Jung's 5 Questions
Apparently Carl Jung would ask every new patient 5 searching questions. This was not to make a diagnosis but rather to uncover what the mind may be trying to hide. For Jung, what we can bring into the light and examine, will mean we may not necessarily suffer less but will suffer in a more productive way such that we can grow. This is far better than remaining stuck! This type of suffering, for Jung, is not an obstacle but an important and necessary part of becoming and living as a deeper, more authentic human being.
So, try asking yourself these 5 questions. Remember, you do not have to do them all at once. Take one, sit somewhere quiet, and write with a pen on paper. Give yourself plenty of time and keep writing until nothing more comes up. We're not looking for perfect or even complete answers. Look for honest answers, maybe complete, maybe uncomfortable.
Find your pen, some paper or your journal, and a quiet spot to sit.
Question 1
"What are you avoiding?"
Jung argued that the direction, situations, even people, we try to avoid is often where our learning is - where what we need most is found. Jung does not wish anyone to face anything immediately but rather to give a name to what you may be avoiding. For what is not named, cannot be examined. What is not examined, will continue to control our lives from the shadows.
Question 2
"What do you fear others will discover about you?"
Jung believed everyone holds secrets or information they will not share with others. These may not be factual but often stems from beliefs we hold about ourselves, such as, "I am not good enough", "I am un-loveable" or "I am stupid." These hidden beliefs reduce our lives as they quietly exert control from the shadows. If we give them a name, however, such beliefs begin to lose much of their power.
Question 3
"What would you do if you knew for sure that you would not fail?"
Your answer is said to reveal your deepest and most authentic desires. These may be hidden below layers of fear, expectations and the beliefs we touched on above. Again, Jung does not expect us to instantly turn our desires into reality. He accepts it takes time and that begins by recognising and naming our desires and acknowledging their existence.
Question 4
"Who would you be if you stopped seeking approval from others?"
Jung discovered that many of his clients lived their lives following an unwritten script from other people such as parents, society and the culture they love in. This is not necessarily done out of the wish to do harm, on the contrary it can be the opposite. However, the need to belong is incredibly powerful so the child will become the adult who adapts to the needs of others. If we get into the habit of changing ourselves so we belong then we are not our true, authentic selves. This question is not asking you to stop caring for others, it is asking you to distinguish between who you really are and who you have learned to pretend to be.
Question 5
"What is the meaning of your life at the moment?"
What gives meaning to your life today? Try not to think too big - not your entire life because that is too big and abstract - but your life this very day? Any difficulty answering this question, for Jung meant this was the root of much psychological suffering, rather than trauma. Finding any answer to this, even a partial answer, is finding meaning in our lives which Jung saw as therapeutic.
