Some pearls of wisdom from one of psychology’s most prominent figures
JUN 20, 2024
BY NR.BALOCH
If you observe closely enough, you may come to the conclusion that sometimes, the more you push against something, the larger it grows. Perhaps it’s a terrible habit, an unfavorable thought pattern, waves of emotions and thoughts, memories from the past, or an impending deadline.
You attempt to ignore it, deny its existence, or even push it away, but it never goes away, no matter what you do.
For more Articles vist Litraryworld
Power is created by what you oppose.
It will eventually make a move to topple you.
Another name for it is the “white elephant” effect. You think about a white elephant more the harder you attempt to forget about it. Similar to this, resistance keeps undesirable behaviors at the forefront of your thoughts.
Carl Jung, a well-known psychologist who wrote extensively about the unconscious mind’s power, stated:
“What you resist persists and will only get bigger.”
Put simply, whatever you oppose continue. What you oppose, you receive more of.
The transformative principle underlying Jung’s statements is this: Tension is created by resistance. It fixes your attention on the very thing you wish to stay away from. Unwanted feelings, events, or thoughts are amplified by the continuous attention. It turns into a spotlight, capturing all of your attention and giving the impression that it is larger and more potent than it actually is.
Similar to an iceberg is the mind.
It is composed of two functional sections. The conscious mind exists above the surface, whereas the unconscious mind exists below it. You make decisions and manage your thoughts in the conscious mind. However, the enormous unconscious lies beneath the surface, a whirlwind of memories, emotions, and instincts.
This unconscious space is where resistance germinates. You push anything into the unconscious when you fight it, be it a fear, an idea, or a negative habit.
The harsh reality is that denial is not something the unconscious comprehends. It does not discriminate between concentration and resistance. In your unconscious mind, you actually give something power when you consistently oppose it.
It resembles a youngster having a temper tantrum.
They will become more aggressive the more attention you offer them—even unfavorable attention. In a similar vein, anything that you resist in your conscious mind also becomes more prevalent in your unconscious. It turns into a mental tug-of-war that saps your vitality and impedes your development.
The life’s secret engine
Your consciousness is not all that you are. Your life’s secret engine is the internal conflict between your conscious and unconscious minds. It influences how you make decisions, how you feel, and it even has the power to ruin your entire life.
We are aware that the most intense and poignant plays are not performed in theaters, but rather in the hearts of common people who go by without drawing much notice and who, aside from maybe having a mental breakdown, reveal nothing to the outside world about the inner battles they are experiencing. The fact that most patients have no inkling whatsoever of the internecine battle raging in their unconscious is what makes the situation so hard for the layperson to understand. We will be less shocked to learn that there are people who are completely clueless of their true issues if we keep in mind that there are many people who know nothing at all about themselves. — “Psychological New Paths” (1912). Within CW 7:
What then is the substitute?
Acceptance is what Jung suggests.
Without passing judgment, accept the sensation, thought, habit, or urge. Avoid resisting it. Allow it to come in, watch it quietly, and then allow it to go. Not because you wish it to remain, but rather because denying it gets stronger the longer you ignore it. You can prepare to remove your emotional energy from it by accepting it.
Now that the opposition has been recognized, you have an option. You have the option to look at it, comprehend its existence, and then decide to go on. While it may still exist, the resistance is no longer the main force. Indeed, you are.
Fighting back is a losing strategy.
Acknowledge it as it is. You can then address it after that. My anxiety or mental distress only gets worse if I ignore it. It lingers and gets bigger until I have no choice but to face it.
When you hold back on what you need or want to say, tension builds up and eventually erupts in a way you won’t enjoy. Allocate time for that challenging discussion.
Tell the truth what you know.
Perhaps the relationship improves or perhaps it dissolves. However, resistance just serves to postpone the inevitable.
According to Jung, “your life will be directed by your unconscious until you make it conscious. You will call it fate.”
Acknowledge the shadowy depths beneath the surface in order to investigate, comprehend, and ultimately transform it.
Anger simmers beneath the surface and threatens to explode at any time if you let it. Seek a productive conversation about it. Fix the problem before it becomes a bigger one.
It just makes you feel heavier to hold onto fear, hatred, or wrath. Let go, grow from it, and move on. Refusing to resist allows your mind to be occupied with other important matters. You stop being reactive and start being proactive.
“My friends, you should feed your soul; if you don’t, you’ll breed devils and dragons in your heart.” — Carl Jung
By shedding light on the shadowy areas of your unconscious mind, you can confront and resolve these issues. Perhaps the unfavorable feeling has its roots in a past event from infancy.
Now that you are aware of it, you may make a decision. You can decide to let it go in order to create more beneficial coping strategies. Perhaps you could reframe that anxiety as a healthy caution. Maybe that negative habit is a result of a more profound emotional need.
Releasing resistance brings freedom. It lets you view things for what they really are rather than what you fear they might be. It gives you the ability to choose action over inaction. It lets you notice opportunities that were hidden from your view when you were preoccupied with battling shadows.
When you find yourself wanting to resist, consider whether it’s really helping or hurting. or “How can I address this?” Opt to go with the flow rather than against it. The amount of smoother the ride gets might simply surprise you.
People “will do anything, no matter how absurd, to avoid facing their own souls,” according to Carl Jung.
However, your shadows are not you.
“I am what I choose to become; I am not what happened to me,” as stated by Carl Jung. How you react to your unconscious mind defines who you are.
If you want to change your reality, go inward.