What does all of the above mean...?
First of all, it means that within a Jungian model, you are composed of different parts. All of those parts together are called the
psyche (sigh-key). Psyche is a Greek word that originally meant
soul. Nowadays, many people refer to the psyche as the
mind but some prefer to continue to think of their psyche as their soul.
One of the most important parts of the psyche is your
ego. The ego takes a real battering in psychosis so when you're attempting to put yourself back together using any variety of tools at your disposal, it can be helpful to see how you're supposed to come back together once more.
Quote:
Ego: Without the ego we could not be conscious. The ego is described by Betts as having five functions in Jungian psychology.
1. Stability of Personality: General personality remains reasonably stable over time.
2. Stability of Identity: Stability of self-identity over time.
3. Cognition: The ego helps us to process information, problem-solve and store memories.
4. Executive functioning: Our ability to deal with the everyday demands of the world via sequential thinking.
5. Reality testing: Ability to obey and respect basic laws of reality, such as physical laws.
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This is what you need to rebuild: stability of personality, stability of (self) identity, your ability to use your cognitive abilities to problem solve, deal with the world and apply reality testing.
How do you do that?
Most of us develop our sense of ego as a result of the relationships we have and the things we do. So in a nutshell, it's important to have relationships with other healthy people and to do things that bring meaning and purpose to our lives such as work, volunteering or going to school.
However we also have to be able to use our brains and some people have a more difficult time with this than others because this experience affects different people in different ways.
Many people find medication to be helpful for improving their ability to use their cognitive functions. But many other people find it to be unhelpful. If you are functioning well without medication, maybe you'll manage just fine without any. If you are not functioning well, maybe you'll benefit from a trial period of medication. Likewise, if you find medication is getting in the way of your cognitive function, maybe you'll be better off to switch meds, reduce your meds, or to come off them entirely. Unless there is an urgent medical crisis, it's nearly always best to withdraw from psychiatric medication
very slowly. Doing so abruptly can lead to a withdrawal-induced psychosis. If you are going to reduce or withdraw from medication you should seek a doctor's care to help you do so.
Hopefully, something above might help some of you. Those of you who might want to listen to more of the podcasts or learn more about Jungian therapy can find more information on my blog:
A Jungian Approach to Psychosis. There is no cost to you for reading the notes/articles or listening to the podcasts.
~ Namaste
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