Exploring External Synchronicities Based on Inner Psychological ‘Meaningful Experiences’

Exploring External Synchronicities Based on Inner Psychological ‘Meaningful Experiences’

Kennia Sarellano

San Jose State University

Psychology 100W - Writing Workshop Section 80

Laree A. Huntsman

December 14th, 2021

Abstract

Due to personal experiences and natural curiosity of the human psyche, this paper explores a concept most famously researched by a historic psychiatrist, Carl Gustav Jung. These experiences are meaningful coincidental synchronistic events commonly known to guide individuals in their time of need. Because these experiences are not readily accepted by the scientific community, it is important to keep an open mind and respectful outlook throughout this paper given that findings reporting repeating patterns in all aspects of existence are studied and examined for the benefit of the person reporting said experiences. Along with a psychology lens, concepts like consciousness and unconsciousness are incorporated into this phenomena. When thinking about a meaningful coincidence, many definitions may come to the surface. When studying it here, the context it represents itself in is through internal and outer events undoubtedly experienced throughout the material world (things that are seen) without conscious knowledge or meaning until further analyzed. 

Keywords: Synchronicity, Conscious, Unconscious, Meaningful, Coincidences, Acausual, Carl G. Jung, internal events, outer events.

Exploring External Synchronicities Based on Internal Psychological ‘Meaningful Experiences’

While researching articles on synchronicities, a famous psychiatrist by the name of Carl Gustav Jung is often the first name to be mentioned. According to Buck (2018), Jung’s work on synchronistic aspects of Astrology aided him in the development of analytical psychology as well as a greater understanding of the psychology of the unconscious mind. Although Astrology is beyond scientific, it is important to note the findings developed. Moreover, Jung’s hypothesis is that there is an outside force apart from the human mind that is operating with coincidental orderedness by synchronicity (Buck, 2018). This outside force is not ‘magical’ or ‘divine’ but more of a never ending pattern that is created over all successful existence (Buck, 2018). Further explaining C.G. Jung’s take on synchronicities, Etter (2020) found that this phenomena may only be present if the event is considered coincidental but has an underlying meaning connected with the context of the occurrence. In other words, the supposed synchronized event has to have a clear take away in relation to the subject experiencing it. One example relating to this idea is the extinction of dinosaurs given that without the cosmic forces, humans would have not developed (Etter, 2020). Vice versa, no human had an ounce of control for this happening, making it a ‘meaningful coincidence’. 

To have a better understanding of what ‘meaning’ really represents in the context of this paper, the idea of numbers is brought into light. To do so, Weiner (2007) questions the meaning of the number or symbol ‘1’ and concludes that there is no single definition because to attempt to explain it is to talk about something else other than ‘1’ itself and that neither language or symbols serve their greater purpose in every aspect of life. Like on a pain measuring Likert scale, pain is subjected to the perspective of an individual experiencing it and would be more accurate if measured by meanings of colors instead of numbers (Pain Medicine, 2009).

Defining ‘Meaningful Coincidence’

An Incorporation of C.G. Jung’s Theory in Daily Life

In his research, Dewar (2018) makes use of Carl G. Jung’s idea that the importance of numbers is prevalent in connecting the human consciousness with the material world. The researcher claims to have witnessed meaningful events that helped him in his time of worry and doubt when working on his art. Moreover, the coincidental aspect of significant events happening in a synchronized pattern is often seen as a domino effect causing an increase of ideas and positive movement (Dewar, 2018). In addition, in order for an event to be considered synchronistic it must hold a double meaning or ‘motif’. The example Dewar (2018) provides to explain this domino effect is the time when he wandered into an antique store meanwhile waiting for his dentist appointment which he arrived early to. The significance of this story comes at the end of his exploration of the antique shop when he found the answer he had unconsciously found while simply experiencing life. The artist had been questioning whether or not he should start over on an art piece when he found the answer to keep working on it through a painting that used his method incorporating numbers which held a deep rooted meaning to the artist and therefore, caused forward movement or a domino effect (Dewar, 2018). 

