James Hillman was an American psychologist, Jungian analyst, writer, teacher and cultural critic whose work challenged many of the assumptions underlying twentieth-century psychology. He is principally associated with archetypal psychology, a post-Jungian approach that places imagination, metaphor, mythology and what Hillman called “soul” at the centre of psychological inquiry.
This article describes a state of peak growth, or learning, which can be attained as part of an individual’s self-transcendent journey.
Many people’s anxiety, expresses genuine concerns, but if those are caused by society, and society denies that need to change, then that individual will be blamed, for wanting change, and not accepting the norm.
Defence strategies are often a form of maladaptive coping response, aimed at pushing a childhood self-blame onto others.
Collective fear often shapes what a society is willing to see, name, and change, and that fear can quietly produce toxic “normal” ways of living.
Traumatic flashbacks are moments when a past experience feels as if it is happening again right now, even though you are actually safe.
Safety needs are about feeling reasonably protected from harm and having some stability in life so the mind is not constantly on high alert.
What makes people fearful is not just their amygdala and past trauma; it is also living in environments – families, communities, media ecosystems, that repeatedly tell them “you are not safe, you are not enough, and danger is everywhere.”
Toxicity is a useful shorthand for “harm that keeps getting into the system and making it worse over time.” In psychology and everyday life, it usually means patterns (in thoughts, relationships, or cultures) that regularly damage well‑being instead of supporting it.
Trauma is what happens when an experience is so overwhelming that your usual ways of coping can’t keep up.
