The Foundation of Analysis

The foundation of all concepts of analysis is based in philosophy, the mother of all disciplines. 'Analysis' simply means to look very closely or very deeply at something, in an attempt to understand it. 'Psychoanalysis' means to look very closely at the patterns within the unconscious aspect of the human psyche -- some call this aspect 'the soul' -- in order to understand what lies hidden therein. Psychoanalysis is often conducted by clinicians in the US, especially psychiatrists, because the US is the most medicalized nation on earth. However, in Europe it is very common for a philosopher rather than a clinician, to practice as an analyst. In my opinion, it is philosophy, not psychology, that is by far the best course of study in preparation for the administration of a process of uncovering the deep psychological aspects of human nature. Philosophy has studied human nature for thousands of years, compared to clinical psychology, which is less than two centuries old.

Psychoanalysis is a form of applied philosophy, not a science. This does not mean it cannot be methodically studied; indeed it can, but only by using qualitative, rather than quantitative data. The word 'psyche' means soul in ancient Greek, and is why psychoanalysts are sometimes called 'soul-doctors'. Priests, psychiatrists, and psychologists are the industrialized version of the voudou witch doctors, Obeah priests, shamans, etc., that are found in non-industrialized pagan societies. 'Psychoanalysis' and 'analysis' as used in philosophy and psychology, are neutral terms that refer to various -- often deeply oppositional -- schools of thought that claim to have discovered some of the deeper aspects of human nature and some methods that may be used to alleviate confusion and suffering in life. The terms 'psychoanalysis' and 'analysis' are neutral and refer to any theory and practice that focuses on reading the unconscious patterns of the psyche in order to discover the laws of human nature.

'Existential Analysis' is a term that I sometimes use to describe my work, which, like classic psychoanalysis, also studies the irrational aspects of human behavior, thought, fantasy, dream, and passion, in order to discover what has been left unresolved, unfinished, and unexpressed. The difference between classic psychoanalysis and modern existential analysis is that the former uses theories from clinical psychology, taking a mechanistic view of human nature, while the latter uses theories from philosophy, taking a phenomenological, holistic view of human nature. Existential analysts rely on the works of ancient philosophers such as the Pyrrhonean and Academic Skeptics, the Stoics, especially Seneca, as well as the canon of existential philosophers and their precursors, such as Hume, Kant, Schopenhauer, Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Husserl, Heidegger, Sartre, and Camus as the theoretical foundation for modern psychoanalytic work.

The pre-Socratic Greek philosophers and the Roman Stoics poetically described human nature as being 'hidden in an abyss'. This is what Nietzsche referred to when he famously said "he who gazes into the abyss, finds that the abyss gazes back", meaning that we can understand the depths of human nature to a significant degree if we learn how to engage in dialog with, rather than fear, the deep and mysterious parts of ourselves. Ancient philosophers described the secrets (laws) of nature, including human nature, as being shrouded behind a veil which humans lack the capacity to lift, though we can catch magnificent glimpses of the abysmal complexity of nature if we look very closely. The idea of beckoning nature to show mankind some of her guarded secrets was lost with the fall of Greek empire and the rise of the Roman empire. Thereafter, the approach to nature, propagated by theologians, was to rip the veil from nature, exploit and subjugate her to the selfish demands of mankind. This amazing historical turn on views of nature is exquisitely well-documented by eminent historian Pierre Hadot, in his book "The Veil of Isis" (listed in my recommended books section »). Modern clinical psychology conforms to the idea that human nature can be known in its entirely, manipulated and controlled, by tearing the shroud of nature away through clinical experimentation. It is a violent, misguided, egotistical view, and it fails miserably. Even with such force and subjugation, clinical psychologists still fail in vast numbers to help people heal and transcend their emotional problems. In its early days of the 19th century, the aim in clinical psychology was to ameliorate or vanquish emotional problems, but as decades passed, with the collection of insurmountable failures, they gave up their original quest, and settled on the idea of controlling human behavior as the purpose of their quest, calling it 'psychological treatment'. Clinical psychology deems a therapy or treatment 'successful' if it succeeds in controlling aberrant behavior, by making people 'good citizens' and 'functionable' in society. This is an immature approach because control is not equivalent to transcendence, and without the ability to transcend emotional disturbances, people are no more than slaves to their passions, because control always breaks down in time. Clinical psychology, in its adolescence, lacks the wisdom that philosophy has slowly, thoughtfully, methodically built over thousands of years.

Philosophical counselors (which includes existential analysts) are as old as history itself, though miniscule in number compared to the enormous number of medicalistic / clinical counselors or therapists working in the field of psychology. Thousands of years before the study of human nature became medicalized in the 19th century, existential philosophers were busy studying and writing about the ontological aspects of life. Ontology -- the study of being by virtue of being in itself -- became a formal study in the metaphysics of Aristotle and the Upanishads. By studying being on its most fundamental level, these philosophers were able to catch glimpses of the laws of nature out of which humans operate, and how violations of these laws result in emotional suffering, blocks in natural growth, and even physical illness leading to death. Once the laws of human nature are discovered by philosophers, they are then placed into a greater system of thought that encompasses all of life, not just human life, which is called a metaphysic. Most of the philosophers considered to be 'the greatest' in history, created various metaphysics, theories on how everything fits together and what holds it all together. Metaphysics is the study of the underlying, invisible forces or laws that dictate the movements not only of the cosmos, but also of the human heart and soul, and is where the alchemical law 'as above, so below' originates. When focusing on the nature of the human, ontology is the study of the inner-most aspect of human nature, the patterns and unstoppable tendencies therein, in order to learn how to integrate and thereby transcend emotional disturbances, rather than systematically controlling, and in effect, denying them. Integration begins with analysis, making insight-oriented psychotherapeutic work the beginning of the process of profound personal transformation.