Symptoms and Purpose
“There is no illness,” Jung maintained, “that is not at the same time an unsuccessful attempt at a cure.” He believed that the psychological difficulties we encounter are often unconscious attempts to grow-to work through conflicts and to become more balanced and whole. With consciousness apparent obstacles may become opportunities for development, challenges to catalyze necessary-though often frightening-transformations.
In order to successfully achieve these transformations and to remain psychologically balanced, we need to incorporate previously latent parts of ourselves into our conscious personality. Perceived symbolically, psychological and physical symptoms call us to develop as “more spacious personalities,” to heed a summons from the fuller, deeper self and dare to examine what lies within us, beyond our conscious understanding and control.