*Real* Self-Awareness + Dr. James Hollis
These days cheap and shallow self-awareness is thrown around a lot. "I'm a people-pleaser", "I'm conflict-avoidant", "I'd rather not call attention to myself". It's boring.
Compare this to the following excerpt from a Twitter post:
"I want to make you laugh. Partly because it's genuinely fun for me to laugh with you and see you have a good time. But also partly because I want you to love me, and I feel protected and secure when I can seduce you into hysterics."
Real self-awareness feels different. The realness vibrates through the soul and revives it. Check out the complete tweet the quote is from, it's worth it: https://x.com/DisaffectedPod/status/1790402285308191013
🎧 Podcast I listened to: Most people who are interested in Jungian psychology have heard of Dr. James Hollis, who has written numerous books helping people apply analytic insights to their own life. Here is a rather interesting interview with him: https://www.hubermanlab.com/episode/dr-james-hollis-how-to-find-your-true-purpose-create-your-best-life
One passage I loved in particular:
"I've often said to people, this is not about curing you because you're not a disease. This is about making your life more interesting, where you realize every morning you get up, you have something profound to address today. Why am I here and in service to what?
Because if you don't ask that question, you're going to be in service to your adaptive postures from childhood as many people prove to be until the conflict within reaches that point where the suffering of the soul, psychopathology, is sufficient. I myself was cruising along in my 30s. I'd achieved everything that I wanted to achieve and was enjoying my life.
And then suddenly, inexplicably, had a very serious depression. And it took me a while to realize that I was asking the wrong question. The first question that occurs to a person under those circumstances is, how quickly do I get rid of this? You know, give me five easy steps or a pill for that or whatever. I didn't understand the real question is, why has your psyche autonomously withdrawn its approval and support from the agenda that you've been addressing?”
❓Questions of the week: Based on the Hollis interview, I've found the following questions stimulating to ask in the morning:
Did I dream?
What am I feeling?
What is this in service to?
What does my psyche want?
Best wishes,
Alina