Coincidences in Natural and Scientific Occurrences

To grasp the idea of synchronicity, it is easier to perceive it through C.G. Jung’s theory on such events. Because synchronicities are not considered to be scientific due to the lack of control for measurement, it may be helpful to compare this undeniable phenomena to other worldly aspects like natural mathematical occurrences. To study the comparison of Jung’s view to a more material and scientific theory, Sacco (2016) explains the unordinary similarities between fractals through Fibonacci sequences in nature and artificial occurrences. The researcher states that fractals appear the same and are present in all aspects of the universe from cosmic scales, to the smallest atom, and interestingly, human mental processes as well as sunflowers and stock market patterns (Sacco, 2016). Without a doubt, the appearance of similar patterns is present throughout the entire universe including the self, according to the Fibonacci sequence findings. So much so that Sacco (2016) recommends the incorporation of the Fibonacci sequences with the use of reported synchronicity experiences. 

 Meaning Through a Synchronistic Lense 

Obviously, lines can get blurred when talking about meaning within certain context and definitions. To make the purpose clear on what the synchronistic lens means through meaning, Kime (2019) defines coincidence as two outer events happening simultaneously. To explain outer and inner events means to experience the same events as something completely outside of yourself, like doing the same thing as another person at the same time without prior knowledge to do so (Kime, 2019). In addition, the researcher goes on to point out that coincidental events hold meaning when it is easily noticed by the person experiencing it, has a clear connection, and needs to be taken into account (Kime, 2019). Based on this definition of ‘meaning’ in coincidental events, outer and inner events play an important role when an individual is said to experience such phenomena. The line draws down the middle depending on the time at which these inner and outer events occur. For example, thinking about someone then seeing them is more meaningful rather than seeing someone than thinking about them afterwards because people tend to feel drawn to the mesmerizing effects stemming from a so-called coincidental outer event causing acknowledgement of the individuals past thoughts and beliefs (Kime, 2019). Due to the lack of scientific evidence, Kimes (2019) argues that meaningful coincidences are a part of humans' natural way of life because evolution integrated the skill of observation and awareness into our DNA. Like primal animals, humans are gravitated towards patterns for survival. Something like a tree only sprouting fruit in the spring and summer time would help anyone survive given their trust to the coincidental event happening at a specific time. Therefore, Kimes (2019) views these coincidences as humans' skill for survival based on historic biological patterns involving specific awareness. However, this is not to say that increased awareness is not helpful through a psychoanalytic view. When a person notices more of their surroundings, they are aware of more things and therefore can experience more experiences involving synchronistic patterns which can be further analyzed through therapy (Kimes, 2019).  

Application of Synchronicity in a Clinical and Therapeutic Setting 

Psychoanalytic Approach to Synchronicity

Looking at synchronicities though a more psychoanalytic approach, there are obvious benefits to incorporating such occurrences in a psychotherapists practice. According to Gildersleeve et al. (2019), synchronicities are apparent in individuals going through a defining change psychologically which opens their mind to the possible place they hold in this world. More specifically, a person is most likely to experience meaningful coincidences if they were going through an important change in their life causing them to look out towards the world and unconsciously finding puzzle pieces to work through change (Gildersleeve et al., 2019). Instead of actively looking for clues to match wanted outcomes, Gildersleeve et al. (2019) points out that the true meaning of the event is not readily apparent until after it has occurred. To clarify, an individual is not aware of their personal beliefs involving unconscious thought until the idea is presented through a synchronized event which brings the idea into conscious thought through significant meaning.  More specifically, a form in which synchronicity happens is when an individual’s wants or do not wants are made conscious at a particular moment in time promoting the feeling of purpose and connectedness in their life (Gildersleeve et al., 2019). 

