Depth Psychology

“Psychological wisdom is the compass within each of us, pointing in what seems like the most fruitful direction. The attempt to ‘fix a soul’ diminishes life, harms the psyche and dries up the seed of wisdom.” ~Ginnette Paris

There are numerous approaches to healing, based on culture, religion, geography, education and even gender. We in the West have traditionally used the medical model, where a procedure or pill will “fix” the symptoms and the patient can be healed. The pharmaceutical world is currently a multi-billion dollar industry. Even psychology has embraced this method of diagnosis and treatment in working with the psyche.

Respectful of culture, tradition and belief system, depth psychology is asking the deeper questions: what is the next level of consciousness that allows a person to sit with the pain, and endure the insufferable? How do we shift from healing as a goal to one of a journey?

Depth psychology’s primary focus is on the human psyche’s tendency toward wholeness and calls attention to the importance of what lies below the surface of conscious awareness. This dimension of psychic reality is revealed in the literary genres of the time, in the expressive arts of a culture, in dreams, and in the symptoms of individuals and communities.

I believe that psychotherapy is an art of seeing through the symptoms and repairing the ‘internal compass’ within all of us. Psychological wisdom is the goal and suffering is part of the journey. Wounds may never completely heal and the leakage of old memories can come upon us when least expected.

Learning the skills to be with our pain instead of numbing emotions, grieving losses in place of seeking substitutions, empathizing instead of pathologizing; this is how we can repair our broken souls and stop the psychic leakage. Time may heal infectious wounds, but the scars will remain, forever a reminder of the peaceful warrior within that helped us gain control of our inner lives.

That is the goal of depth psychology, and my vision in working with clients. To find out more about depth psychology and my work as a practitioner, check out my blog. To schedule an appointment, see my profile and contact me rashin@rmhealing.com for a free initial consultation.