THE SUBCONSCIOUS MIND – WHAT IS IT?
In the previous blog post we discovered one important ‘tool’ that every psychotherapist needs to learn and
utilise and that is the concept of emotional healing. We defined “Emotional
Healing” as an alternative method of doing positive therapy. The deeper events
in our lives are deposited in our subconscious mind and that is where we are
going in this post.
What is the subconscious mind anyway?
This theoretical concept is well
known in all the therapy books but we are not very clear how it works as a
healing tool. Freud, Jung and other writers in this area claim that over 80% of
out (nonphysical) activity goes on subconsciously. “Sub” means under or beneath
and “conscious” means awareness. Therefore, it is evident that we do not know
or are not aware what is going on in our inner life and yet we do have a
‘feeling’ that there is a wealth of opportunities to tap in that ‘treasure
bowl’ of information and able to heal ourselves.
Since we live in a conscious
world, we are focussing mainly on the world that our senses receive: we see,
hear, taste, smell and touch. The modern analogy of the subconscious mind is
that of a computer that is full of files and ‘apps’. There is a need to have a
total cooperation between the operator and the computer to enable the proper
function of the work being done. That is the same with the self and the
unconscious process that requires cooperation that connects the conscious and
subconscious mind working together.
So, to be an effective therapist
we need to be in tune with the subconscious and know that this place is
situated in the emotional side of the person while the conscious side is mainly
concerned with the logical or cognitive side. Both, positive and negative
emotions are stored in the subconscious. No amount of ‘cognitive’ therapy will
bring deep positive results.
However, we must understand the
structure underlying the subconscious process or have a clear ‘model’ of our
emotional ‘software’. One such comprehensive concept of this model is found in
the ENNEAGRAM. I find that the Enneagram is a wonderful tool to be able to
understand the basic functions of the subconscious mind by giving us a
framework for describing the emotional connection and our self. It is called
the BASIC PRESONALITY TYPES.
What is the Enneagram?
Enneagram (from the Greek words ἐννέα(ennéa,
meaning "nine") and γράμμα (grámma, meaning something
"written" or "drawn"), is a model of the human psyche which
is principally understood and taught as a typology of nine interconnected
personality types(see diagram above). Although the origins and history of many
of the ideas and theories associated with the Enneagram of Personality are a
matter of dispute, contemporary Enneagram understandings are principally
derived from the teachings of Oscar Ichazo and Claudio Naranjo. Naranjo's
theories were partly influenced by some earlier teachings of G. I. Gurdjieff.
The origins and historical
development of the Enneagram of Personality are unclear.. Some writers have
suggested that similar ideas to the Enneagram of Personality are found in the
work of Evagrius Ponticus, a Christian mystic who lived in 4th century
Alexandria. Evagrius identified eight (logismoi)
"deadly thoughts" plus an overarching thought he called "love of
self". Evagrius wrote, "The first thought of all is that of love of
self (philautia); after this, come the eight. In addition to identifying eight
deadly thoughts, Evagrius also identified eight "remedies" to these
thoughts. He was not aware that he was referring to our inner feelings.
G. I. Gurdjieff (see book:"Life Is Real Only
Then, When 'I Am") is credited with
making the Enneagram figure commonly known. He did not, however, develop the
nine personality types associated with the Enneagram. Oscar Ichazo[1]
is generally recognized as the principal source of the contemporary Enneagram
of Personality. Ichazo's "Enneagon of Ego Fixations", together with several
other dimensions of personality mapped on the Enneagram figure, forms the basis
of the Enneagram of Personality. The Bolivian-born Ichazo began teaching
programs of self-development in the 1950s. His teaching, which he calls
"Protoanalysis", uses the Enneagram figure among many other symbols
and ideas. Ichazo founded the Arica Institute which was originally based in
Chile before moving to the United States and coined the term "Enneagram of
Personality".
