Ghosts as Externalised Projections

“4 Ghosts on Halloween Eve” by Neal3K is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Ghosts as Externalised Projections

“Jung told the Society that apparitions (ghosts) and materializations were “unconscious projections” or, as he spoke of them to Freud, “exteriorisations.” “I have repeatedly observed,” Jung told his audience, “The telepathic effects of unconscious complexes, and also a number of parapsychic phenomena, but in all this I see no proof whatever of the existence of real spirits, and until such proof is forthcoming, I must regard this whole territory as an appendix of psychology.”

This quote comes from Carl Jung’s 1919 lecture titled “The Psychological Foundations of Belief in Spirits,” delivered to the British Society for Psychical Research and published in their Proceedings in 1920. carljungdepthpsychologysite

The above quote was in response to his ongoing investigations into paranormal activity, that may be originated from within the individual psyche.

As someone who has met a ghost, once, and invited them to stay, only to discover, much later, that this was a very important dissociation, of my 8-year-old self, this concept certainly resonates with me. During that hallucination, I saw many dark flowers, these were on legs, and could speak. I now understand that every one of them was a symbolic representation of a single dissociative event over that single year. There were at least 100 of those flowers. Gifts, now, that I can pick at my leisure. Now that we are integrated.

Our recent understanding of the human symbolic interface, has, I propose, allowed for a deeper understanding of Jung’s theories, by mapping many of those archetypes into human DNA, as higher level antinomic processes, that allow for complex instructions to be passed around the human organism without the need for every node to support language and linguistic labels.

Context and Qualification

Jung presented this lecture after years of investigating spiritualistic and parapsychological phenomena, including his doctoral dissertation on a medium cousin and his participation in séances. In this 1919 address, he articulated his psychological interpretation of spiritualistic phenomena, explaining spirits and apparitions as “unconscious autonomous complexes which appear as projections, or, in other words, as ‘the exteriorized effects of unconscious complexes'”. psi-encyclopedia.spr

The quote reflects Jung’s position at that time: while he had observed telepathic effects and various parapsychic phenomena, he saw no definitive proof that these required a spiritualist explanation involving actual disembodied spirits. eternalisedofficial

Jung’s use of the terms “unconscious projections” and “exteriorisations” aligned with his developing theory of autonomous complexes, he said that these were psychological contents that can manifest with apparent independence from conscious control. This framework allowed him to interpret mediumistic phenomena, apparitions, and related experiences as psychological rather than supernatural events. occult-world

Later Qualification

Importantly, Jung added a footnote to this statement when the paper was republished in 1948, nearly thirty years later, stating: “After collecting psychological experiences from many people and many countries for fifty years, I no longer feel as certain as I did in 1919… I doubt whether an exclusively psychological approach can do justice to the phenomena in question”. This revision demonstrates that Jung’s thinking evolved toward greater openness about the possibility that some paranormal phenomena might not be fully explicable through psychology alone. carljungdepthpsychologysite

Whilst this may sound as if Jung lost hope in this line of reasoning, as someone with direct experience, I must agree that an internal dissociative thought-form, is capable of projecting overlays onto my vision, and in effect, paint a whole new external world for me to interact with. Most importantly, I have experienced physical, “pick up and inspect”, hallucinations. It intrigues me to think that it may be possible to create seemingly solid physical objects, by using one’s mind.

Let’s take a look at Jung’s thinking, as well as that of Parts Working Therapies, and combine those with our concept of the DNA-Self. Can we gain some better explanation of this phenomena?

Ghosts as Externalised Projections

Both the parts-working approach of Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Carl Jung’s theories of self-discovery through the individuation of the unconscious shadow, offer compelling perspectives on the potential for dissociated parts to manifest as externalized projections. In addition, the concept of the DNA-Self, and the Human Symbolic Interface add to this concept, by proposing the symbolic mechanisms that might allow this sensory overlaying process to take place. We will also combine Schema Theory, and propose that Jung’s Ghostly shadows of the mind, including his archetypes, all live in compartmentalised schemas, within a master schema of the unconscious mind.

We also have a sister article, that explores childhood invisible friends as a different form of externalised projection.

Let’s explore how these concepts intersect:

IFS and Dissociated Parts

Internal Family: IFS views the psyche as a system of interconnected parts, each with its own unique role and purpose.

Exiled Parts: Dissociated parts, often carrying painful emotions or experiences, are often “exiled” from conscious awareness.

Reintegration: IFS therapy aims to reintegrate these exiled parts, allowing for healing and wholeness.

Jungian Psychology and Archetypes

Archetypes: Jung believed that the human psyche is structured around universal archetypes, representing fundamental patterns of human experience.

