Meaningfulness
Written by Nada O’Brien, Ph.D.
Why does the world need Jungian Coaching?
I was asked this question by a number of my corporate clients in our initial talks. I was quite happy doing what I was doing, without a particular need to answer this big question but it seemed that it needed to be answered, so the answer for me came first as a dream. I dreamed of a top-world corporate figure stretching upwards trying to reach the volumes of Jung’s Collected Works. This dream left a strong impression and left me pondering…
Today we live in a world ruled not by individuals or governments; it is a world governed by a corporate mindset. So, there is a need for Jungian coaching on a global level, and there is also a need to engage with this question and perhaps do something about it. However, ‘doing something about it’ required dedicated time and energy and in the past, the everyday routine of actually doing Jungian coaching and analysis just made it slip away from my mind… Until another dream came; and another… and a whole dream series. Then synchronistic events started to occur – one being a request to write a book about Jungian coaching by a world-renowned publisher.
Eventually, the scientific foundation for Jungian coaching theory and practice was laid and then the invitations to provide training courses came. And so did the first generations of Jungian coaches and their reports of the deep transformative experiences they went through with their clients – as individuals, teams, and whole organisations. Witnessing changes that were there to stay. Witnessing the emergence of the deeper identity of people, their originality, motivation, humour, and for that matter – their joy. Witnessing the transformation of the organisational culture, unleashing its unique potential. Witnessing meaningfulness.
Jung referred to the central organising force of both our psyche and the universe itself as the central archetype of meaning. When we do our Jungian coaching work, it actually feels like that – that it is something larger than us, which transcends our conscious mind and guides us where we need to be – both in the material and whatever other senses. Today I can answer that the world needs Jungian Coaching because it restores meaningfulness. We live in a world governed neither by ideologies nor religions but by repetitive patterns of the past, but if we can notice it, we are being inexorably drawn into a real future, unknown, but meaningful and awaiting. If humans function mainly (more than 90% !) unconsciously, and we are the only species with a surplus of conscious energy, what could communication with the unconscious actually bring?
What is Meaningfulness?
We can say about meaningfulness that it signifies work on the energy transformation process which reduces impulsive reactivity and automatic behaviour and results in new ways of being, bringing a new awareness and releasing new vital energy and creativity. It yields a deeper level of understanding of human relations and their underlying dynamics. Projection mechanisms are understood, the capacity to tolerate and hold disturbing situations is enhanced and the sense of maturity and responsibility to work through difficulties grows. Meaning creates space for authenticity. As a rule, it also brings humour, spiritedness, motivation, and inspiration into the field. In this context, humour signifies the ability to deal with potentially the overwhelming intensity of difficult issues and to contextualise them differently, generating solutions. This is a movement from one-sidedness.
With regards to business situations, the decision-making process is based on a more informative and wider reading of reality, both in the external world (customers, market, political, social, and economic currents) and in the internal world of the organisation. It brings the organisation closer to its genuine identity. The business processes, problem-solving mechanisms, new solutions, and products change accordingly and reflect the uniqueness of the organisation bringing something new to the market and facilitating improved return on investment.
Meaningfulness does not reduce “the bad stuff”. Neither is it blindly positively oriented. But it makes it safe for the bad stuff to be processed in a more mature way, allowing a real move forward, and the generation of new life.
Meaningfulness creates a safe space for people to tell their stories, impregnated with symbols, which carry the patterns of new life.
“The reason for evil in the world is that people are not able to tell their stories.”
C. G. Jung
More on meaningfulness from the scientific and Jungian coaching practice in The Scientific Practise of Jungian Coaching blog series.
About the Author
Nada O’Brien, PhD, stands as a beacon in the field of Jungian psychology, with a career that spans academia, clinical practice, and consulting. Her journey began in classical music, delving into the explorations of music, dreams and human development. She is a senior university lecturer leading courses on Music and the Unconscious and Deep music pedagogy.
She continued her professional development through psychoanalytic studies and became an Accredited Jungian Analyst at C. G. Jung Institute in Zürich, where she trains future analysts, lectures and serves as a member of the Research Committee.
Nada became a trusted advisor to multinational CEOs, leveraging her expertise in Jungian psychology to navigate complex leadership and organizational dynamics. She has worked for more than 20 years with leaders and groups across a wide scope of industries, including the the Norwegian National Health Service, Nordic Council of Ministers, leading global financial and legal organisations in the UK, Europe and USA, using Jungian approach.