Claudio Naranjo[2]
is a Chilean-born psychiatrist who first learned about the Enneagram of
Personality from Ichazo at a course in Arica, Chile. He then began developing
and teaching his own understanding of the Enneagram in the United States in the
early 1970s, influencing other numerous authors, including Helen Palmer[3],
Don Richard Riso, Richard Rohr and Elizabeth Wagele,[4]
who also began publishing widely read books on the Enneagram of Personality in
the 1980s and 1990s. (See the Enneagram figure depicted below).
The Enneagram figure is usually composed of three parts; a circle, an
inner triangle (connecting 3-6-9) and an irregular hexagonal "periodic
figure" (connecting 1-4-2-8-5-7). According to esoteric spiritual
traditions, the circle symbolizes unity of mind and emotion. The inner triangle
symbolizes the "law of three" and the hexagon represents the
"law of seven" (because 1-4-2-8-5-7-1 is the repeating decimal
created by dividing one by seven in base 10 arithmetic).
The table of the nine types is a
comprehensive description how our relationship of conscious and subconscious is
interconnected. The table below gives the principal characteristics of the nine
types along with their basic relationships. This table is based on the book “Understanding
the Enneagram: The Practical Guide to Personality Types” (revised edition) by
Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson.
One of the methods that is useful
in emotional healing is the application of the Enneagram in situations of
emotional abandonment so common experienced by children.
Emotional abandonment is a
subjective emotional state in which people feel undesired, left behind,
insecure, or discarded. People experiencing emotional abandonment may feel at
loss, cut off from a crucial source of sustenance that has been withdrawn,
either suddenly, or through a process of erosion. In a classic abandonment
scenario, the severance of the emotional bond is unilateral, that is, it is the
object of one’s attachment that has chosen to break the connection. Feeling
rejected, which is a significant component of emotional abandonment, has a
biological impact in that it activates the physical pain centres in the brain
and can leave an emotional imprint in the brain’s warning system. The diagram below describes the nine subconscious 'strategies' ( I call feelings) that people tend to develop in dealing with their inner subconscious events.
THE ENNEAGRAM FIGURE:
Basic characteristics of each number and emotional fixations:
Claudio Naranjo.
After being graduated as a
medical doctor in 1959, Naranjo was hired by the University of Chile medical
school to form part of a pioneering studies centre in medical anthropology
(CEAM) founded by Franz Hoffman. At the same time, he served his psychiatry
residency at the University Psychiatry Clinic under the direction of Ignacio
Matte Blanco.
Involved in research on the
effects of the dehumanization of traditional medical education, Naranjo
travelled briefly to the United States during a mission assigned by the
University of Chile to explore the field of perceptual learning.
In the 1960s, Claudio Naranjo
introduced ibogaine and harmaline into psychotherapy as a "fantasy
enhancing drug."
Richard Evans Schultes asked
Claudio Naranjo to make a special journey by canoe up the Amazon River to study
yage with the South American Indians. He brought back samples of this drug and
published the first scientific description of the effects of its active
alkaloids.
After another period at the
University of Chile Medical School's Centre of Medical Anthropology Studies and
at the Instituto de Psicología, Aplicada Naranjo returned once again to
Berkeley and to IPAR, where he continued his activities as a research
associate. It was during this period that he became an apprentice of Fritz
Perls and part of the early Gestalt Therapy community, where he began
conducting workshops at Esalen Institute as a visiting associate. He eventually
became one of Perls' three successors, along with Jack Downing and Robert Hall.
In the years that lead up to his
becoming a key figure at Esalen, Naranjo also received additional training and
supervision from Jim Simkin in Los Angeles and attended Sensory Awareness
workshops with Charlotte Selver. He became Carlos Castaneda's[5]
close friend and became part of Leo Zeff's pioneering psychedelic therapy group
(1965–66).
