Tishie: You cant mention this subject WITHOUT mentioning the bible I have things to say that are making me ill but cant because of the religion ban, it is making life very hard for me. ... I cant say anymore without getting into trouble and maybe be banned from here when its my only contact with people who understand me. I would die (truth) without this site, so what am I to do ? Keep quiet about my fears ? I am distressed.

Part of the reason I have found a Jungian approach so helpful is because it acknowledges what might be called "religious" or "spiritual" aspects that are so often a common component of psychosis. Perhaps one critical difference is that a Jungian might call these religious/spiritual aspects "archetypal" figures -- archetypal because they are common to all cultures although they may be symbolized differently according to a specific culture. For example, archetypal symbols of the center (Self) might include Jesus Christ, Buddha, Kali, an eagle, an elephant, a phoenix or a lotus blossom. Those are just some examples.

Likewise, all cultures have an archetypal symbol that represents evil. In this culture, the most common representative of evil is satan, the devil or the anti-christ. Within a Jungian model, the devil represents the archetypal shadow. Accompanying this symbol are intense emotions such as fear, terror, horror, shame, pain, etc.

Shadow material is the first layer of the unconscious which is probably why fear and anxiety can be such common components of a fragmentation crisis. In spite of the commonality it can be very overwhelming to encounter these kinds of visions and emotions in a fragmented state -- I believe this is because we end up encountering contents from both our personal unconscious and the collective unconscious. Emotions that belong to our personal unconscious might include past traumas or painful things that were said or done to us in our childhoods. Emotions that belong to the collective unconscious might include traumas or fears that affected our entire gender or nationality, perhaps going back for many generations.

Some aspects may be so frightening, we have a need to keep our distance from them. This is what produces splitting, dissociation and projection of our fears upon the world around us. One of the benefits of therapeutic efforts is that it creates a safe container where we can work through our fears as we are capable. As we do so, we tend to project fewer fears upon the world and the people around us. Our darkness lifts, the world brightens up and starts to feel safe again. This takes much patience though, and lots of love and compassion.

See also: Christ: A Symbol of the Self

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