Classifying the Unconscious
Dear Friends,
Subsequent to Freud there were attempts to classify dreams in order to study them quantitatively in which coding system was devised for quantitative scoring. One of the most famous is the Hall/Van de Castle dream coding system ( See www.dreamresearch.net) in which we such categories as 1. Characters, 2. Social Interactions 3. Activities 4. Success and Failure, 5. Misfortune and Good fortune 6. Emotions 7. Settings, 8.Objects and finally 9. Descriptive elements. Many quantitative studies have been conducted using this classificatory which is als questioned by some. I offer another, perhaps more complicated, than the above derived by my own research in which I have used extensively concepts available in the Tantric Psychology texts of the Siddhas in the Tamil country.
What we have to classify is not just the dream processes but the whole
lot of the Unconscious processes that become available for study
in the Access Tests such as NBT and FPT. This classification does
not have a quantitative study in mind (though it can be done along these
lines) but rather the UNDERSTANDING of dreams and other unconscious
processes and hence Hermeneutical in is orientation. This system , though
it goes back to the primitive times where medicine was not differentiated
from magic, it has evolved over the times and in the hands of great thinkers
like Thirumular, has become reasonably scientific. I am taking this
evolution a step further by providing the Access Tests as a way in
which the whole system can be empirically investigated, quantitatively
or qualitatively. The "unconscious" is used not in the sense it is used
widely in Analytical Psychology but rather in Heideggerian sense of something
the remains covered-up, concealed i.e. the maRaip poruL in Tantric
texts as well. There is the CONSCIOUS that is available as in
the open (veLippattu niRpathu) as opposed to that which remains still unavailable,
concealed etc (veLippadaa niRpathu) a distinction that goes back
to Tholkaappiyam(3rd cent. BC) itself. The Access Tests provide
a peep into these hidden and subterranean elements that also become available
for consciousness in dreams and related processes
. There are basically THREE parameters each of which are further differentiated
a) The PROCESSES fabricating the Dream and other unconscious elements.(called puththi);
b) the OUTCOMES or the ACCOMPLISHMENTS directly related to above type of processes; ( the siththies) and finally
c) The EXISTENTIAL WORLD within which these unconscious elements are accessed and made elements of conscious understanding.( the aathaara cakras or kaRRaLi)
Any dream Or elements similar to them must be located first in the three dimensional cell created by the above parameters.
The puththies are the following
1.mOhanam: the sexual and related matter
2 vasiyam: the seductive and enchanting
3 aakarsam: the magnetic, that which seeks to draw unto oneself and enslave
4 vithvEsanam: the educative and informative
5 uccaadanam: the exorcistic, that which drives away something.
6 Peethanam: that which transmutes, tranforms or changes
7 Thambanam : that which arrests , prevents or avoids
8 MaaraNam: destructive an d death bringing
The outcomes or siththies are as follows:
The personal
1. aNimaa: that which makes one small and inferior and
disgrace , shame etc
2. mahimaa: that which is opposed to the above and hence
that which makes one feel great and hence flattering
The psychological:
3. karimaa: the depressive, melancholy and other related states
4. lahimaa: that which is opposed to the above ie. That which lifts
up the spirit and makes one cheerful and happy
The motivational:
5. praththi: attaining what is desired, accomplishing and succeeding
The social or personality related:
6. pirakaamiyam: being lovable everybody; sanguinity
7. vaciththuvam: magnetic and capable of drawing unto oneself many others as followers etc
8. iisaththuvam: leadership qualities, the ability to rise up to commandeering position of Power and Authority
The Existential worlds are SIX in number defined by the psychodynamics' that constitutes the EXISTENCE of an individual.; the overall DESIRES that conditions the EXISTENCE of the person
World (muula aathaaram)1: the world of physical reality where existence is founded by worldly desires from which a person begins his existence any way
World 2(swaathittaanam): The mental world where intellectual pursuits become the matter of absorbing interest
World 3(maNipuurakam): The depth psychological where the world of the UNCONCIOUS becomes that which is sught after
World 4(anaakatham): disenchantment with the worldly and trying to workout FREEDOM from mundane desires
World 5(vusuththi): the desire now becomes that of service to humanity and maintainign oneself in purity
World 6(aaknjai) : the desire now becomes that of uplifting the whole of humanity through providing deep and profound insights
For those who wants examples for dreams with this kind of classification please visit Agamic Psycholgy Campus (https://members.tripod.com/ulagank/agapsyindex.htm) and click on the section on Dream Interpretaions. I am reworking this section so that dreams studied are also classified along these lines.
DrK.Loganathan