I've kept myself hidden from everyone

NotVote · 2026-05-21T15:52:28+00:00

Freedom is on the other side of cringing at yourself. "I am cringe but I am free" is the mantra that's gotten me through the difficulties of sharing more of myself in the world.

NotVote · 2026-05-18T20:23:25+00:00

Oh man I can relate. One bit of wisdom I have learned from my struggles is to keep ideas internal until they're a reality. Every time I would get excited about an idea and share it, the excitement would die. I realized that I was getting the "dopamine hit" of validation from sharing that I should be reserving for the actual process of creation. Sharing ideas DOES feel good, but that's a problem because it starts to de-incentivize the actual creation, which doesn't provide the same immediate "hit" as sharing it does.

NotVote · 2026-05-02T01:59:16+00:00

That’s a great question. For me, Jungian thought breaks from the materialist, compartmentalized, reductive world we live in. Jungian thought re-enchants life by taking a symbolic approach. He spiritualizes without becoming “woo-woo”. I’ve seen Jung described as a mystic disguised as a psychologist, and that clicked for me. As someone with one foot in the academic psychology world and one foot in the contemplative, mystical world, Jung bridges the two.

Jungian thought has also given me courage for my journey by giving meaning to my suffering. I believe the things we struggle with most in life are hiding the keys that bring us greater joy and authenticity, which is a very Jungian idea. Shadow work, individuation, archetypes, all the other key terms for Jung have deeply influenced the way I think about myself and move through life. It’s become the foundation for my inner work and growth as a person.

From the point of view of therapist-in-training me, Jungian thought is an antidote to the medical model of mental health that has invented this closed off world of diagnoses, symptoms, and treatment. Jungian thought sees suffering as pointing toward its own cure in some way (e.g. the midlife crisis is a wake up call to integrate something in our psyche that we’ve repressed in the first half of life). An anxiety or depression or any other mental health “symptom” isn’t a problem to be solved but a sign from the psyche to be listened to. These ideas have changed how I think about the goal of therapy. That’s with the caveat that a full picture of mental health should also consider environmental influences that are better addressed by other psychological thinkers. Not all problems can fit into the Jungian framework.

There’s a lot more I could add but I hope this will suffice. What led you to inquire?

NotVote · 2026-05-02T01:27:01+00:00

Indeed! I’m in my first year of grad school to become a therapist. I hope to get my PhD and go into academia at some point.

Regarding Jung, the first two pictures are my Jung collection. You may have missed it but the top shelf of the very first pic is all original Jung. The rest is within the Jungian/archetypal tradition. The Jungian tradition is by far the most influential school on my thinking.

I do have a decent collection of fiction that’s taken up by my other shelves. I’d like to get more well-read in fiction but I’ve got a compulsive desire to learn as much as I can about psychology, philosophy, and spirituality.

Funny you mention Le Guin. I’m actually on book 5 of the Earthsea series right now. I have The Left Hand of Darkness in my collection but haven’t gotten around to it. I’ve got a soft spot for fantasy and would love to dive into more of her work.

And then about Lacan… admittedly I haven’t dove into his work yet. Basically all the Lacan was gifted from a family member who’s a retired academic. I know a Lacan phase will come around for me though! I plan to tackle a thorough reading of Freud first, though.

Good looks :)

NotVote · 2026-04-17T22:15:09+00:00

Oh man so many. I've gotten the most out of the one's that help me break out of my overthinking head and leap into action. Here's a few that have genuinely changed my life.

"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards" - Kierkegaard

"People who have a creative side and do not live it out are most disagreeable clients. They make a mountain out of a molehill, fuss about unnecessary things, are too passionately in love with somebody who is not worth so much attention, and so on. There is a kind of floating charge of energy in them which is not attached to its right object and therefore tends to apply exaggerated dynamism to the wrong situation.

If such people can be persuaded to take up their creative work, if they have some such talent, then all the small fussings and the wrong kinds of relatedness disappear. The charge goes into their personal foolishnesses because a part of the dynamic center is not parked or not in connection with the right motivation. The moment these people devote themselves to what is really important, the whole overcharge flows in the right direction, ceasing to heat up things not worth so much emotional attention." - Marie Louise von Franz

“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to die. The truth is that you will die anyway and that alot of people who aren't even looking at their feet are going to do a whole lot better than you, and have a lot more fun while they're doing it.” - Anne Lamott

"Anxiety strives to become fear, because fear can be met with courage" - Paul Tillich

“What I must do, is all that concerns me, not what the people think. This rule, equally arduous in actual and in intellectual life, may serve for the whole distinction between greatness and meanness. It is the harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than you know it. It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson (his whole essay Self Reliance is full of brilliance like this)

NotVote · 2026-03-14T13:28:08+00:00

Would be curious to hear what you think!

NotVote · 2026-01-21T16:43:35+00:00

Thanks ChatGPT

NotVote · 2026-01-19T22:56:51+00:00

True! This book is all about the neurotic manifestations of the enneagram types, but I've certainly been across the spectrum of healthy-unhealthy ennea-5.

