Interesting. I would agree with Jung that neurosis, anxiety, depression is rooted in the ways we resist or avoid that which is causing our distress. Avoidance is a key symptom of anxiety, PTSD. When we accept our situation as it is it frees us to take a necessary action and not waste emotional energy through our denial. Thank you.
With PTSD, avoidance is a result of overwhelm β and it's often not a conscious decision. The brain has protective mechanisms in place to help us survive extreme stress. They're reflexive. It's important to point this out so people with PTSD do not feel blamed for what their brains did to get through a harrowing experience. It's important to avoid framing PTSD as a failure to face reality. It's more like being stuck in survival mode long after the circumstances call for it.
Itβs not a conscious decision until one consciously realizes repressed emotions are underneath their distress. Then it is incumbent on the person to seek help via therapy to face those feelings and grow.
This is especially true for alcoholics. They can turn a cursed life into blessings for themselves and many others. Jung saw this with Roland Hazard, Eby Thatcher and Bill Wilson.
In your pain, there is both suffering and the seed of compassion. Jung teaches us that suffering can be the very path to healing when we face it with open heart, not avoidance .
So grieve what is lost. Let the ache refine you rather than consume you. And remember: your suffering does not define you, it can refine you, seed empathy, and awaken deep wisdom.
I am hearing submission to that of a higher order that we have no control over which limits us. In our submission, we release control and therefore can assume responsibility of what we do have control over.
"Jung: Your Suffering Is the Cure (and Why Youβre Doing It Wrong)," is a classic case of overreaching psychobabble dressed up as profound insight. The author, one "Jungian Alchemist," leans heavily into Carl Jungβs ideasβspecifically the concept of the shadow and individuationβbut twists them into a prescriptive, almost accusatory sermon thatβs as unhelpful as it is sanctimonious. Letβs tear this apart.
First, the premise: suffering as a "cure" for personal growth. Sure, Jung wrote about the transformative potential of confronting oneβs inner struggles, but the articleβs insistence that people are "doing suffering wrong" is absurdly judgmental. It implies thereβs a correct way to endure pain, as if lifeβs complexities can be reduced to a self-help checklist. The author claims that avoiding the shadowβJungβs term for the repressed, darker aspects of the psycheβleads to prolonged suffering. Fine, thatβs Jung 101. But the leap to blaming individuals for their struggles, as if theyβre just too weak or ignorant to "integrate" their shadow, is both reductive and cruel. Suffering isnβt a puzzle you solve by following a guruβs five-step plan; itβs often chaotic, external, and not neatly tied to personal failings.
The articleβs tone reeks of smug certainty, preaching that "you must face your shadow head-on" or else youβre doomed to repeat your misery. This ignores the reality that not all suffering stems from internal repression. What about systemic issuesβpoverty, oppression, or trauma inflicted by others? The authorβs Jungian lens conveniently sidesteps these, focusing instead on a solipsistic view where all pain is a personal project. This is peak armchair psychology: it assumes everyone has the emotional bandwidth, time, or resources to navel-gaze their way to enlightenment. Jung himself never suggested such a one-size-fits-all approach; his work was descriptive, not a rulebook for life.
Then thereβs the articleβs reliance on mystical buzzwordsβ"alchemy," "transformation," "divine process"βwhich sound deep but lack substance. Itβs as if slapping Jungβs name on vague platitudes about "embracing pain" makes them profound. The author cherry-picks Jungβs ideas without grappling with their complexity or context, like how Jung emphasized the dangers of shadow integration without proper guidance, which could lead to psychological overwhelm or even breakdown. This piece glosses over that, offering instead a romanticized view of suffering as some noble quest. Tell that to someone grappling with chronic illness or abuseβsuffering isnβt always a teacher; sometimes itβs just brutal.
The kicker is the articleβs subtle superiority complex. By framing suffering as a failure of personal courage or insight, it shames those who donβt emerge from pain as enlightened sages. This is not only unempathetic but also dangerously close to victim-blaming. Jungβs work was about understanding the psyche, not weaponizing it to lecture people on how theyβre "doing it wrong." The authorβs call to "lean into suffering" ignores the fact that for many, survival is the priority, not some alchemical self-actualization.
In short, this article is a shallow appropriation of Jungβs ideas, repackaged as clickbait wisdom for the spiritually curious. Itβs less about helping readers than stroking the authorβs ego as a self-proclaimed alchemist of the soul. If you want real insight, skip this and read Jungβs Psychological Types or The Red Bookβtheyβre dense, but at least theyβre honest about the messiness of the human psyche. This? Itβs just another Substack sermon pretending to have all the answers.
I've learned that being free is not having a lot of time to go to the beach and enjoy the sun and the easy life. Being free is finally accepting that to have those amazing beach days, many work and boring days have to happen first. If you ignore the pain and the struggle, do you really deserve pleasure and meaning? I don't think so.
It was nice of you pointing this topic out. Many people need to understand so they can get their lives together
Interesting. I would agree with Jung that neurosis, anxiety, depression is rooted in the ways we resist or avoid that which is causing our distress. Avoidance is a key symptom of anxiety, PTSD. When we accept our situation as it is it frees us to take a necessary action and not waste emotional energy through our denial. Thank you.
With PTSD, avoidance is a result of overwhelm β and it's often not a conscious decision. The brain has protective mechanisms in place to help us survive extreme stress. They're reflexive. It's important to point this out so people with PTSD do not feel blamed for what their brains did to get through a harrowing experience. It's important to avoid framing PTSD as a failure to face reality. It's more like being stuck in survival mode long after the circumstances call for it.