In 1969, he was sought out as a
consultant for the Education Policy Research Centre, created by Willis Harman
at Stanford Research Institute. His report as to what happens in the domain of
psychological, emotional and spiritual techniques in vogue, was applicable to
education later became his first book, “The One Quest”. During this same
period, he co-authored a book with Robert Ornstein on meditation. Also, an
invitation from Ravenna Helson to examine the qualitative differences between
books representative of the "Matriarchal" and "Patriarchal"
factors lead to his writing “The Divine Child and the Hero”.
The accidental death of his only
son in 1970 marked a turning-point in his life. Naranjo set off on a six-month
pilgrimage under the guidance of Oscar Ichazo to a spiritual retreat in the
desert near Arica, Chile, which he considers the true beginning of his
spiritual experience, contemplative life and inner guidance.
After leaving Arica, he began
teaching a group that included Gestalt trainees and friends. This Chilean
group, which began as an improvisation, took shape as a program and originated
a non-profit corporation called the SAT Institute. These early years of the SAT
Institute were implemented by a series of guest teachers, including Zalman
Schachter, Dhiravamsa, Ch'u Fang Chu, Sri Harish Johari, and Bob Hoffman.
In 1976 Naranjo[6]
was a visiting professor at the Santa Cruz Campus of the University of
California for two semesters and later intermittently at the California
Institute of Asian Studies. He also began to offer workshops in Europe,
refining aspects of the mosaic of approaches in the SAT program. Naranjo now
lives in Brazil and conducts SAT meetings around the world.
Conclusion
HERE IS A LIST OF ENNEATYPES:
WHICH ONE IS YOU?
1 THE REFORMER
The Rational, Idealistic Type: Principled, Purposeful,
Self-Controlled, and Perfectionistic
2 THE HELPER
The Caring, Interpersonal Type: Generous, Demonstrative,
People-Pleasing, and Possessive
3 THE ACHIEVER
The Success-Oriented, Pragmatic Type: Adaptable, Excelling,
Driven and Image-Conscious
4 THE INDIVIDUALIST
The Sensitive, Withdrawn Type: Expressive, Dramatic,
Self-Absorbed, and Temperamental
5 THE INVESTIGATOR
The Intense, Cerebral Type: Perceptive, Innovative,
Secretive, and Isolated
6 THE LOYALIST
The Committed, Security-Oriented Type: Engaging, Responsible,
Anxious, and Suspicious
7 THE ENTHUSIAST
The Busy, Fun-Loving Type: Spontaneous, Versatile,
Acquisitive, and Scattered
8 THE CHALLENGER
The Powerful, Dominating Type: Self-Confident, Decisive,
Wilful, and Confrontational
9 THE PEACEMAKER
The Easy-going, Self-Effacing Type: Receptive, Reassuring,
Agreeable, and Complacent
EMOTIONAL MAP WITHIN
THE BODY- research reveals the subconscious!
A new study by Finnish researchers published in the
Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, suggests that our emotions
do indeed tend to influence our bodies in consistent ways.
Across five experiments, 701 participants “were shown two
silhouettes of bodies alongside emotional words, stories, movies, or facial
expressions. They were asked to colour the bodily regions whose activity they
felt increasing or decreasing while viewing each stimulus.”
The emotions were generated by having the subjects read short
stories or watch movies. On a blank, computerized figurine, they were then
asked to colour in the areas of their body where sensations became stronger
(the red and yellow) or weaker (blue and black) when they felt a certain way. (Atlantic Daily). They clearly can be related tothe Enneagram.
[1] Ichazo,
Oscar (1982). Interviews with Oscar Ichazo. Arica Press.
[2] Naranjo,
Claudio (1994). Character and Neurosis: An Integrative View.
[3] Palmer,
Helen (1991). The Enneagram: Understanding Yourself and Others in Your Life.
HarperSanFrancisco
[4] Riso,
Don Richard; Hudson, Russ (1999). Wisdom of the Enneagram. Bantam
[5] The
Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge, 1968.
[6] Naranjo,
Claudio. The Healing Journey. Pantheon Books
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