Pulling The Thread with Elise Loehnen Stop Trying to Kill the Ego (Satya Doyle Byock)
Sep 4, 2025
Satya Doyle Byock, a psychotherapist and Jungian psychology educator, discusses the often misunderstood role of the ego in personal growth. She emphasizes why we shouldn’t demonize the ego but rather, nurture it for better relationships and self-identity. The conversation navigates the tension between external approval and authentic self-discovery, and the impact of societal expectations on personal journeys. Byock weaves in profound insights about facing life’s challenges while maintaining a resilient sense of self.
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Ego Serves The Unconscious
- Jung's psychology centers the unconscious more than the ego and aims to integrate deeper material into the ego's life.
- The ego must be developed enough to relate to the larger Self and archetypal material rather than being destroyed.
Follow Your Own Existence
- The aim is not to mimic religious masters but to follow your own existence and join the human with the divine.
- Individuation is relational: the ego must enter into relationship with a larger Self to embody fuller meaning.
Descent Not Escape
- Western culture often misreads spiritual stories as ascension myths that seek escape rather than descent and integration.
- Growth involves continual deaths and resurrections of the ego, enlarging the container to hold new experience.