Projection: We often project these archetypes onto others, attributing their qualities and behaviours to external figures.

Shadow Archetype: The shadow archetype/schema represents the unconscious aspects of ourselves that we reject or repress.

Dissociated Parts as Archetypal Projections

Externalization: It’s possible that dissociated parts, particularly those carrying negative or unacceptable aspects of the self, are projected onto others or onto the world around us. It is possible that this could be in the form of a personal optical input “overlay”, perhaps in the optic cortex?

Archetypal Manifestations: These projections may take on the form of archetypes, reflecting the underlying themes and dynamics of the dissociated parts.

Example: A child who has been consistently criticized and invalidated might project the “evil stepmother” archetype onto a caregiver, seeing them as a source of negativity and rejection.

The Role of the Shadow

Unconscious Self: The shadow archetype, as described by Jung, embodies the rejected or repressed aspects of the self.

Integration: The process of integrating the shadow involves acknowledging and accepting these parts, rather than projecting them onto others.

Self-Acceptance: This integration leads to a more complete and authentic sense of self, fostering self-acceptance and compassion.

It’s important to note that these concepts are complex and interconnected. The interplay between dissociation, internalized beliefs, archetypal projections, and the shadow archetype can create a dynamic and often challenging inner landscape.

Internal Family Systems Evidence

Internal Family Systems (IFS), the most prominent therapy directly applying Jung’s autonomous complex theory, has accumulated more rigorous evidence in recent years. A 2014 pilot study showed IFS had significantly positive effects on adults with PTSD and complex trauma—at one-month follow-up, 92% of participants no longer met PTSD criteria. tandfonline

Two published randomized controlled trials demonstrate IFS efficacy: tandfonline

Haddock et al. (2017) compared 16 individual IFS sessions to treatment-as-usual (CBT or IPT) for depression in female university students, showing positive results

Shadick et al. (2013) examined IFS for depression and chronic pain in women with rheumatoid arthritis, finding statistically significant improvements in pain levels, physical function, joint pain, self-compassion, and depressive symptoms sustained one year later compared to an educational control group. tandfonline

A 2020 randomized clinical trial examining IFS for PTSD and opioid use is currently underway, representing the largest funded IFS research project to date. A 2025 scoping review concluded that while limited in scope, existing evidence highlights IFS as a promising treatment, particularly for chronic pain, depression, PTSD, and developing self-compassion, with studies providing “valuable insights and a strong foundation for future research”. foundationifs

Collective paranormal experiences

Jung significantly extended his thinking beyond individual hallucinations to include collective paranormal experiences; phenomena witnessed by multiple people simultaneously. This evolution marked an important shift in his conceptualization of autonomous complexes and their potential to manifest beyond individual psyches. wikipedia

Extension to Collective Phenomena

Jung moved from explaining individual apparitions as projections of unconscious complexes to considering cases where multiple witnesses reported seeing the same paranormal phenomenon. During his research with flying saucers in the 1940s-1950s, he specifically noted instances where several people claimed to see UFOs at the same location, while others present could see nothing despite being shown exactly where to look. From this, Jung inferred “the possibility of collective visions on such and other occasions”.

This represented a significant theoretical development: rather than dismissing all paranormal experiences as purely subjective hallucinations, Jung acknowledged that some phenomena might involve archetypal constellations from the collective unconscious manifesting in ways that multiple observers could perceive. He proposed that synchronicities and certain paranormal events arise when archetypal forces within the collective unconscious activate, manifesting through meaningful coincidences or shared experiences in the external world. wikipedia

The Psychoid Concept

Jung developed the concept of the “psychoid archetype“ to explain how psychological contents might produce effects observable in physical reality. He suggested that at the deepest level, the collective unconscious transcends the boundary between psyche and matter, existing in what alchemists called the unus mundus (one world); a fundamental reality without differentiation between psychological and physical. This framework allowed him to theorize how archetypal activations could potentially produce phenomena perceivable by multiple witnesses, not merely individual projections. psi-encyclopedia.spr

Evolution of His Position

Critically, Jung’s position softened considerably over time. While his 1919 lecture confidently stated he saw “no proof whatever of the existence of real spirits,” by 1948 he added a footnote acknowledging: “After collecting psychological experiences from many people and many countries for fifty years, I no longer feel as certain as I did in 1919… I doubt whether an exclusively psychological approach can do justice to the phenomena in question”. This revision demonstrates Jung became increasingly open to the possibility that some paranormal phenomena might involve more than purely psychological processes. nightwalks

Quantum Entanglement

Jung’s concept of synchronicity describes meaningful coincidences that lack causal links, such as an inner thought aligning with an outer event, possibly bridging psyche and matter. Shared UFO sightings could fit as collective synchronicities, where groups experience acausal alignments of archetypal images (e.g., mandala-like saucers symbolizing wholeness) that are projected onto the skies amid times of cultural anxiety. neuroquantology

Quantum Entanglement as an Explanation?

