The deeper self: an expanded view of consciousness. Issue 1 (22nd June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Paulson, Steve; Hustvedt, Siri; Solms, Mark; Shamdasani, Sonu
• Is Part Of: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Volume 1406:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 46
• Page End: 63
• Publication Date: 2017-06-22
• Subjects: consciousness -- the unconscious -- collective unconscious -- Freud -- Jung -- subliminal self -- subliminal consciousness -- active imagination -- neuropsychoanalysis -- cognitive unconscious -- cognitive neuroscience -- fantasy -- symbol -- intuition -- REM sleep behavior disorder; Medical sciences -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Science -- Periodicals; 610
• DOI: 10.1111/nyas.13403
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0077-8923

Abstract

Abstract: As science continues to explore the mysteries of the unconscious, two critical questions remain. First, can unconscious impulses, desires, and feelings be willfully raised to the level of the conscious self?, and, if so, would the unveiling of unconscious mechanisms lead to genuine self‐knowledge or empowerment? Second, can we methodically tap into the unconscious to gear ourselves along more creative lines? If the unconscious is a source of intuitive and creative inspiration, how might a more expansive understanding of consciousness help us to flourish? How can we harness the intuitive parts of ourselves to think "outside the box, " transcending the limitations of preconceived categories? And along those same lines, how would an expanded view of the unconscious frame our spiritual experiences or offer spiritual nourishment? Writer Siri Hustvedt, historian of psychology Sonu Shamdasani, and neuropsychologist Mark Solms will tackle everything from noetic experiences and the role of intuition to the phenomenon of peak experience and Jung's "collective unconscious."