Jung's Symbolic Life, Psychology of Action, Transforming Pain

Existential Espresso Vol. 105

Quick announcement (skip if you don’t care about Black Friday discounts):

This Friday will be your chance to join my course Attention Mastery at 20% off and get access to 3 live workshops as a bonus. The cart will open on Friday, and the sale will last just 48 hours, so keep an eye on your inbox.
*If you’ve already purchased Attention Mastery, you’ll get access to all 3 workshops.

What I’ve been reading:

The Symbolic Life: Miscellaneous Writings by Carl Jung (Volume 18 of Jung’s collected works)

As the title implies, this is a collection of miscellaneous, primarily short writings by Jung. Short essays, articles, letters, academic speeches, etc.

This is not a book for people who have never read Jung and would like to better understand his psychology and philosophy.

If you want to know what books I would use to start my study of Jung from scratch, check out my free reading list.

A couple of notable quotes from “The Symbolic Life”

On the positive potential of neurosis:

"I am not altogether pessimistic about neurosis. In many cases we have to say: 'Thank heaven he could make up his mind to be neurotic! Neurosis is really an attempt at self-cure... It is an attempt of the self-regulating psychic system to restore the balance, in no way different from the function of dreams— only rather more forceful and drastic."

On politics as symptoms of social evils:

“I am convinced that 99 per cent of politics are mere symptoms and anything but a cure for social evils.”

On the modern individual’s disconnect with nature (internal and external):

“Civilized man ... is in danger of losing all contact with the world of instinct- a danger that is still further increased by his living an urban existence in what seems to be a purely man-made environment. This loss of instinct is largely responsible for the pathological condition of contemporary culture.”

What I’ve been listening to:

Steven Heyes on The Psychology Podcast with Scott Barry Kaufman

Steven Heyes is the founder of “Acceptance and Commitment Therapy” (ACT). My interest in Heyes and his work comes from the fact that ACT, like one of my main influences, Morita therapy, doesn’t aim to eliminate negative feelings at all costs. Instead, it seeks to give the individual the tools to engage in life more fully despite the negative feelings or intrusive thoughts.

Listen here.

What I’ve been thinking about:

“All great spirituality is about what we do with our pain. If we do not transform our pain, we will transmit it to those around us.” - Richard Rohr

Thank you for reading.

Stay strong, love life, and never feel sorry for yourself.

Free Resources:

Clarity Quest - self-exploration course

My Book Recommendation List

My free ebook: The Lost Art of Reading

If you like my Existential Espresso writing, there is zero-cost support in the form of subscribing, liking this post, commenting if you have any thoughts on it, and of course sharing this with anyone who would find it interesting.

Or you can consider becoming a paid supporter of Existential Espresso for 5$ per month. By doing this you would be helping me to keep investing time into researching and writing all the content on the daily basis.

What you get by becoming a paid supporter is access to the members-only essays (such as “Why Having a Price on My Head Didn’t Upset Me”or “Why Living With a Bulletproof Vest is The Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me”), as well as an opportunity to recommend topics for future essays.

However, even taking the time out of your day to read what I have to share with you means more to me than you can imagine. Thank you.