tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-49763901489960000082024-03-12T17:47:21.894-07:00Thirty Percent SoulLeahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14613048047458889162noreply@blogger.comBlogger59125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4976390148996000008.post-20144254657616176692010-11-13T16:27:00.000-08:002011-05-09T18:57:44.934-07:00The Collective UnconsciousThis is how Nancy J. Napier, one of my favorite guides through the maze of child abuse <b>spirituality</b>, describes the Collective Unconscious, in her brilliant book: <span style="font-weight:bold;">Getting Through the Day</span><br />
"The existence of a collective unconscious was proposed by Carl Jung, the famed psychologist who originally was a student of Freud. According to Jung, within the collective unconscious are all the thoughts, feelings and accumulated experiences of humanity throughout time.<br />
All of those who have healed, who have led full and vital lives, have contributed their consciousness to this collective. While we are compelled to be aware of our shared pain as human beings, we can also tap into our collective potential to heal and be whole. Every person who has come before you, and who has healed and moved beyond the confines of a hurtful childhood, has blazed a trail you can follow unconsciously. All the learnings and accomplishments of those who have healed already are available within your own unconscious and can guide you on your way. Also, it's important to realize that each time you make a choice to go deeper into your own healing you contribute something to the collective, as well. All who come after you draw unconsciously on your achievements.<br />
An example of how the collective unconscious may be currently affecting those of us who were hurt as children is the recent emergence of people who are willing to publicize their victimization on television and in other media. At the same time, therapists have made available information that previously would have been found only in professional publications or at professional conferences. All of the public revelations and books demonstrate an important message: <span style="font-style:italic;">no matter what happened to you, or what strategies you used to get through those experiences, you are not alone.</span><br />
It's as though a tide of awareness were sweeping through our collective unconscious. The increasing understanding of dissociative processes in childhood, supported by public revelations from people who have recovered memories in adulthood, has been tremendously freeing for people who suffered child abuse. It is helpful to be reminded of the fact there are people who have healed successfully. They demonstrate an important truth about what happens when there is abuse: the way you are today is the result of a reasonable response to an extraordinary and unreasonable situation, and there is a way to move out of an accommodation to trauma into new, more effective strategies.<br />
Successfully facing a hurtful past isn't the only challenge where help from our shared, collective unconscious is useful. Those who have accomplished the journey of healing have faced the often frightening and uncomfortable experience of <span style="font-style:italic;">change</span>.<br />
They have answered for themselves the difficult question we all must confront when we choose to heal: What will I lose if I get better? What are the risks of becoming aware of my full self? What will change? Am I entitled to a different life? Will I know myself?<br />
The thing to keep in mind as you ask yourself the many questions that must arise as you journey into healing is that you can draw on the wisdom others have found in their struggles with these important issues. Because of this collective wisdom, there is hope. Once any one person accomplishes something, it becomes possible for the rest of us."<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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I spend a lot of time in the house, by myself. I work weekends and during the week I do chores around the house, because repetitive actions make me feel safe and allow me to reorganize my mind. I can't sit still, unless I lay on the sofa, playing some game on an ipod. I also play a lot of computer games, wasting time, rather than take care of my "to do" list. Then I feel guilty for having wasted that time and I pick a fight with my partner, to feel important, or to lecture him about something.<br />
My inner child wants to play a lot and doesn't care much about my grown-up needs. My inner child wants to be on vacation forever, while the adult me is worried about not having a retirement plan, about not finding a better job than the shitty one I currently have. My inner child wants to eat chocolate and candy, while the adult me is worried about my cholesterol levels and the weight I've gained. My inner child refuses to work, search for a job or even think about handling rejection in a responsible way. The adult me knows that this situation can't last forever.<br />
I'm trying to jump start my life. I'm trying to apply to grad school and feel already defeated because I'm facing some obstacles in obtaining recommendation letters. I worry about taxes I can't afford to pay and the mere idea of having to organize myself in order to apply for financial aid, makes me want to spin in circles and sing nursery rhymes, while my mind settles for a safe spot. I'm tempted to hate my inner child. I know I should be patient and nurse it back to <b>health</b> so that I can move on with my life in a safe way, but how long will it take? How long should I parent this child for? When will I be free to make some adult choices? I need to be active again. I have nightmares about not being successful enough and I can't bare the idea of being a loser. I've always been an overachiever. Am I missing out on life to sort out my childhood demons? I'm envious of my partner because he has a great job and makes enough money.<br />
I drink coffee and my mind races through the maze of my daily routine. My inner child is bored and completely uninterested by all this grown-up talk.<br />
I feel like the adult self should know better and pick up the inner child and move on to a better place where both the adult and the child can feel safe in a natural coexistence. But where is that place? What do I need to get there?<div class="blogger-post-footer"><script type="text/javascript">
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