What is Stream Work?
Jungian Coaching for individuation and flow
“Steam work” is the work you do both in a coaching session, and on an ongoing basis to increase flow, meaning, and purpose in your life. The method I prefer for stream work is Jungian coaching with a focus on dialogos.
Jungian Coaching uses principles from Carl Jung’s work, including respect for the unconscious elements of a person, an understanding of the influence of archetypes, and awareness of the power of non-rational experiences such as dreams and rituals, to facilitate individuation.
Dialogos is a dialogue that allows a kind of flow that is similar to the flow defined by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. During Jungian coaching the openness to “depth” and the intention to clarify and reveal the wishes of the client’s deepest callings reliably creates flow. This is because plumbing the depths of your psyche for wisdom is engaging and challenging, two of the factors needed for flow. I believe that finding that wisdom is both possible and likely for most people, fulfilling the third requirement for flow. Dialogos allows “collective intelligence” to emerge. In other words, dialogos opens up insight that neither participant could reach alone. This is why Jungian Coaching is described as a partnership.
The heart of this special type of dialogue is the practice of asking perceptive questions designed to help strip away unconscious avoidance and self-deception. It can be described as the practice of moving a dialogue from exploration and clarity into insight and a shifted perspective.
The key distinction is that ordinary conversation is based on an exchange of information. Dialogos is seeking to uncover information not known to either person consciously. It also tends to move people from having questions to living questions1. Dialogos is what happens when two people enter the state of unknowing together and something genuinely new emerges between them that neither knew consciously.
A Jungian coach is helpful in this as few people have the opportunity to practice depth work on their own. It is important to understand that the coach doesn’t deliver insight to you, but instead a coach will participate in dialogos with the specific intent to help you uncover hidden aspects of yourself and get in touch with the various parts of your psyche. In this way you get in touch with your own inner wisdom.
Stream Work is also informed by Internal Family Systems Theory and the spiritual insights from my long study of wabi sabi — "nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect.”
More on Flow
Stream work is intended to create better flow in your life. This occurs when you examine unconscious aspects of yourself that were repressed or rejected and create a better connection to your True Self.
Techniques such as unburdening of parts and individuation improve inner communication between your parts and allow your thoughts and creativity to flow more freely.
The flow of dialogos is similar to the flow you experience when you feel rapt attention and enjoyment because you are fully immersed in energized focus, often oblivious to the passage of time. Psychologists discovered that this kind of flow is experienced most when you, 1. face a challenging or complex task you 2. have confidence you can complete. Much of life is challenging and complex and our wounds, anxiety, and depression can prevent this kind of flow. Stream Work in this scenario involves identifying the information, techniques, and skills you need to face the challenges with confidence. Sometimes the biggest factor is the the empathic support of a coach who has practiced these skills.
Individuation
A big component of stream work is individuation, a process first described by renowned Swiss psychoanalyst, Carl Jung.
Jung – Carl Jung contributed foundational ideas to psychology such as introversion and extraversion, the shadow, the collective unconscious, archetypes, complexes, synchronicity, and individuation. Jungian coaching is designed to enhance and support the individuation process.[1]
The Individuation Process – Jung identified the first half of life as a time to adapt to society, form an identity, and achieve external goals. Traditional counseling and coaching can be a big help during this phase of life. He said the second half of life is a time for individuation, the process of becoming aware of your unconscious and shadow elements and integrating them into a balanced psyche. By exploring your triggers and hidden parts, you can resolve catches and heal wounds that keep you stuck. The process of individuation can connect you to resources within yourself to weather storms and grow throughout your lifetime. Jungian coaching is particularly well suited to people doing this work in the second half of life.
Meaning – The work of Dr. Todd Pressman reveals that loss of meaning is one of our 5 core fears. He explains that without meaning there is a sense of emptiness and being cut off from life. University of Toronto professor John Vervaeke identified a crisis of meaning as a big cause of depression and anxiety in the current age. The good news is that a crisis of meaning gives you the opportunity to explore new practices and traditions to help reacquire your relationship with your true Self and in so doing, map out a path to a meaningful life.
Spirituality and Science –Psychiatrists and Psychologists tend to favour a scientific approach to mental health. Those of us in the dynamic psychology tradition appreciate this approach and focus on integrating scientific discoveries with intuitive and spiritual aspects of human life. We question older medical models that pathologize and medicate, even when we recognize the benefit of medication and therapeutic techniques like cognitive behavioural therapy.
Many people have experienced life in a repressive religion and have grown to distrust anything spiritual, but often grieve the loss of the positive aspects of a faith tradition.
Having spent many years within Christianity, while also exploring other traditions such as Buddhism and Stoicism, I now take an integral view. Integral theory[2] lets us value both spirituality and science, identifying where we can make breakthroughs to integrate them and also leverage them for personal growth and development.
If you are interested in exploring these topics further, I will soon be offering coaching sessions based on this approach. Reach out to me at stillstreamcoaching@outlook.com for more information.
[1] “The purpose of a Jungian coach is to honor the individuation process.” - Handbook of Jungian Coaching by Akke-Jeanne Klenk.
[2] A model of development based in the research of Clare Graves, and popularized in such theories as Spiral Dynamics.