Itβs not a conscious decision until one consciously realizes repressed emotions are underneath their distress. Then it is incumbent on the person to seek help via therapy to face those feelings and grow.
Thank you for pointing out the fact that it is not a conscious decision.
This is especially true for alcoholics. They can turn a cursed life into blessings for themselves and many others. Jung saw this with Roland Hazard, Eby Thatcher and Bill Wilson.
Gratitude :)
In your pain, there is both suffering and the seed of compassion. Jung teaches us that suffering can be the very path to healing when we face it with open heart, not avoidance .
So grieve what is lost. Let the ache refine you rather than consume you. And remember: your suffering does not define you, it can refine you, seed empathy, and awaken deep wisdom.
there is no cure, if there is no suffering..same goes for pinicillin too!
Could it be that neurosis is obverse power?
BS FROM A EUROPEAN JEWISH CARTESIAN DUALIST
I am hearing submission to that of a higher order that we have no control over which limits us. In our submission, we release control and therefore can assume responsibility of what we do have control over.
Religious ritual of bowing heads.
Just the message I needed today as I grapple with a tough philosophical dilemma. Thanks for your insight π
"Jung: Your Suffering Is the Cure (and Why Youβre Doing It Wrong)," is a classic case of overreaching psychobabble dressed up as profound insight. The author, one "Jungian Alchemist," leans heavily into Carl Jungβs ideasβspecifically the concept of the shadow and individuationβbut twists them into a prescriptive, almost accusatory sermon thatβs as unhelpful as it is sanctimonious. Letβs tear this apart.
First, the premise: suffering as a "cure" for personal growth. Sure, Jung wrote about the transformative potential of confronting oneβs inner struggles, but the articleβs insistence that people are "doing suffering wrong" is absurdly judgmental. It implies thereβs a correct way to endure pain, as if lifeβs complexities can be reduced to a self-help checklist. The author claims that avoiding the shadowβJungβs term for the repressed, darker aspects of the psycheβleads to prolonged suffering. Fine, thatβs Jung 101. But the leap to blaming individuals for their struggles, as if theyβre just too weak or ignorant to "integrate" their shadow, is both reductive and cruel. Suffering isnβt a puzzle you solve by following a guruβs five-step plan; itβs often chaotic, external, and not neatly tied to personal failings.
The articleβs tone reeks of smug certainty, preaching that "you must face your shadow head-on" or else youβre doomed to repeat your misery. This ignores the reality that not all suffering stems from internal repression. What about systemic issuesβpoverty, oppression, or trauma inflicted by others? The authorβs Jungian lens conveniently sidesteps these, focusing instead on a solipsistic view where all pain is a personal project. This is peak armchair psychology: it assumes everyone has the emotional bandwidth, time, or resources to navel-gaze their way to enlightenment. Jung himself never suggested such a one-size-fits-all approach; his work was descriptive, not a rulebook for life.
Then thereβs the articleβs reliance on mystical buzzwordsβ"alchemy," "transformation," "divine process"βwhich sound deep but lack substance. Itβs as if slapping Jungβs name on vague platitudes about "embracing pain" makes them profound. The author cherry-picks Jungβs ideas without grappling with their complexity or context, like how Jung emphasized the dangers of shadow integration without proper guidance, which could lead to psychological overwhelm or even breakdown. This piece glosses over that, offering instead a romanticized view of suffering as some noble quest. Tell that to someone grappling with chronic illness or abuseβsuffering isnβt always a teacher; sometimes itβs just brutal.
The kicker is the articleβs subtle superiority complex. By framing suffering as a failure of personal courage or insight, it shames those who donβt emerge from pain as enlightened sages. This is not only unempathetic but also dangerously close to victim-blaming. Jungβs work was about understanding the psyche, not weaponizing it to lecture people on how theyβre "doing it wrong." The authorβs call to "lean into suffering" ignores the fact that for many, survival is the priority, not some alchemical self-actualization.
In short, this article is a shallow appropriation of Jungβs ideas, repackaged as clickbait wisdom for the spiritually curious. Itβs less about helping readers than stroking the authorβs ego as a self-proclaimed alchemist of the soul. If you want real insight, skip this and read Jungβs Psychological Types or The Red Bookβtheyβre dense, but at least theyβre honest about the messiness of the human psyche. This? Itβs just another Substack sermon pretending to have all the answers.
really enjoyed this! a lot of overlap in terms of messaging with my latest post: https://substack.com/home/post/p-168317189
Wow thank you so much π
I've learned that being free is not having a lot of time to go to the beach and enjoy the sun and the easy life. Being free is finally accepting that to have those amazing beach days, many work and boring days have to happen first. If you ignore the pain and the struggle, do you really deserve pleasure and meaning? I don't think so.
It was nice of you pointing this topic out. Many people need to understand so they can get their lives together
Bewildering Beauty
Oh! my million mistakes
and myriad flaws. These
maddening blind spots.
Each a clarion call from god
mercifully knocking
me again on the head
showing pockets and places
of my innocent beauty,
occasional bravery,
and a wrinkled map
pointing
unclearly towards
these many
meandering
roads
home.
Janeβs (Nearly) Last Rites Or
Impermanence Is Permanent
Janeβs on Zoom with Carl Jung
and Zen, a room of nuns
equating fun with sin,
her third eye sees doom
not far ahead,
sheβs stunned and numb,
also struck dumb, cannot talk
nor lift legs to run, Iβm afraid
this time our dear Janeβs cake
is baked, yep, sheβs really done.
β€οΈ