Have you ever wondered how it is that you can make quick responses or have intense reactions, and later on wonder where they came from? Have you ever heard yourself say something, and then found yourself wondering ‘hey, who said that?’ or ‘I don’t even agree with that!’ or even, ‘wow, that’s cool, where/how did I come up with that?’ Becoming curious about these inner movements (e-motions) is essential to the process of getting to “know thyself” (as suggested by the ancient Oracle at Delphi). The outer world expects us to automatically know ourselves, yet a psychological explorer knows it doesn’t work like this – that self-knowledge takes time, effort, willingness, and being open to the unknown.
There is ample evidence that we have a multitude of “inner lives” – some we are familiar with, many we only get hints of now and the, and many more we don’t have a clue about. The awareness that we are only partly known to ourselves is what prompted people like Freud, Jung, and many other dedicated explorers over the last few centuries to begin to lay out a dimensional view of consciousness. The fact that we can surprise ourselves by what we say out loud or by what we think inside is evidence of unknown depths within ourselves and the fact of there being levels of consciousness – that is, conscious, semi-conscious, and unconscious.
Sometimes, when people are overly stressed and/or traumatized, these levels of consciousness can, in a sense, bleed into each other, causing confusion due to the amplification of scattered idea-bits, often stimulated by fear, rising into everyday consciousness without a clear sense of what goes with what. In good psychological work, ego strength is needed as a container and a means of shielding or protection from what otherwise would become overwhelming. “Ego strength” can turn into egotistical behavior or attitude when a person wrongly believes that what this small spotlight (ego) reveals is everything. It isn’t, and simply never can be. Knowing this and developing curiosity about it is the beginning of wisdom.
Within the multi-levels of ourselves live different collections or bundles of energy that have, in a very real sense, their own lives. Taking time to investigate these inner lives is a crucial part of good mental health…kind of like being aware of the rooms in your house, what each one is for, and what kind of care each one needs.
Thank you for reading, and please see previous posts for connected themes…
[note: above image is from the ‘Many Worlds’ series by Alison Berry]