uncomfortable emotion with curiosity. Failure to understand the unconscious contents deprives one of their potential for wholeness and authentic living.
Coaching is a very effective way of supporting people in becoming more conscious and living a more purposeful life. The coach, through active listening and creates a safe space for the client to navigate their inner journey and to face and integrate the contents of their unconscious through various techniques; thereby, truly empowering the client to face whatever challenges and situations may arise over the course of their lives.
Do you have the courage to fully trust the self-regulating function of your psyche and to fully explore the inner landscape of your unconscious in order to live your life (more) well?
Transformative coaching provides a safe, non-judgmental place to explore your unconscious beliefs and ultimately live life (more) well.
Source: Jung in Active Imagination, (Paperback): C.G.Jung, Joan Chodorow. Princeton University Press, 1997.
