21/05/2026
When there is no way out, the way in often begins —
Feeling utterly stuck is often a prerequisite before real change occurs.
Real growth rarely happens when the ego is comfortably sailing along.
It happens when our standard coping mechanisms fail, creating a crack through which the unconscious can speak.
Dr. von Franz reminds us that Jung believed that real inner growth often begins when we’re stuck in a situation that feels impossible - where no choice feels right and there’s no clear way out.
These situations aren’t accidents; they’re meant to shake up our ego from its usual mode of functioning, which usually thinks it’s in control and can solve everything.
If we keep avoiding the problem or refuse to make a decision, we remain stuck.
But if we’re willing to face the pain honestly and deeply, something greater inside us begins to emerge, what Jung called the Self, our deeper, wiser center.
It’s like being forced to rely on something beyond our usual ways of coping.
The Self, our inner, mysterious nucleus of wholeness, quietly directs our psychic unfolding, much like a seed knows how to become a tree.
From a Jungian perspective, when no choice feels right, it means the conscious mind doesn't have the answer yet.
By staying still in the middle of the discomfort - not collapsing, but not forcing a fake solution either - you create the space for a third completely unexpected path to emerge from your deeper center.
Perhaps the hard changes life often asks of you is an eviction notice from a version of life you have outgrown.
Quote in poster: Marie-Louise von Franz, Archetypal Dimensions of the Psyche.