Clearing the Clouds of Projection
Guidelines to Navigate the Process
“The general psychological reason for projection is always an activated unconscious that seeks expression.”
- C.G. Jung, “The Symbolic Life” (CW 18)
Projection is a natural function of the psyche. It is impossible to truly view reality outside of our own subjective lens. As we gaze out into the world, the flavors of our inner life and psychological history color how we perceive and relate to the situations at hand.
It helps us make new situations familiar, manageable. By drawing upon the vast storehouse of insights deep within our conscious and unconscious perceptions, we can navigate life with (seemingly) greater ease. We can anticipate the likely actions of the cashier at the supermarket based on what we have experienced before. We can feel empathy for other’s joy or grief from the times we have have felt the same. We can identify an unsafe environment by the subtle cues that alert us to underlying dynamics.
Each time we project, a piece of our psyche leaves the inner world. Because this process is unconscious (we do not choose to have a projection), it appears to us as unquestionably external, originating from outside of us. It is only when our projections are laced with shadow material, unresolved conflicts, and distortions that it begins to stir up trouble.
This is where the clouds of projection begin to surround us. Like a thick fog or a gathering storm, it obstructs the clarity of consciousness. If we fail to see this happening, the projections eventually compound on itself. We become caught in the patterns of our own unconscious making. Lost in uncertainty, we are faced with a reality we cannot seem to reconcile.
From Jung’s words above, we can find an inherent meaning and purpose behind this phenomenon. The unconscious seeks expression. It will do so via our dreams, symptoms, projections, synchronicities and more. It is an invitation to further consciousness.
Becoming aware, withdrawing, and claiming our projections is no easy task. It is a heavy burden, fraught with the challenges that all real shadow work requires. However, a successful integration of projected material often leads to a sense of revitalization; an expansion of self that provides a solid ground by which we can continue to facilitate individuation.
Guidelines for Working with Projections
“What is known as integration in modern psychology is thus a remarkable and complicated process, in which a hitherto unconscious psychic content is brought repeatedly into the view of the conscious ego and recognized as belonging to its own personality.”
- Marie Louise von Franz, “Projection and Re-Collection in Jungian Psychology”
Recognizing and withdrawing our projections is labyrinthian in nature, it twists and turns as we snake our way deeper into the unknown. Here are some considerations, guidelines to navigate the maze of the psyche.
Acknowledge projection as an inner reality
Projections cast illusions out into the world. They manifest externally, distorting how we see an individual, interpret actions, or read the environment. Inwardly, it is anything but an illusion. It is the very reality of our psychological landscape. Denial of this point only generates further shadow in the psyche. It creates hostility and sets us up as an antagonist to our own growth and self-understanding. To decisively cut through the entrenched fogginess of projection, we must acknowledge this truth. We have to hold the tension of a paradox — This projection is real and yet it is not.
This statement begins the process of allowing us to differentiate what is ours and what isn’t. It invites curiosity, a pause, and potential self-reflection to our habitual modes of relating and interacting. The microcosm of our inner world is reflected in the macrocosm of the outer world. Now we can begin to traverse the bridges that connect them.