Seeking the Unconscious Gods

 by Henry Meiring

Freud placed great emphasis on people becoming consciously aware of previously repressed material during psychoanalysis. Remembering repressed memories or becoming mindful of unconscious material was a central component of Freud’s therapeutic approach[i]. This sentiment was echoed by Carl Jung in stressing the importance of making that which was unconscious conscious in psychotherapy. In psychoanalytic therapy today exploring and understanding a patient’s unconscious dynamics via free association, dreams and the transference forms an integral part of everyday practice. Yet numerous patients struggle with this specific task in therapy. It is simply too painful for some and they retreat, many terminating therapy at this point. Unable or unwilling to acknowledge and deal with their painful psychic realities. I remember facing certain realities about myself in my own therapy and how painful that process was. The journey of seeking out those unconscious gods that hold sway over our lives is one of peril. Jung, one of the great explorers of the unconscious issues the following warning to those who seek knowledge about the self: “There is no coming to consciousness without pain”[ii]. As I invite patients on a daily basis to explore and confront their shadow, I am many times reminded of the mythic Norse tale of King Gylfe and his journey towards Asgard, the home of the gods.

A great many hundreds of years after the creation of the world, there ruled a wise king whose name was Gylfe. He was a seeker after wisdom and finding that no man could answer the questions which he was continually asking himself, Gylfe made the long journey to Asgard, thinking to learn the secrets of the gods. The gods have often visited men, but men have rarely visited the gods, and the King’s coming to Asgard was the beginning of a new wisdom among men. No sooner did he enter the home of the gods than he found himself in a great hall. Then Odin, spoke in a deep and wonderful tone and asked why he had come there? He replied boldly that he wanted to find a wise man if there were one. Then Odin answered him in words which were so full of meaning that he did not understand them until long afterwards: “You shall not go from this place unharmed unless you go wiser than you came.” It is dangerous to seek the gods, unless we profit by what they tell us; for it is better to be ignorant than to possess knowledge and not live by it.[iii]

In seeking out our unconscious gods we need to confront unsettling and at times painful memories, thoughts and feelings. Odin’s cautionary warning is a stark reminder to all of us involved in helping people along this journey. Maybe in the future psychotherapists should have Odin’s warning enshrined on a plaque above their practice doors: “You shall not go from this place unharmed unless you go wiser than you came.” I for one am considering it. We as psychoanalytic therapists and patients will do good to remember his wise words.

Written by Henry Meiring (clinical psychologist, SAPC member). Find Henry on www.centurycitypsychology.co.za or follow him on www.twitter.com/hjmeiring 

References [i]             Sigmund Freud, “Remembering, Repeating and Working-Through,” in vol. 12 of Standard Edition the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, ed. And trans. James Strachey (London: Hogarth Press and Institute of Psychoanalyis, 1958). [ii]             Carl Gustav Jung, “Psychology and Alchemy,” in vol. 12 of Collected Works of C. G. Jung, trans. R. F. C. Hull (New York: Pantheon, 1953) [iii]             Hamilton Wright Mabie, “Norse Mythology: Great stories from the Eddas,” (New York: Dover Publications, 2002)

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