The Psyche Of The Body: A Jungian Approach To P... Apr 2026

The Psyche of the Body: A Jungian Approach to Psychosomatics

The relationship between the mind and the body has long been a subject of debate, often trapped in the Cartesian dualism that views them as separate entities. However, in The Psyche of the Body: A Jungian Approach to Psychosomatics , Denise Gimenez Ramos challenges this split by presenting a model where the psyche and soma (the body) are "two aspects of the living being". This approach moves beyond seeing illness as a purely biological failure and instead treats the body as a symbolic canvas upon which the unconscious speaks. The Body as a Symbolic Expression The Psyche of the Body: A Jungian Approach to P...

Central to Ramos's work is the idea that physical symptoms are not just medical issues but of an individual’s internal conflicts. From a Jungian perspective, the body and psyche are a self-regulating system striving for balance. When consciousness becomes too one-sided—for instance, by repressing vital emotions or needs—the unconscious may manifest this imbalance through the body. The Psyche of the Body: A Jungian Approach

Common phrases like having a "broken heart" or "cold feet" are examples of how unconscious motivations can be translated into physiological "picture-language". The Role of Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious The Body as a Symbolic Expression Central to