Depth Psychology in Relation to Mindfulness
Many of the movements in Western psychotherapy have gone very deeply into the sufferings of one particular realm, but none have explored the entire wheel. For example, Freud explored the Animal, or Desire, Realm; the child analyst Melanie Klein, the Hell Realm of anxiety and aggression; the British psychoanalyst D. W. Winnicott and the developer of self-psychology Heinz Kohut, the Human Realm of narcissism; and the humanistic psychologists Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, the God Realm of peak experiences. All of these approaches have been helpful—indeed, essential—for the treatment of particular sticking points, but they are inherently limiting because each one focuses exclusively on only one dimension. To one degree or another each may well be necessary, but the Buddhist tradition sees the entire mandala as reflective of the neurotic mind, and it therefore requires an approach that can be applied comprehensively.
~Epstein, 2008, p. 20
Depth psychology recognizes and supports the mind, body, and spirit connections, in contrast to mainstream psychology, which focuses on cognitive, behavioral, and systemic mechanisms (Santana, 2017, p. xii). This area of psychology creates a roadmap to maneuver between two different realities: the conscious and unconscious (Casement, 1991, p. 7). According to psychoanalyst Patrick Casement, the unconscious is unknown territory from which subtle nuances emerge when communicating and interacting with a client. Coming to understand that which is not known involves developing tolerance and comfort in not knowing, also known as conscious awareness (p. 7).
According to clinical psychologist Edward Santana (2017),
Depth psychology is, at its roots, the exploration of, and engagement with, the dynamic relationships between the conscious and unconscious, the individual and the collective, and the rich interplay between the imaginal realm (of our dreams, visions, synchronicities, and the unknown dimensions of spirit and soul) and our waking reality. (p. xii)
Epstein (1995) explained that psychoanalysis focuses on building a tolerance for unpleasant feelings of which clients are most fearful. Buddhism’s take, he contended, is the middle-path, the recognition of being free from destructive emotions by seeing them with nonjudgmental awareness (p. 24). In addition, depth psychology affirms the sacred bond between the therapist and client in which a new attachment style can emerge. According to Wallin (2007), “the patient’s attachment relationship to the therapist is foundational and primary” and provides a “secure base,” from which the client can explore with the therapist those feelings that are otherwise intolerable and too difficult to communicate (pp. 2-3). Furthermore, Wallin opined, “By virtue of the felt security generated through such affect-regulating interactions, the therapeutic relationship can provide a context for accessing disavowed or dissociated experiences within the patient that have not—and perhaps cannot—be put into words” (p. 3). By doing so, this relationship creates space to reflect and articulate previously unprocessed feelings making way for meaning and a new narrative (p. 3). Both depth psychology and attachment-based therapy are known to integrate disowned experiences creating a sense of security among clients (p. 3). In this sense, the client’s previous attachment pattern is deconstructed to establish a new kind of attachment, repairing attachment wounds (p. 3).
Wallin (2007) contended, “While mindfulness is not part of the vocabulary of attachment, this construct from Buddhist psychology seems a natural outgrowth of attachment theory and research” (p. 5). He further explained that Phillip Shaver, who co- edited a handbook on attachment and voraciously read multiple books on Buddhism in preparation for a presentation for the Dalai Lama, defined attachment theory and Buddhist psychology as synonymous (p. 5). Wallin (2007) drew parallel outcomes from both attachment-based psychotherapy and Buddhist psychology: “The regular exercise of mindful awareness seems to promote the same benefits—bodily and affective self- regulation, attuned communication with others, insight, empathy, and the like—that research has found to be associated with childhood histories of secure attachment” (p. 6). Though secure attachment and mindfulness have different approaches, both generate a secure base that is internally experienced (p. 6).
Similarly, Van der Kolk (2014) recommended mindfulness in the belief that “at the core of recovery [from trauma] is self-awareness” (p. 210). Traumatized individuals in particular experience sensations that are often unbearable, but pushing them down increases the chances of their returning, causing “overwhelm” in the body (p. 210). The emotional brain generates sensations in the body so feelings feel unsafe to traumatized people. By practicing mindfulness, the sympathetic nervous system can relax, preventing a flight-or-flight reaction (pp. 210-211). Numerous studies on mindfulness have shown the physical effects that mindfulness has on the body ranging from immune response to cortisol levels and blood pressure. Additionally, “a positive effect on numerous psychiatric, psychosomatic, and stress-related symptoms, including depression and chronic pain” has been shown (p. 211). A finding most relevant to attachment research is that through the practice of mindfulness, certain brain regions are activated, which are involved in emotional regulation related to fear and awareness in the body (p. 211).
The training in depth psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute informed me of the significance of self-knowledge and Jung’s theory of psychological maturation. Differentiating and integrating aspects of Self and experiences that are often split off into the unconscious, usually as a result of trauma. I learned, the foundation for my own secure attachment was hindered by an internalization of betrayal, which then created chaotic experiences into adulthood. The more I learned about depth psychology and practiced mindfulness, the more I discovered how to listen to my unconscious, becoming awake to what it means to be with me, without losing myself to another. This reflected the love, compassion, joy, and understanding that I hold for humanity.
© 2019 Marcelle Mae Little All rights reserved
References:
Casement, P. J. (1991). Learning from the patient. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
Epstein, M. (1995). Thoughts without a thinker: Psychotherapy from a Buddhist perspective. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Santana, E. (2017). Jung and sex: Re-visioning the treatment of sexual issues. London, UK: Routledge.
Van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The body keeps the score: Brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. New York, NY: Penguin Books.
Wallin, D. J. (2007). Attachment in psychotherapy. New York, NY: The Guilford Press.
