Animism and Jungian Psychology: An Exploration of the Ecological Unconscious

How do we describe and relate to the psyche?

With rising rates of mental illness and environmental destruction, is it time we change the models we have for the unconscious?

Carl Jung was a psychiatrist with a deep interest in alchemy who aimed to map out the architecture of the unconscious mind. His practice with clients involved integrating the dark and deep parts of the unconscious with the conscious mind.

Beyond the unconscious he postulated there existed a collective unconscious – an immeasurable place beyond the world of science and neurotransmitters, which can only be described by symbolism. A part of the psyche which connects collective humanity as a whole – whether that be by story, myth or archetypes.

Could there be an even deeper draw in the cabinet of the psyche? If so it would be the ecological unconscious.

The ecological unconscious posits that the innate impulse of a single cell amoebae to multiply over 2.5 billion years ago lives in us today as an impulse to multiply. The impulse of the mycelium networks to connect with the soil 1.5 billion years ago lives in us today as an impulse to connect with others via the internet.

The ecological unconscious model implies that consciousness, our impulses and our sense of “self” sprouted from nature. Shamans and the great mystics deeply connected to the Earth were aware of this – and mused that everything is connected.

Would a psychological model that acknowledges the ecological unconscious create connectivity instead of alienation? Could such a psychological model be of use in a time of environmental destruction and mental rampant mental illness?

Like a screaming child who calms down when pressed against their mothers heart, is civilisation screaming because we aren’t pressed against mother earth?