Harris Communications
Thought of the Week ("Thought" archive) 

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July 30, 2007

"...there's no doubt in my mind that when a situation feels truly unbearable, some part of our being has to give way."

 

When things get intolerable we can no longer maintain the facade that holds us together. At first we experience ourselves as disorganized, chaotic. We have to reorganize in some way in order to survive. We can move forward by recognizing that the past is behind us, and try to find a new sense of self. Or we can stay stuck in ruminating over past events and try to recapture a self that is no longer as useful as it was. You can either fundamentally transform yourself or you can get mired down in what Jung called a 'negative restoration of the persona,' an attempt to revive the old appearances. You just cover up and pretend that nothing's happened. Embracing the new self requires that we engage directly with our lives as they are in the very moment that pain or suffering seems intolerable. Trying to keep up old appearances, on the other hand, invites a feeling of deadness, or depression."

 

June Singer, Jungian analyst. Quoted in Polly Young-Eisendrath, The Resilient Spirit. (1996). DeCappo Press.

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