Pendulum Swing Toward Balance

“Dreams are the natural reaction of the self-regulating psychic system.” – C.G. Jung

What is the psychological balance?

In the turbulent world that we live in, it can be challenging to keep our psychological balance. Let’s explore the felt sense of balance.

What does it feel like when we are out of balance?

What is the psychological balance?

Psychological balance is a felt sense of equilibrium between the various aspects of our mental and emotional well-being. It is experienced as something centred, solid, or foundational at the core of our being. it is necessary to give us the strength to navigate life’s challenges with resilience, that is no matter what are the conditions of our lives, we can respond to them with grace and reflectiveness.

Psychological Chaos

Conversely, the opposite of balance is chaos. We become out of balance or knocked off the ground of our being, which usually keeps us resilient and centred. We experience a state of overwhelm and confusion.

Sometimes it can feel like a pendulum. We swing between different states of being or emotions. One moment, we are raging and believing one thing. The next moment, we might feel the opposite. We are constantly swinging back and forth among different states of psychological chaos.

In these moments, it is difficult to know what is true.

The Psyche wants balance

C.G. Jung felt a natural movement in the psyche toward balance. He connected this idea to the concept of entropy from the field of physics. Entropy is the idea that all energy within a system (including the universe) will eventually balance itself out. The concept refers to the degree of disorder or randomness in a system, the energy flows, and how natural processes evolve.

Carrying on this idea, Jung introduced the idea of “opposites” as fundamental components of the human psyche. He described these opposing forces as pairs of complementary yet conflicting aspects. The opposites rise for integration into awareness. As they do, the psyche system is pulled into a seesaw or pendulum swing as we work with the conflicting piece of psychological information.

The ultimate goal of the tension of the opposites is to achieve balance.

Reaching this state of balance involves understanding and managing your emotions, thoughts, and stress effectively. The felt sense plays a role by serving as an internal compass for navigating your inner world.

Christina Becker
October 2023

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