The longest journey is the journey inward. (Hammarskjold)
Inside each of us lie strangers whom we do not know. (C.G. Jung)
Have you ever thought about all the characters who live within you? Whether we call them personality states or traits or moods or subpersonalities or alter egos, we are so multi-faceted. Each one of these characteristics within can be personified, given a back story based on where they might have originated in our personal history, and then we can release them into a story to see how they might behave, and gain some insights into how these characters or personality traits might influence our behavior and choices.
For example, there’s Gertie, an abandoned child who had to over-develop some independent, antisocial, rebellious instincts in order to survive on her own. Then, raised by nuns who tended to be more than a tad over-controlling, she learned the advantages of caution and control and responsibility. Her instincts are highly developed. She can vacillate between uninhibited spontaneity and an over-controlled, cautious way of being. She has little trust or attachment to anyone. A natural to become a spy!
Even though my history is nothing like Gertie’s, she is definitely a character within me, part of my inner congregation. I know her well! She offers me a lot of gifts, and at the same time I have to be watchful of those traits within myself because of the potential they hold to harm relationships.
And I haven’t even mentioned the “Neville-within!” Or Cuddles. I know’em both.
Our inner family. The child. The orphan. The mother. The father. The saboteur. The teacher. The prostitute. The preacher. The wanderer. The heroine. The coward. And so many more to discover and understand . . .
Name them. Dialogue with them. Write their story. Get to know yourself! You are so much more than you ever dreamed.