As an addendum... the posts above are a condensed version of my original attempts to comb through the movie, make sense of it, and frame it upon the Jungian model; there is far more material and links in the original. If any readers care to review it they can find it here:
Fight Club
In addition, I wish to emphasize that Jack did not split into personalities; he split into
functions of the psyche. It was immediately recognizable to me because I did the same thing. All the "characters" in my own experience could also be easily mapped upon Jung's model of the psyche. Not everyone gets such a concise presentation, nonetheless, some people may find they can still map some of their experience along Jungian lines. For example...
- Got satan, demons, scary voices or visions? They probably belong to the realm of the
Shadow. Bear in mind that the Shadow is represented in dreams -- presumably, psychosis too -- as being of the
same gender. Likewise, a feminine voice may belong to one area of the psyche, a masculine voice to another but where they belong will depend upon which gender
you are.
- Note that frightening voices of the
opposite sex gender may belong to the realm of the
Negative Anima/Animus. Positive voices of the opposite sex gender may belong to the
Positive Anima/Animus. Some people may not have a well-developed relationship with their inner Anima/Animus so it can be helpful to draw on positive opposite sex relationships in their exterior world.
- Numinous "religious" figures showing up in your experience? Look to place them in the realm of the
Self. Fragments of the Self can often be seen near the beginning of the experience. For example, Jack met Bob (Mana Personality) before he entered into a full-fledged relationship with Tyler (Shadow) or Marla (Anima).
- What about frightening visions related to death, dismemberment, apocalypse, blood, torture, skeletons, dead people, beheadings, etc.? They
may relate to symbolic expressions of psychic wounds as related to ego collapse or ego death. If you understand this, that might help minimize at least some of the fear you experience surrounding those kinds of dreams, visions or waking fantasies.
All of the above should be considered a simple introduction only and if none of the above fits for you, don't be concerned. There are different forms of psychotic experience so your personal experience may be different from that expressed above.
However, if you find the above to be helpful to you, you might consider seeking out a Jungian analyst in your local town/city that can help you work through your own experience in greater depth. A search engine should be able to point you in the direction of some. Do be aware that most insurance programs probably do not cover the costs of Jungian psychotherapy. In my limited experience, Jungian analysts charge about the same rate as any other psychotherapist and
may be open to a sliding-fee schedule. Ask if you are not sure and if you think it will help you.
You can also find many free resources on the net as related to Jungian psychology. In particular, I highly recommend the work of Jungian psychiatrist,
John Weir Perry. Regretably, Perry passed away in 1998 but he did leave some very good books and articles behind. At his experimental Diabasis project, he also produced an 85% recovery rate among the schizophrenics who passed through that program; that recovery rate was achieved
without medication. References to Perry's work can be found via my blogs or through any good search engine. Many of his books can also be found through amazon and possibly, your local library or book store.
~ Namaste
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