Energy and Consciousness

            Psychic energy is not the same thing as the physical energy measured in physics. Physical energy can be calculated by either

 E=½mv² + mgh

where the first term is kinetic and the second potential, or by Einstein’s famous equation

 E=mc²     

 However, the psyche has no mass m, velocity v, or height h, nor is it affected by the gravitational constant g, nor by the speed of light c. Thus we cannot measure psychic energy in the same way, although we can observe its flows and its effects. One of the primary equations in Jungian psychology was given by Edinger (1996) as the Reciprocality Principle which says that consciousness is inversely proportional to the unconscious or

  C % 1/U                

where C is consciousness and U is the unconscious. This equation reflects the fact that the unconscious responds inversely to the conscious ego especially in terms of psychological content as shown in Figure 5. As C increases, U decreases, and vice versa. This relationship is shown graphically in our phase space (Figure 15).

            According to Jung,

U = U_P + U_C

             For energies,                          E_U = E_UP + E_UC

where the energies associated with the personal unconscious U_P and the collective unconscious U_C are both potential and kinetic. The potential energies of the instincts and archetypes, which tend to balance each other in the healthy psyche, are both very large. Jung (1981) taught that psychic energy was largely conserved, so that

                                                               E_EGO % E_U

and we also know that E_EGO % X where X is any external experience, because the ego is an open system. The energy X enters the ego primarily in the form of information.

            Jung (1981) equates the ego with consciousness C and he directly relates this to the amount of libido or psychic energy available to the ego so that 

                                                                 E_EGO=C

and we can conclude that the total energy available to the ego is

                                                        C = Eu_P+ fEu_C + X

which is our basic psychic energy equation where,

                        Eu_P = E_{COMPLEXES +} E_{MEMORY +} E_SOMA

                        Eu_C = E_{ARCHETYPES  +} E_INSTINCTS

                        f is a constant that serves as a filter to regulate the flow of archetypal and instinctual energies

                        and X is information from outside the body which the ego assimilates as an external experience or event (X is defined later).

            E_COMPLEX is defined later and E_MEMORY is essentially the energy required for the ego to extract short and long term memories from storage in the brain.  

              Figure 22 shows the nature of the psyche as an open system. The boundary between the inner psyche and outer world is a fractal that passes through the brain in such a way that energy, mainly in the form of information, can pass between the psyche and the body where

                                                    E_SOMA = E_BODY - E_PSYCHE              

which says that E_SOMA is the potential difference between the energy within the body and the psyche. This includes all the sensory data flowing into the psyche that is ignored or forgotten.

            Jung (1981) presents a conclusion of von Grot to the effect that psychic energy and physical energy can be converted through physiological processes. Actually Jung goes even further than this and states that matter and spirit are directly related because they are two aspects of one substance, the Gnostic anima mundi. Both E_SOMA and X thus cross the psyche/body boundary allowing the psyche to be an open dissipative system.

            Figure 22 shows that although the ego connects to the world through the body, the psyche also has a direct connection totally outside the body through external experience X (it is this mysterious outer connection that allows for synchronicities). Our separation of E_SOMA and X is somewhat artificial because most external experiences come to the ego through the physical senses of the body. For our purposes here, we  carefully define E_SOMA to exclude sensory data pertaining to external experiences. Rather, we define E_SOMA as the energy flowing back and forth between the psyche and the body, and X as the flow of information between the psyche/body and the external world.

            The three primary flows of energy within the psyche are shown in Figure 23. These are the two inward flows of energy; from the archetypes and the instincts, and the outward flow of energy (normally an energy drain) to the complexes.

            It is important to keep in mind that while E_COMPLEXES is usually negative (as shown later, this too can be positive), all energies can be either negative or positive relative to the ego at any time. For example, E_SOMA is positive (energy flows into the psyche) when the body is healthy and in good condition but negative (energy drains out of the psyche) when tired or ill. We can also write

                 E_ARCHETYPES = EE_ARCH = E_M + E_F + E_S + E_A + E_R+ E_SELF + E_OTHER

which says that the available archetypal energy is equal to the sum of that energy within each archetype where each can be positive or negative at any specific time depending on the stage of activation. Furthermore,

                                                   E_S = E_SHADOW + E_PERSONA              

where E_S is usually negative because the ego must expend energy constructing and maintaining the persona to counter the affects of the shadow which generally have negative or energy draining affects on the ego. However, Edinger (1995) points out that E_S is only negative while the shadow is unconscious and transforms to a positive energy as the ego becomes aware of it (the same is true with each E_COMPLEX). During individuation the shadow becomes positive and less energy is needed to maintain the persona. This is shown pictorially by comparing Figures 24 and 25. Figure 24 shows normal energy flows prior to individuation, and Figure 25 shows the effect of an ideal individuation process–the elimination of complexes, repressions, the shadow, and the persona.

            According to Jung (1990) the anima contains sexual energy while one of its chief functions is psychic projection, so its energy can be expressed by

                                                    E_A = E_SEX - E_PROJECTIONS

where E_SEX is usually, but not always, positive and the ego expends energy projecting unconscious contents so that E_PROJECTIONS # 0. The anima has four stages (Edinger, 1995; Jung, 1985) and its affect on the ego depends on its stage. These are

                        A_A1 - Eve (Eros, desire, fertility, lust) - instinctual relationship,

                        A_A2 - Helen (romance) - anima figure,

                        A_A3 - Mary (spiritual motherhood) - religious relationship, and

                        A_A4 - Sophia (wisdom, spiritualization) - eternal feminine.

            This clearly shows the “strangeness” of this chaotic attractor. First of all, like all archetypal attractors it can attract or repel and often does both at different times.  Secondly, it has properties that can affect the entire psyche from the lower instincts to the higher spiritual properties (i.e., the entire range of Jung’s spectrum of consciousness). The anima/animus also serves as the primary filter between consciousness and the unconscious so we can rewrite the basic energy equation in a more useful form as

                                    C = Eu_P + X_e E_ARCHETYPES + (E_INSTINCTS + X

where X_e, the reality factor, is a measure of the attractive/repulsive power of the anima/animus at any particular time (X_e is ideally equal to 1) and the Greek letter gamma ( is the repression factor. Both of these terms are defined later.

            Psychic energy can flow in various directions. For example, it can flow “forward” and “backward,” which Jung calls progressive (every act of will, every act of attention, and every psychic exertion) and regressive (fatigue, distraction, all emotional reactions, and sleep). Progressive energy flow is needed for adaptation to the outside physical world while regressive energy flows are needed for adaptation to the inside psychic world (Jacobi, 1973). Both are far-from-equilibrium conditions.

            Figure 26 shows what can be considered as the progressive (upward or outward) and regressive (downward or inward) trajectories in phase space. This figure is a magnified portion of a typical segment of the trajectory shown in Figure 17. We can define progressive motion as upward toward U_C (toward the archetypes; usually a conscious motion) and regressive motion as downward through U_P (toward the instincts; usually an unconscious motion). A certain amount of progressive and regressive motion is essential for the ego to develop properly. However, too much motion in either direction can lead to instability. Whenever the trajectory touches or invades U_C, a transpersonal (which can include mystical) experience results. Regressive motion is of two types: (1) Motion that is equivalent to the “bubbling up” into consciousness of repressed or long-forgotten memories. In Jungian terms, the archetypal Hero/Heroine is regressive motion into U_P that shines the light of consciousness onto complexes and repressed material converting the associated negative energy into a positive energy that expands C, and (2) Motion into unconsciousness, or at least quasi-consciousness. Regressive motion is usually unconscious (without the Hero/Heroine archetype/attractor) and often results in daydreaming or the failure to attend. The Hero/Heroine attractor is required to produce conscious regressive motion.