Could Jung’s concept of synchronicity, in relation to shared UFO phenomena, be explained by the Theory of Quantum Entanglement? could it be a cognitive process, using universal, unique genetic signatures as resonant keys, link all identical genetic splices? Is there any evidence?

Quantum entanglement theory links particles so that measuring one, instantly affects its pair, regardless of distance, challenging locality. Some speculate it mirrors synchronicity physiologically, via entangled brain processes or quantum vacuum correlations linking minds to events. For UFOs, this might explain shared perceptions as non-local “spooky action” syncing observers’ psyches with a phenomenon, but no direct evidence ties entanglement to macroscopic UFO visuals or group psi. neuroquantology

Metacognitive Process via Genetic Signatures?

No established theory or evidence supports cognition using unique genetic signatures as “resonant keys” to entangle identical DNA splices across people for UFO synchronicity. Speculative papers link quantum effects in biology (e.g., chromosomes as entangled “Schrödinger’s cat” states) to Jungian ideas, but these remain hypothetical, lacking empirical tests for genetic resonance in perception or psi. UFO sharing might involve social contagion or archetypes, not DNA-mediated entanglement. semanticscholar

Available Evidence

Evidence is purely theoretical:

Neuroquantology articles propose entanglement models for synchronicity but offer no experiments. neuroquantology
Jung viewed UFOs as psychic projections with possible physical basis, akin to synchronicity, but urged caution without proof. jungiancenter
Quantum biology shows entanglement in microbes/photosynthesis, not human cognition or group UFO events. arxiv
No peer-reviewed studies confirm genetic-quantum links to shared phenomena; claims stay fringe. science

Response from Parapsychology

Parapsychological researchers had a mixed response to Jung’s theories. J.B. Rhine, the pioneering parapsychologist, appreciated Jung’s interest but disagreed fundamentally with the synchronicity concept. Rhine remained committed to causality and believed psi phenomena like telepathy and precognition involved actual causal mechanisms (conscious or unconscious intention producing effects), whereas Jung’s synchronicity proposed “acausal” meaningful coincidences. vicmansfield

Later parapsychologists suggested Jung and Rhine were addressing different categories of phenomena: Rhine’s repeatable laboratory effects (telepathy, precognition) may depend on volition and follow causal principles, while Jung’s synchronicities represent occasional remarkable coincidences following different patterns. Some researchers now propose these might both be valid, with parapsychological events potentially accompanying volition without being directly caused by it.psi-encyclopedia.spr

The Society for Psychical Research gave Jung a platform (his 1919 lecture), and he maintained honorary memberships in both the British SPR and American SPR throughout his career. However, his psychological reductionism initially disappointed those hoping for evidence of spirit survival, even as his later openness and concepts like synchronicity and the psychoid archetype provided theoretical frameworks that some parapsychologists found valuable for understanding collective and physical manifestations of psi phenomena. parapsychology

Jung and UFOs

Jung wrote extensively about UFOs and extra-terrestrials, particularly in his 1958 book Flying Saucers: A Modern Myth of Things Seen in the Skies. His perspective was complex and evolved over more than a decade of investigation, ultimately entertaining multiple hypotheses about their nature. jungiancenter

Jung’s Primary Interpretation

Jung initially approached UFOs as psychological projections from the collective unconscious—symbols of wholeness (mandalas) emerging during a time of tremendous collective anxiety following World War II and the dawn of nuclear threat. He saw the round, disc-shaped UFOs as perfect carriers for unconscious projections representing humanity’s desire for salvation, deliverance, or wholeness during dark times. He called UFOs “technological angels”; the modern, rationalist equivalent of heavenly messengers, reinterpreted for a scientific age. eternalisedofficial

Jung noted that UFO sightings increased dramatically after 1945, which he interpreted as humanity’s psyche responding to unprecedented existential threats by producing visions of potential saviours or “superior beings” who might intervene. He stated we have “the golden opportunity of seeing how a legend is formed” and how “in a difficult and dark time for humanity a miraculous tale grows up of an attempted intervention by superior or ‘heavenly’ beings”. jungpage

Acknowledgment of Physical Reality

However, Jung was deeply troubled by the physical evidence and could not dismiss UFOs as purely psychological phenomena. He wrote: “It remains an established fact, supported by numerous observations, that UFOs have not only been seen visually but have also been picked up on the radar screen and have left traces on the photographic plate”. He admitted that because of photos, radar reports, and other physical evidence, UFOs “could not be ‘disposed of’ simply as psychological artifacts”. openculture

