“As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of humankind is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.”
This quote eloquently captures the essence of an Empirical Science of the Psyche developed by Swiss Psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung. Also known as Analytical Psychology, this approach helps individuals to experience fuller & richer lives through connection with the hidden parts of their minds - by making the unconscious, conscious. This school of thought is applicable widely to not only Individuals, but also the Collective.
How can we apply this knowledge to raise Awareness during this very important time?
It would be valuable to become aware of realities that remain out of our Awareness
That is to say, Society is largely aware already that Mental Illness is shrouded in stigma which unfortunately promotes misunderstandings about the inner lives that are led by people with psychiatric disorders. This is especially applicable in cases of Severe Mental Illness (SMI). Patients with Mental Illness cannot advocate for themselves, and this can lead them to be mistreated, abused, or taken advantage of.
Despite Billions of dollars pouring in to Mental Health funding - a figure that nearly doubled from $2.1B in 2013 to $4B in 2023 - the overall situation appears to deteriorate.
What might we be missing?
“Show me the Incentives and I will show you the Outcome.”
From the world of Finance, this golden insight is highly relevant today in the context of Mental Health Awareness Month.
When May was designated as Mental Health Awareness Month in 1949, Psychiatry was in a difficult position. The number of mentally ill patients and the Asylum Institutions in which they were hospitalized had grown overwhelmingly large. Fortunately, monumental psychopharmacology breakthroughs in the form of Lithium Carbonate for Bipolar Disorder (1948) and Chlorpromazine for Schizophrenia (1952) allowed for de-institutionalization. For the first time, we had tools which enabled the sick with Severe Mental Illness (SMI) to function in Society, humanely. Humanely, because prior to this, it was common for mentally ill patients to be restrained physically during the course of institutionalization. This primarily motivated the genesis of Mental Health America Organization and subsequent observance of Mental Health Awareness Month, driven by the founder Clifford Beers’ personal experiences of maltreatment during his psychiatric hospitalizations.
If the monetary incentives are geared towards increased prescriptions, how can we possibly connect that with improved Mental Health?
70 years later,
the situation has changed. Incentives that drove beneficial outcomes for Society in the past, may not yield the same the results today.
Whereas psychopharmacology is undoubtedly effective at alleviating debilitating symptoms of Severe Mental Illnesses like Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, medications have limited efficacy in addressing conditions & symptoms like anxiety, depression, hopelessness, low motivation, lethargy, or chronic fatigue.
In Analytical Psychology, the latter would be broadly classified as the result of Neurosis - unresolved conflicts or tensions within one’s Psyche.
From Lack of Awareness to Awareness
Collectively, we need to understand that medications alone will not improve Mental Health; and therefore, neither will the funding of policies & directives that have demonstrably failed to benefit Society. Individually, each person must take Accountability. Once we acknowledge that we are responsible for our outcomes - negative or positive - we can shift the locus of control internally to unlock untapped potential. In Analytical lingo, an individual can reach Psychic Wholeness.
Importantly,
Psychic Wholeness is attained by harnessing Psychic Energy. The theoretical & subjective notion of Psychic Energy has been reconceptualized within objective frameworks of the Free Energy Principle & Active Inference. In other words, Systems of Knowledge advanced by pioneers in Psychiatry have been corroborated by deeper understandings of Entropy, or Disorder - which our Nervous System is perpetually striving to reverse.
And this is the simplest way to appreciate how Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation helps every individual by enhancing their mental state without side effects.
TMS empowers the Nervous System to minimize Free Energy
Under the hood, TMS drives beneficial changes throughout the various systems that comprise the Hierarchy of Life. More precisely, TMS nudges the Nervous System towards a state that is characterized by a more optimal minimization of Expected Free Energy & Variational Free Energy.
For a Network-level Mechanism of Action, see more: How does TMS relieve Depression?
This Scientific Jargon
can be best understood through the quote with which this post began:
In order to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being - to make the unconscious, conscious - Psychic Energy (Free Energy) must be redistributed within the Psyche.
Like Heat flows from hot to cold, Psychic Energy must flow from over-developed to under-developed aspects of the Psyche; Free Energy must find new equilibrium.
TMS optimizes Equilibrium
“Man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor.”
We will end the post with this quote. As the saying goes: No pain, no gain.
Unlocking untapped potential requires growth, and growth does not happen without discomfort. In the context of Analytical Psychology, this process of Psychic Energy redistribution is known as Individuation. In our Society today, it is far too easy to externalize our internal conflicts by displacing them on to quick fixes like medications. The solution lies in Inner Work. By nudging the Nervous System towards a more optimal state, TMS makes such Inner Work more approachable.
With the proper guidance,
TMS can raise Awareness and facilitate Inner Work
If you or a loved one are,
dis-satisfied with medications and/or side effects
struggling to overcome cognitive fog, lethargy, fatigue, or other sequelae of Long COVID syndrome
seeking another opinion, or a fresh perspective
looking to take your life to the next level and thrive in the Information Age
then you owe it to yourself to: