“The substance that harbors the divine secret is everywhere, including the human body.”
- C.G. Jung, CW 12, par. 421

“Only that which is really oneself has the power to heal.”
- C.G. Jung, CW 7, par. 258

Our body-mind connects us to the living being that is our true self. Yet, we often overlook the body-mind as the source of guidance needed for being authentically who we are. A trip to the bookstore confirms the collective appetite for finding answers in outside sources. We need to recover from the centuries-old split of spirit and matter that set up the outer quest. This begins by honoring the body-mind as the vessel of the true self.

The body-mind communicates by way of affects (strong emotions with physiological activation) and sensations that convey aspects of the Self. When we demean, suppress, or dismiss these messages, the psychic energy they contain is not integrated into our consciousness.

Jung writes that the body gives “feeling as values and sensations as sensible perceptions of reality” (see CW 16, par. 487). We need conscious relationship to our bodies to ground ourselves in reality. This is a prerequisite to individuating—embodying the truth of our innate Self in the environment where we live.

Embodying the true self requires knowing what is happening in our body-mind. An essential practice for checking in with this inner world is the body scan. Science writer Annie Murphy Paul writes, “People who are more aware of their bodily sensations are better able to make use of their non-conscious knowledge” (The Extended Mind: Thinking Beyond the Brain, p. 27). She also states the body scan is “especially effective” for enhancing this awareness.

The body scan develops the psychic muscle of body awareness. In the scan, the ego holds a non-judgmental focus to observe the nuances of affect and sensation in the body. I think of this process as a non-verbal dialogue between our conscious and unconscious aspects. The ego consciousness intentionally receives the communications of the Self from the body. This receptivity is essential for building a conscious relationship to the unconscious, a relationship that is the heart of the individuation process.

Individuation leads to a unified self as conscious and unconscious work together, letting the essential or true self emerge. The answers we need to move in this direction are inside us. Jung says, “Only that which is oneself has the power to heal.” To heal is to become whole.

I invite you to tend to your individuation by listening to your body-mind daily with the body scan.

Kathleen Wiley is a Jungian Psychoanalyst, LCMHC, and LMFT in Davidson, NC. Her work empowers individuals to fully embody their essence through conscious relationship to the Self and other. She is an articulate and engaging speaker who moves her listeners into their depths. She leads an online community with self-paced courses focused on embodiment practices and processes rooted in Jungian psychology and alchemical symbolism. Learn more at onlinesacredcircles.com and kathleenwileyjungiananalyst.com.