The Psyche Of The Body: A Jungian Approach To P...
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The Psyche of the Body is a passionate and well-informed plea for a Jungian version of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy. Illustrated by vivid clinical illustrations of case histories, The Psyche of the Body reviews the long history of psychosomatic medicine and models of the relationship between psyche and body that have evolved over time, and presents a full revision of research in the field over the last twenty years. It presents a much-needed theoretical model together with practical guidelines that demonstrate how the psychological aspects of specific illnesses should be handled in therapy and analysis. Practicing and training Jungian analysts, as well as all those involved in clinical treatment, will find the interdisciplinary approach to psychosomatic medicine promoted in this book fascinating reading.
\"This book offers a welcome interdisciplinary approach to Jungian psychology, with a focus on the embodied nature of the psyche. An important theme is that of the mind as emergent, in terms of neurobiology, personal relationships and the wider cultural context, creating a stimulating dialogue between these different perspectives.\" - Dr Jean Knox, Training Analyst of the Society of Analytical Psychology, Consultant Editor of the Journal of Analytical Psychology and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Kent, UK
Carl Jung brought an almost mystical approach to psychodynamic theory. An early associate and follower of Freud, Jung eventually disagreed with Freud on too many aspects of personality theory to remain within a strictly Freudian perspective. Subsequently, Jung developed his own theory, which applied concepts from natural laws (primarily in physics) to psychological functioning. Jung also introduced the concept of personality types, and began to address personality development throughout the lifespan. In his most unique contribution, at least from a Western perspective, Jung proposed that the human psyche contains within itself psychological constructs developed throughout the evolution of the human species.
Analytical psychology, as presented by Jung, addresses the question of the psyche in an open-minded way. He laments the overly scientific approach of the late 1800s and efforts to explain away the psyche as a mere epiphenomenon of brain function. Curiously, that debate remains with us today, and is still unanswered in any definitive way. Jung did not accept the suggestion that the psyche must come from the activity of the brain. This allowed him to consider the possibility of a collective unconscious, and fit well with his acceptance of the wisdom of Eastern philosophers. Indeed, Jung suggests that psychology will find truth only when it accepts both Eastern and Western, as well as both scientific and spiritual, perspectives on the psyche (Jung, 1933).
In studying various schools of psychotherapy, I continue to find the Jungian approach to be the best attempt at meeting the challenge of rendering service to the soul. The Jungian approach does this by not avoiding the complexity of the soul, and instead deeply engaging the reality of the psyche by including the spiritual aspects of the psyche and the challenging problems of existence, which rise out of working with the unconscious in treatment.
This attitude of openness to the direction of the psyche and the Self in Jungian work allows for flexibility in the approach, so that various treatment techniques can be used in order to remain deeply attuned to the psychological needs of the patient at different stages of inner work. As a result, Jungian work can be relational, it can be archetypal, it can be developmental, it can be deeply spiritual, it can include active imagination, dream work, sand play, authentic movement, and other forms of creative art therapy. It can be any or a combination of above methods and include approaches from other schools of psychotherapy, such as Self-psychology, cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychoanalysis, and so on. Since the ultimate goal is to render service to the soul, Jungian work is not limited to only Jungian techniques and it blends well with other approaches to facilitate transformation. Of course, the more skilled and psychologically developed the psychotherapist or the analyst is, the wider are the possibilities and the richer is the work. This is why the Jungian psychotherapist or analyst is required to have completed a substantial period of analysis and continue to do his/her inner work on the path of individuation and consciousness.
One of the factors that drew me to the Jungian approach, was the non-judgmental attitude of embracing symptoms and the inferior, the ugly, the despised, the dark or the intolerable aspects of the personality or forces in the psyche which may be superficially managed, avoided, denied or rejected in other approaches. The rejected, dark or despised parts of the personality or the psyche are embraced with acceptance and curiosity in Jungian work so that they can be understood and then integrated into the whole personality on the path of individuation.
\"Man is a transitional being This body is a bridge.\" (Sri Arubindo).Physical Self refers to the body, this marvelous container and complex, finely tuned, machine with which we interface with our environment and fellow beings. The Physical Self is the concrete dimension, the tangible aspect of the person that can be directly observed and examined. Scientifically, however, this important aspect of our Self seems to have lost somewhere between the Eastern detachment and Western narcissism, so much so that sufficient theoretical development on this issue is lacking. However, directly or indirectly, the discussion on Physical Self has found a place in various schools of psychology like psychoanalysis, behaviorism, humanism etc. with some of its most ardent exponents and followers dealing with the issue in varying proportions. William James considered body as the initial source of sensation and necessary for the origin and maintenance of personality. However, James considered body subservient to the mind, for e.g., mental concentration can be so tightly focused as not only to banish ordinary sensations, but even the severest pain (James, 1890, Vol. 1, p.49). A simple example could be the numerous reports of soldiers in the battle or a boxer in the ring who suffer severe wounds but do not notice them until the intensity of the fighting abates. For James the body is an expressive tool of indwelling consciousness and good physical health is something that wells up from the every part of the body of a muscularly well trained human being, and soaks the indwelling soul in him with satisfaction. It is an element of spiritual hygiene of supreme significance. (James, 1899. p. 103). In Psychoanalytical school, Sigmund Freud's construction of self and personality makes the physical body the core of human experience. Freud was of the view that the ego is first and foremost a body ego (Freud, 1937). However, in spite of Freud's recognition of the centrality of body, his own writings on therapy rarely discuss it. Among western theorists Wilhelm Reich seems to probably most concerned with body (Fadiman and Frager, 2002). Although, in his later works, Freud placed less emphasis on libido, Reich took Freuds concept of libido as his central principle. For Reich, the freeing of the blocked bioenergy is the chief task of psychotherapy. Reich argued that mind and body are one; all psychological processes, he postulated, are a part of physical processes, and vice versa. So for Reich, body is essential dynamic in all psychological functioning and it plays a critical role in storing and channeling the bioenergy, which is the basis of human existence and experience.For Erik Erikson, experience is anchored in the ground-plan of body (Erikson, 1963). According to him the role of bodily organs is especially important in early developmental stages of a persons life. Later in life, the development of physical as well as intellectual skills help determine whether the individual will achieve a sense of competence and ability to choose demanding roles in a complex society. For example, healthy children derive a sense of competence as their bodies become larger, stronger, faster and more capable of learning complex skills. However, as a stage theorist, Erikson is aware of the constant interaction of the body, psychological processes and social forces. He acknowledges the classical Freudian view of fundamental biological drives but insists that these drives are socially modifiable.Carl Gustav Jung in his exposition to Analytical Psychology didn't deal explicitly with the role of the body and choose to direct his efforts to analyzing the psyche only. He has argued that physical processes are relevant to us only to the extent they are represented in the psyche. The physical body and the external world can be known only as psychological experiences: I'm chiefly concerned with the psyche itself, therefore I'm leaving out body and spirit. The body and spirit are to me mere aspects of the reality of the psyche. Psychic experience is the only immediate experience. Body is as metaphysical as the spirit. (Jung, 1973). B. F. Skinner was a staunch behaviorist and for him the role of body is of primary importance. For Skinner the terms personality and self are mere explanatory fictions and all there is, is the body. However, in spite of this, body never truly interested the skinner. He treats human being as an unopened, but certainly not empty, box.Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, the two most prominent figures of the Humanist tradition, have not discussed in detail the role of body in the process of self- actualization. According to Maslow's Need-Hierarchy theory once the physiological needs of a person are met, the individual becomes more concerned with the higher order needs. However, he writes that the body be given its due. Asceticism, self-denial, delibe