Through a Jungian Lens

I went for a walk yesterday afternoon, my first real walk since I have come back to Canada.  The blizzard kept me indoors for a couple of days and my allergies stole whatever energy I had on the other days.  The allergies are still going on strong but I knew that I had to get out or else I would simply turn into a zombie.

Out in the countryside, I found this lone seagull standing on the ice-covered lagoon looking rather lonely.  I would imagine that he felt abandoned and alone out in the cold, a feeling that I share at times when depression decides to pay another visit.  Depression, as described in this article, Fighting that Frozen Feeling, steals one’s energy to do things and to interact with people.

So what to do with this feeling?  Well, the first thing is to realize that there is some purpose at work.  The depression isn’t simply an incident of chaos.  As my friend Ur-Spo reminds us:

In the Jungian theory, depression is a symptom of a wrong direction, or a necessary step of discarding false matters to make room for real psychological growth. So, in Jungian psychology, depression is not an ‘illness’ per se – it is a signal; sort of like a ‘red warning light’ that comes on when your engine has a problem. (Ur-Spo, Spo-Reflections, Depression From a Jungian Point of View, January 6, 2008)

Rather than fleeing or trying to deny the depression, one looks carefully at the depression in order to see what needs attention.  Yes, there are roots, past events that can be held as responsible for the depression’s origins.  However, it is something about the present that is not quite right according to the psyche, something that needs to be brought to light so that energy or libido can be freed up so that normal living can continue.

With energy freed, one begins to feel warmed by the spirit, the inner sunshine which then thaws the soul.  Being able to move again, one can then relate again with others in a life-affirming manner, so that one is no longer alone and out in the cold.