The Body Is Like An Ocean

Malone, M. (2008). The Body Is Like An Ocean (Doctoral dissertation, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 2008).

ABSTRACT

For Carl Jung, “the approach to the numinous is the real therapy, and inasmuch as you attain to the numinous experiences you are released from the curse of pathology” (1973, p. 62). In this study we explore a somatic approach to the numinous through movement process and the recursive effects of such experiences. The dynamics of the numinosum are described in accurate detail using the language of pure psychology following the model put forth by Lionel Corbett (1996) who provides a clinical perspective for those of us who recognize our relationship with the sacred in deeply personal and private ways. The depth psychological approach is open to personal experiences of the sacred which may not be recognized within the context of Judeo-Christian traditions and offers a means by which we might examine the manifestation of such experiences within the context of our daily life. This study focuses primarily on such manifestations through movement process.


Movement process is a therapeutic approach rooted in the Japanese dance form, butoh, which supports the release of habitual patterns of movement and behavior while allowing confused and shadowy sensations of something new to emerge. The sense of the numinous in an ongoing flow of creativity is a key factor in the exploration of movement research participants who document their experiences and describe these in detailed, in-depth interviews.


This data is studied for descriptions, emergent themes, and assertions, which results in a holistic case study reflecting the research participants’ view of daily life in relation to the numinous. Visual and written forms are also engaged as effective means of bringing awareness to the numinosum and other unconscious material naturally arises during this process. All research participants report individual experiences of suddenly shifting awareness through movement, described as “presence” or “flow,” while others provide detailed accounts of numinous experiences which recursively enhance consciousness, adaptability, fitness, insight, and the ability to effect change within a larger philosophical and ethical context. This study traces the memory of these experiences.