Perhaps you have come to consider therapy because you feel lost. Something does not feel right, and you sense you are not leading the life you want but cannot quite explain why. It could be that outwardly you hold it together but inside you feel anxious, fearful and unsettled. Or perhaps you feel empty, that life has no meaning, as if a cloud of negativity hangs over you.

From one perspective, these feelings are symptoms that need to be reduced or managed. But from another perspective, they may also carry meaning. Emotional struggles can sometimes be understood as signals from a deeper part of ourselves. They could be messages pointing towards aspects of our lives that need attention, change, or integration.

Psychotherapy can help us listen to these messages. Rather than simply eliminating symptoms, it can support us in reconnecting with a deeper sense of purpose, authenticity, and direction in our lives. One way to understand this is through myth.

Myth

In our culture, when we talk of myths we tend to be describing something that is untrue. Yet mythic stories are not lies or simple fiction. They can outline enduring truths that help us make sense of suffering and aid us to find purpose and meaning.

Here in the West, we have lost touch with a myth that has many forms across cultures and times. Its prevalence points to its value in helping us find our true place in the world. Plato wrote about one version of this myth in The Republic.

In summary, Plato describes how a great warrior was thought to have been killed in battle. His body was put on a funeral pyre and, to the astonishment of those around, he suddenly awoke. He then tells of his journey in the afterlife. He was able to witness the process of judgement, reward and punishment and eventual reincarnation. Before returning to be reborn, each soul chooses the life it will live based upon its values and aspirations. Once this choice is made the soul is bound by necessity to fulfil its destiny. Each soul is assigned a guiding spirit to help it fulfil its path. This is necessary because, before being born, the soul drinks from the river of Lethe, whose waters cause it to forget.

This myth suggests each life carries its own calling or image waiting to be realised. Each one of us arrives in the world with a unique path and lessons to be learned.

The most recent expression of this myth comes from the psychologist James Hillman in his book The Souls Code. Hillman uses the metaphor of the acorn and the oak tree. Just as the acorn contains within it the blueprint of the oak, each one of us carries a pattern or form that seeks expression throughout our lives.

Unfortunately, for many of us, through no fault of our own, our conditioning and culture causes us to lose touch with the guiding force that remembers our calling. The oak of our life becomes mishappen and sick. And this is where psychotherapy can help.

Symptoms as messages

From the perspective of soul, psychotherapy is a journey to recover our true calling, to become the person we are destined to be – to embody our own unique oak. Psychologically speaking, our guiding spirit is simply that deeper part of us that remembers our path. When we deviate from this path, this deeper aspect will make us suffer. Anxiety, depression, fear or persistent dissatisfaction may not be problems to extinguish, but messages to asking us to pay attention. We may try to ignore these messages or distract ourselves. But this will only make them grow stronger.

These communications may have a practical message – to leave an unfulfilling job, make a big life change or step away from a harmful relationship. However, more often, these messages a call for integration.

The oak is wholesome symbol of completion that draws us forward into itself. Beneath our anxieties, fears and depression there may be something deeper that is crying out to be recognised, acknowledged and expressed. To name a few possibilities this could be unprocessed grief, anger at our parents for failing us or unaccepted sexuality.

Psychotherapy can be a means to work with and explore these hidden aspects that simmer beneath the surface. Once these energies are received, met and expressed, a shift can happen. We can feel lighter as we become more whole, free and aligned with authenticity. Gradually, we can become the person we were meant to be.

The Therapeutic Process

For the acorn to grow into the oak it needs the right conditions. It requires the elemental sustenance of air, earth, water and sunlight. Similarly, therapy needs the right conditions for you to grow into your true self. Depth psychotherapy necessitates the prerequisite of a field of safety, openness and compassion. In this way you are seen and met for who you truly are. You can then relax, explore your inner world and surrender into your authentic self.

Just as it takes time for the acorn to become the oak, it takes time for the therapeutic process to happen. Over time, change happens naturally, subtly and organically. And in some mysterious way, it works.