After over ten years of research, Jung confessed: “I am utterly unable to explain the UFOs’ physical nature. I am not even sure that it is a matter of machines; they could be anything, even animals, but I would not dare to contradict statements as to their physical reality”. His conclusion was humble: “something is seen, but one doesn’t know what”. jungiancenter

Extra-terrestrial Hypothesis

Jung seriously entertained the possibility that UFOs might be extra-terrestrial craft. In his written exchanges with journalist Georg Gerster, he explicitly considered “some of the possible implications if UFOs turned out to be of extra-terrestrial origin”. He even recommended people read Donald Keyhoe’s books on the topic, which argued for the extra-terrestrial hypothesis. openculture

Synchronicity Framework

Jung’s third hypothesis proposed that UFOs represented synchronicity; phenomena that were simultaneously psychically and physically real. The outer reality would be an actual physical UFO, while the inner reality would be unconscious archetypal content seeking wholeness, both coinciding in a meaningful, acausal way. This would make UFOs examples of the “psychoid” realm where psyche and matter converge. eternalisedofficial

Jung suggested that matter might have a “psychic” faculty and psyche a “materiality,” allowing each to work on the other, meaning UFOs could potentially be physical devices that also function to affect human consciousness. This echoed later researchers like Jacques Vallée, who proposed UFOs might be “physical devices used to affect human consciousness” through systematic manipulation of witnesses. eternalisedofficial

Application to ETI Communication

Recent scholarly work has explored applying Jung’s paradigms (collective unconscious, archetypes, synchronicity, psychological types) as frameworks for potential communication with extra-terrestrial intelligences, suggesting his theories might offer valuable models for understanding how contact with non-human intelligence could occur or be interpreted. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

Jung’s Synchronicity and Self-Transcendence Theories

Jung’s synchronicity posits acausal, meaningful connections between psyche and world, suggesting an underlying unity beyond causality, akin to a “psychoid” realm where mind and matter interpenetrate. Self-transcendence theories, like Maslow’s peak experiences or Wilber’s integral stages, describe ego-dissolution into a holistic “everything is connected” oneness, often invoking non-dual awareness. Both converge on interconnectedness: Jung’s via archetypal alignments, transcendence via unity consciousness. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

Parallels with “Everything is Connected” and Entanglement

Self-transcendence views (e.g., Eastern non-dualism, quantum-inspired spirituality) echo Jung’s unus mundus – a single reality where separateness dissolves. Quantum entanglement provides a physical analogy: non-local correlations mirroring acausal links, as Pauli-Jung conjectured. Theories like quantum holography or relational quantum dynamics (RQD) propose consciousness emerges from entangled substrates, aligning transcendence’s oneness with synchronicity’s psychophysical unity. Buddhism’s eighth consciousness or collective unconscious as holographic fields further bridges them. arxiv

Conceptual Marriages and Evidence

Shared framework: Jung-Pauli saw entanglement as modelling mind-matter synchronicity; transcendence theories extend this to cosmic unity, e.g., synchronized chaos yielding “meaningful” alignments. arxiv

Evidence gaps: Speculative papers link via quantum biology or vacuum correlations, but lack empirical tests. Jungian UFOs or archetypes fit as collective transcendence projections. No rigorous data confirms; remains philosophical. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih

Jung’s ideas enrich transcendence by grounding oneness in observable coincidences, while entanglement offers a scientific metaphor – unproven but resonant. nautil

Human Multiplicity Theories

Human multiplicity theories posit the self as a dynamic ensemble of sub-personalities, parts, or voices rather than a singular entity. Key frameworks include Internal Family Systems (IFS), where “parts” (e.g., exiles, managers, firefighters) interact under a core Self; dialogical self theory, envisioning multiple “I-positions” in inner dialogue; and Jung’s own complexes/archetypes as semi-autonomous psychic fragments seeking integration.

Parallels with Jung’s Synchronicity

Jung viewed the psyche as multiplicity: ego, personal unconscious complexes, and collective archetypes forming a polycentric self, unified via individuation toward the Self archetype. Synchronicity emerges from this multiplicity as acausal alignments between inner archetypes (e.g., a dream image) and outer events, reflecting psychoid unity where fragmented parts synchronize with the unus mundus. Multiplicity theories echo this: IFS parts “resonate” externally via relational fields; dialogical selves generate synchronistic “meaningful coincidences” through polyphonic inner-outer dialogues.

Ghosts as Externalised Projections

Published by Barra on 1 December 2025