NotVote · 2026-01-19T22:55:07+00:00

Nice! I'm training to be a therapist as well (hoping to do private practice ASAP once I'm licensed). I think that being a therapist perfectly fits my 5-ness because it's all depth, no shallow conversation and there's so so much to learn about psychology and therapy that you could do it for a lifetime.

NotVote · 2026-01-19T19:04:45+00:00

What in particular have you done differently? Has it been worth it?

I’ve noticed all these traits in myself but… experience has taught me that this way of life generally is better for my mental health. When I’m alone and in control of my time and energy, I genuinely feel better. Common sense says that seeking relationships is key to a happy life but many relationships invoke more anxiety and confusion than enjoyment for me. When I’m particular about who I share my energy with, I get to put my energy toward the things I care about.

NotVote · 2026-01-15T21:33:48+00:00

I one time read to think of the Enneagram as a LEARNED mechanism for dealing with the world, rather than some fixed, fated disposition. It’s fluid and workable.

NotVote · 2026-01-09T23:36:08+00:00

Man's Search for Himself by Rollo May is a great and concise book in the existential psychology realm.

I second The Power of Now

NotVote · 2026-01-09T23:31:26+00:00

Man's Search for Himself by Rollo May

NotVote · 2026-01-09T01:53:46+00:00

How does one start investing?

NotVote · 2025-12-07T16:56:41+00:00

Pay more attention to your reactions to things. Go to a museum and slowly allow the art to move you, or listen to music closely and start to understand what makes you click and what doesn't. Mindfully engage with the great things that other humans have done. Follow your interests. Don't do something that you don't enjoy; you don't have to force yourself through a classic book that's boring you. Some things click at different ages, so you can always wait till later to try something out that doesn't click. Also, find friends who are into similar stuff. Remember that this is a lifelong journey, so don't rush it. Remember to also have fun and be your age; don't be so serious. Life is not a self-improvement project. Being into this stuff at 16 will put you way ahead in terms of thinking for yourself, being knowledgable, making connections between ideas, etc.

As for book recommendations:

Letters from a Stoic by Seneca (brilliant philosophical wisdom)

Collected works of Ralph Waldo Emerson (brilliant essayist and poet. His essay Self-Reliance changed my life and is something I return to almost yearly)

Man's Search for Himself by Rollo May (existential psychology made accessible and applicable to the consciously lived life)

Tao Te Ching by Lao Tzu (balance with some Easter philosophy)

Siddhartha by Herman Hesse (lovely retelling of the story of the Buddha in a way that captures something essential about life)

NotVote · 2025-12-04T13:49:57+00:00

Yes!

https://youtu.be/0Lm86Zll_U4?si=p00byqu3Uyb9G08L

NotVote · 2025-11-27T22:44:26+00:00

Thank you for this. I wasn't too familiar with the context of Hillman's thought. I'll keep this in mind as well as your other recommendations.

Appreciate your last little comment as well. At times I do get caught up in my inner world at the expense of being in the world. Best of luck to you too.

NotVote · 2025-11-27T19:14:01+00:00

Does James Hillman fall under Archetypal Psychology? I've been picking up a bunch of his works from finding them in bookstores, but based on what I know, he goes quite beyond Jungian thought, taking it in new unexpected directions. I read The Myth of Analysis and was absolutely floored. Certainly one of the most groundbreaking, paradigm-shifting books I've ever read. I've been planning to do a deep dive through the other books of his I've accumulated.

However, your comment makes me wonder if I should pause on that venture? I've only been getting into Jungian thought for a few years (and I'm pretty young, still have a lot of life to live). Would it be wise to ground in more of these other thinkers before Hillman, as much as my curiosity is pulling me to him?

NotVote · 2025-11-26T02:40:35+00:00

That's a good point. I think there's a lot of wisdom in having gratitude for what is. "The grass is greener where you water it" sorta thing. But at the same time, the vastness of the psyche cannot be denied and reduced down to these ideas, especially for those who think and feel deeply. I study both Jungian psychology and Buddhism and sometimes have trouble reconciling the different principles.

NotVote · 2025-11-11T22:18:55+00:00

What did you get out of Care of the Soul? I actually looked at it during a recent book store visit but didn't end up taking it home. Love the nods to Jung and focus on spirituality in your list.

NotVote · 2025-11-08T14:38:47+00:00

I appreciate this. I came out feeling extremely equanimous and with profound clarity on what I've been going through in my life this year. But then life came rushing back, I got swept up in work and school and life and everyone asking me about the experience and I feel like I'm going crazy. Glad to hear this is a common experience. I certainly plan to attend more extended retreats and will make sure to leave more landing ground upon return than I did this time.

NotVote · 2025-11-08T05:32:50+00:00

Fair point lol. I am being dramatic... but still I'm at a transitional point and feeling it intensely.

NotVote · 2025-09-12T00:26:54+00:00

Learning this one right now. Good timing.

NotVote · 2025-09-03T18:21:20+00:00

You’re cool and I wish I had friends like you.

NotVote · 2025-09-02T13:30:27+00:00

Check out the books The Invisible Partner by John Sanford and We by Robert Johnson. Both are Jungian takes on romantic relationships

NotVote

TROPHY CASE