In their second article, Gildersleeve et al. (2020) states that when the person going through psychoanalytic treatment experiences a retrieval from the past they gain a new perspective of their purpose in their world and more focus on how the desire affects their lives. In this sense, synchronicity events are helpful in a psychoanalytic perspective if they are able to help patients through confusing times. Given that repeating events, patterns and symbols are all part of this phenomena, there appears to be deep meaning rooted in the process or expansion of their consciousness through their symbolic vocabulary (Gildersleeve et al., 2020). In a sense, this external push of the individual's internal beliefs made obvious through their physical world brings a form of freedom to their psyche by providing them with comfort knowing that they are not alone in their decision making and knowing they will be guided along the way by the help of external forces (Gildersleeve et al., 2020). By an individual first handedly experiencing these synchronicities in relation to their past, they are able to feel a sense of companionship and deeper understanding of their world around them based on internal and non apparent beliefs once juggled in the mind. Once this person realizes that they can look outside of their mind and trust that the answer will be revealed in their material world, then they can relax and continue on with their lives without worrying about outcomes if choosing one idea over the other. Because their understanding of their personal world is rooted in their unconscious and not always present consciously, once an internal thought is made present in the physical, it is almost seen as an external force as Gildersleeve et al. (2020) explains. 

Psychological View on Synchronicity 

To retrieve a more psychological based definition of experiences involving synchronicity, Roxburgh et al. (2016) defines it as a meaningful connection experienced psychologically between a person’s inner events, considered as their perspective through their way of thinking, feeling, and viewing their experiences compared to their external events which can happen in proximity to inner events. To further study this phenomena, the researchers wanted to take note of the differences brought out when involving synchronistic events through a clinical and therapeutic setting such as a psychologist's, counselor’s, or psychotherapist's office. To acquire responses from these professional’s in the mental health occupation, Roxburgh et al. (2016) used email to send a link to a survey to a random selection of mental health professionals who were members of associations for counseling and psychotherapy in the United Kingdom. The findings resulted in 226 responses to the survey with 67% of respondents feeling that synchronistic events had the potential to be therapeutically used in practice with 100 of reponses reporting having experienced them in therapy sessions (Roxburgh et al., 2016). Like the majority of this paper exhibits, the researchers established a set of rules for what they mean when speaking about synchronicity events (SE). Unlike the other previous criteria incorporating the historic Carl G. Jung’s findings on this topic, Roxburgh et al. (2016) points out the more recent qualitative criteria required for an event to be considered as a synchronicity which are the similarities between at least two events that would never expectedly happen in its nature and is undeniably noted by the individual experiencing it. 

Looking at this study’s results, it is apparent that the majority of mental health professionals look at this scientifically unexplainable occurrence as worthy of taking into account for the benefit of the patients seeking guidance. According to Roxburgh et al. (2016), psychotherapists were the majority of people reporting experiencing SE’s in practice with psychologists right after and counselors being the minority. This solidifies the validity of these meaningful experiences brought by spontaneous yet similar events given that the longer a practitioner has been practicing, the more SE’s that they experience in practice. In conclusion, Roxburgh et al. (2016) found that synchronistic events could serve as insights to conversations between the therapists and clients that may have not been brought up otherwise without this meaningful occurrence experienced through the patient's natural environment and habits. 

Conclusion

All in all, the majority of researchers studying synchronicity in psychologically meaningful experiences through the physical world recommend this phenomena to be studied alongside traditional spiritual and parapsychology clinical views. It is important to note the repeated occurrences in this research topic along with the deep rooted beliefs and results that prove to be of benefit by connecting human consciousness to their physical surroundings.

Furthermore, those who are more intune with their surroundings, experiences, and awareness on how they perceive the world are more likely to notice similar repeating patterns in their lives. It is apparent that these patterns could become visible and notable by the individual through repeated but unexplainable coincidences without prior conscious knowledge of such events. One similarity that is repeated throughout the scientific community is that because of the lack of measurable analyses, it cannot be taken into account. However, throughout this research paper it is undoubtedly part of the natural world in all aspects proven by the articles summarized. Although scientifically invalid, professionals in the psychology field state that synchronicities used in a therapeutic setting could aid the work being done by revealing unconscious beliefs which in turn aids personal development. With or without the belief of synchronicity, the expansion of self awareness in relation to human consciousness undoubtedly serves great benefit in an individual's experiences that captivate significant meaning causing forward movement, which synchronicities are commonly known to induce. 

References

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