The inner critic—a figure most of us can relate to on some level—is often assumed to be on our side, pushing us to improve, to achieve, to become who we're supposed to be. And that's not entirely wrong—it does produce movement, it does compel us to take action. Often entire careers or lifestyles are built around meeting the demands of the inner critic. But often that movement, while it feels like progress, is actually another form of appeasement. By following it alone, you're not building what truly matters to all parts of you, but rather satisfying a voice on its own terms.
From the perspective of Jungian psychology, the inner critic is a complex—a part of the mind with its own agenda, borrowed from somewhere real, usually very early in life, and usually from people who wielded enormous power over you. In this exercise, we open up that connection. Not to eliminate or to silence it, but to meet with it directly, understand what it's actually doing, what it's protecting, what its needs are, and communicate back to it what you need in turn.
This exercise uses active imagination, a technique developed by Carl Jung for engaging directly with unconscious contents, facilitating genuine psychological transformation.
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Playlists & Series:
Active Imagination Exercises - https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeuFwuWK5O2MMxqoPMkk9eEbVIrbwq-7B&si=NgEZKF8F2ztgqEpb
Mapping the Shadow Series - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeuFwuWK5O2PriUHnSAKpaf5eOpy27Nsw
More from Make it Conscious:
MiC Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/6AxGzV3sa6kK2NKSKDyuJa?si=4153da0bb1a243a3
Inner Work Exercises Podcast - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OMC4T1PNsA951dvvHhYMs?si=72af3c85c97b4536
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