First, a definition of projection: This is evident when an individual attributes their own unacceptable impulses onto others. For example, a person might accuse others of engaging in thievery when, in fact, they are swindling money from their employer. Some of the behaviors and thoughts we are most ashamed of could be called shadows. We can see them first in other people before we can “call them out” in ourselves. We are defending against humiliation and mortification lest we be exposed.

This is the very thing Freud, the self-anointed “Father of Psychology,” did to Jung when his habit of putting Freud on a pedestal began to wane. Once the mentor of Jung, Freud witnessed Jung becoming more self-assured, especially when he was forging ideas that challenged some of those developed by his father figure. It got to the point when, on several occasions while in Jung’s presence, Sigmund was overshadowed by Jung’s brilliance and Freud’s own shadow side rose to the forefront which resulted in him fainting in public. It was that threatening to examine his own vulnerabilities; much safer to be the great therapist and teacher than a mere mortal, a human being. 

Next a definition of displacement: In this instance, an impulse directed at one person or object is shifted to another more acceptable substitute person or object. For example, when a child strikes an older brother -- seemingly out of the blue – rather than risk expressing anger at a parent, a transfer of pent-up emotions may occur. The recipient is left to ask, “What the hell was that about?”

In a way, these seemingly irrational behaviors have an emotional logic of their own. It only becomes abnormal when it interferes with our social functioning, often pushing people away from us. 

Then, if the defenses remain high, more of the same is done, but in a louder or more forceful way until such time that personal awareness finally kicks in. This requires a simultaneous strengthening of the ego to acknowledge how vulnerable a person feels. Psychologist Brene’ Brown writes masterfully about this suggesting that dropping defenses, namely daring to be vulnerable, is, paradoxically, the way out.

In Louis Breger’s huge volume, Freud: Darkness in the Midst of Vision, he talks about how Freud was tormented in the role of healer while needing so much healing himself. According to Breger’s interpretation, Freud believed that “women were failed men,” they were at “a lower ethical level than males,” that “the principal source of anxiety in childhood was the threat of castration,” and “religion was a group neurosis.” 

Freud’s personal letters revealed “a striking absence of relationships with girls and women” over the years, indeed, Freud seemed to require emotional distance from most women. “He also thought that masturbation was especially harmful when coupled with fantasy.” Freud, and only Freud, claimed to fully understand these matters. Along the way, allegations arose that he had an incestuous relationship with his daughter, Anna, and that he was suffering from two mood altering addictions: cocaine and tobacco.

Jung wanted and needed Freud to be the strong and loving father he never had. Freud, according to Breger, wanted Jung to be his adopted son. When Jung became strong and confident in his own theoretical adaptations, and when he challenged Freud to look at his own faults, Freud became very threatened. He cruelly labeled Jung as being “sanctimonious,” as well as “mentally deranged to a serious extent,” and broke off their relationship. In fact, “The labels of paranoia and insanity were routinely applied to those who challenged Freud and his doctrines.”  Better to reject than be rejected. Better to accuse than be accused. Oh, the power of labeling! Projection? Displacement?

Berger again: “Freud felt so disappointed, betrayed, and let down by friends and followers that in his late years, he turned to more trustworthy companions: pet dogs.” And, of his infidelity to his own principles, Berger had this to say: “A great many of his cases revealed the tremendous gap between the way he said an analyst should practice and the way he acted.”

Berger: “Freud’s therapeutic style left a great deal of the patient’s emotional life untouched. He did not place any value on catharsis.” Freud misunderstood many of his patients and, as a result of his own defenses, never seemed to meet his own “shadow side,” as Jung would call it.

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Secrets, shame, and their resultant rage often get in the way of full disclosure, ownership of problems, making amends, and final redemption. If Freud could not discover himself, certainly most people could be cut a little slack if they are delayed in the process of self-discovery.

It may be that with defensive walls being lowered by MDMA, and with a heart that swells with compassion for self and others, healing becomes more possible than ever before. But note, if guilt and shame are present in copious amounts, a spiritual awakening may not always be the blissful and easy transition that many seekers imagine. Like physicians often say to patients undergoing a challenging procedure: You might feel worse before you get better.

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