Category: Individuation (Hero & Heroine's Journey)
You are a living library
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2025-11-06 19:44:15
Your body a source of wisdom beyond your wildest imagination. Your DNA carries the stories of all your ancestors; as well as the potential of your descendants. In your cellular memory lies the answers to all your questions. The body expresses what the psyche cannot articulate - through somatic sensations, symptoms, or affective states.
The Handless Maiden - the pattern of initiation and descent
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2025-06-24 19:12:31
In The Handless Maiden, a Brothers Grimm tale, a poor miller is approached by the devil-in-disguise who offers wealth in exchange for “what stands behind your mill.” Believing it to be an apple tree, the man agrees, only to discover that his daughter was standing there.
The Exiled Inner Child
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2025-05-20 19:31:11
There is a deep and often unspoken grief in the loss of the little boy or girl inside each of us - the one who once looked at life with wide-eyed innocence, full of hopes, dreams, and pure-hearted belief in possibility. There comes a moment in the journey of individuation when we realize that the child we once were has been exiled - out of necessity.
Unlocking the Creative Psyche in the Journey of Individuation
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2025-03-04 18:49:22
The process of individuation is a lifelong journey of integrating the conscious and unconscious aspects of the self, leading to the fullest, most authentic expression of being. Individuation necessitates engagement with the Shadow and the Self, both of which hold immense creative potential. Unlocking the creative psyche requires more than passive introspection - it calls for active immersion in the inner world.
Holding the tension of opposites
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2024-11-19 19:22:06
The concept of holding the tension of opposites is central to the Jungian journey of individuation. Our psyches are pulled between opposing forces, such as the conscious and the unconscious, light and shadow, masculine and feminine, or rationality and intuition. These opposites are archetypal in nature and cannot be fully integrated or reduced into one; they represent fundamental dualities.
Psyche: a self-regulating system
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2024-03-05 17:50:53
Jung believed that the psyche operates as a self-regulating system, akin to the body, aiming to maintain internal stability amidst external influences. This equilibrium involves a balance between polarities wherein the psyche integrates unconscious elements like archetypes and complexes into conscious awareness. Through self-discovery and transformation, a process Jung termed ‘individuation’, individuals seek to manifest their unique potential and achieve inner harmony, fostering a sense of wholeness.
The archetype of the Self
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2023-10-05 18:47:56
Carl Jung's concept of the archetype of the Self is a complex idea of embodied consciousness, symbolizing unity between body, mind, and soul. It directs us to explore and integrate the various parts of our psyche while maintaining a homeostatic balance, and serves as a guiding force on the journey of individuation.
Relationships: A Jungian Lens
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2023-09-05 18:59:55
‘Conscious relating’ emphasizes self-awareness, authenticity, genuine understanding, mutual respect, and growth within relationships. Viewed through a Jungian framework, this requires a willingness and commitment to engage in introspection and self-exploration. This doesn't mean relinquishing personal boundaries or merging identities, but rather recognizing that by understanding our own motivations, fears, and desires, we can communicate more honestly and openly with our partners. This level of vulnerability fosters a safe environment where authentic connecting can flourish. Relationships then become a container for the journey of individuation while meeting our need for emotional attachment.
Individuation and the Transcendent Function
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2023-01-18 01:14:57
Individuation is what Carl Jung called the process of lifelong psychological development with a person moving closer to a sense of wholeness, uniqueness, authenticity, self-knowledge, and fuller realization of inner potentials. The purpose of individuation is to achieve a state of unified consciousness as an individual, integrating all parts of the self, conscious and unconscious.
The Hero/Heroine's Archetype
Author: Denise Grobbelaar
Date Published: 2022-09-07 04:08:23
Myths and stories throughout the ages and across the world tell tales of heroes and heroines who survive the ordeals of impossible tasks given to them or perhaps having to fight dragons, but hopefully coming home with the treasure. The hero’s journey is a dynamic process that can serve as a conceptual metaphor for understanding individual development where each major transitionary life event serves as a call to step into an initiatory experience.