A real conductor would have long since resigned in front of such an orchestra: the strings moan about the first violin. The bold wind players find the delicately strung harp just cheeky. The drummer seethes with anger because he would like to bang his drum much more often. It’s probably the same in all of us. The conductor? This is our conscious self. The band of musicians? That is – quitting service is pointless – our unconscious self.
Conflicting needs, swallowed feelings, pangs of conscience, the weaker self, fears, childhood memories – we wrestle with them every day. Sometimes we surpass ourselves. To stay with the metaphor: we suddenly feel the wonderful power of a symphony orchestra. Speak with unaccustomed clarity. Are with us. Stop thinking about what we do and follow our intuition. How so? Because in these moments the conductor has an ally: ego creativity .
This subconscious source of power helps us to stand by our strengths , to trust them fully and to accept our weaknesses. Unfortunately, this condition tends to be rare. Many people experience self-creativity as energy that just doesn’t seem available when we need it most.
“But anyone who has ever felt ego creativity knows that it exists,” says US psychologist Phil Stutz. “It allows us to achieve things that we would otherwise consider impossible.” However, he also admits that it is fleeting. “Most of the time we only get access to it in emergency situations” – when our ego is cornered. So should we be happy that that doesn’t happen too often in life, Mister Stutz? So is it risky to awaken ego creativity ?
“The risk you take only has a positive feedback effect in your subconscious,” Stutz encourages us. “It unleashes new ideas and encourages you to work on them. The bolder you are, the more ideas will come up.” The I-creativity begins to bubble. So no danger. Nobody knows better than Phil Stutz that this effect is a completely new way to the ego. He and his colleague Barry Michels have more than 60 years of therapeutic experience with ego creativity.
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creativity brakes
Eliminate opponents of I Creativity
Their practices are in Hollywood, and yes, they treat celebrities, too. But when the two therapists talk, it quickly becomes clear: Our psyche knows no “celebrity bonus”. It develops the same problems in Hollywood as in Hamburg, Hanover or Hamelin.
In order to solve them, Phil Stutz and Barry Michels have developed five tools over the past few years (“The Tools”, Arkana, 288 pages, 17.99 euros). Nothing fancy for stars, but practical and real-life exercises that can help each of us to eliminate all adversaries of ego-creativity.
At first glance, the “tools” seem a bit esoteric. With good reason: They should be anchored in the subconscious. And that speaks its own language, keyword: dreams. The greatest stumbling block to ego creativity is a being that US psychologists call “shadows.” An idea that originally came from Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961), the founder of analytical psychology . He wrote, “The shadow is everything you are, but don’t want to be.” Sounds menacing. “In fact, he’s sort of a conduit to the subconscious,” Barry Michels clarifies. “The shadow is the source of our creativity and dexterity.” Tool one helps us ally with them.
Beware of the creativity brake
Rather childish parts of our personality are also on the creativity brake. “We call it ‘Voice X’,” says Stutz. “She’s always banging on the table because nothing’s good enough for her. She thinks she is the queen of the universe. But that keeps telling him: Sorry, little one, you’re not. And she yells back: I am!’
Anger, arrogance, constantly playing the victim role, irritability, hypersensitivity, resistance – these are the main characteristics of this ‘inner three cheese high’ . Tool three and four tame him, create clarity and healthy self-confidence. Opponent number three is the “path of least resistance”. Procrastination, avoiding conflicts, not being able to say no, neglecting your own needs – all of this is part of it.
“It’s that slight pain we all feel when we’re e.g. For example, sitting at the computer doing the tax return and suddenly having to surf the Internet is a must,” explains Barry Michels. “For others, attention jumps around like a flea. It hurts her to concentrate on just one thing.” He had to forbid quite a few clients to put their children to bed with the mobile organizer in their hands. And he practiced tool two with them.
Last but not least: a lack of stamina and a tendency to get comfortable with oneself – brakeman number four. The tool developers were also inspired by CG Jung to overturn it. “There seems to be a lack of external authority that drives us,” says Michels. “But I tell clients that she exists but isn’t human. It is time itself that is inexorably ticking away. When we procrastinate, we defy that authority figure.”
Tool five helps to become aware of “Forefather Chronos” and accept his supremacy. “Put simply, the tool makes us work our butts off,” says Michels, with a laugh. Stutz and he know that their tools tend to make many colleagues shake their heads. “Yes, they are very different from the psychological mainstream,” admits Barry Michels. “But we really like being a bit of a loner.” Anyone who heals is right. And nowhere is the pressure to be and remain “me-creative” stronger than in Hollywood. The tools have already proven themselves there. Then it will really work for you! Try it.
This is how you awaken your creativity
Tool 1 – Use the informant
The goal: The Swiss psychologist CG Jung summarized parts of our personality that we tend to reject as “shadows”. But he is not a threat, but a useful partner with “good contacts” in the subconscious. This tool invites him.
The tool: Think of your shadow as a person. Do you have to e.g. B. speak in front of an audience, he accompanies you there. Beforehand, say to him in your mind, “I’ll take care of you no matter how this turns out.” Then, with all eyes on you, imagine the shadow and you chanting together, “Listen!” This strengthens yours (united) authority. After the lecture—however you think it went—reach out to your shadow again. Thank him for the time he was with you.
Tool 2 – Pure instead of bypassing
The goal: unpleasant things like the tax return drive attention away or make us try everything to avoid the situation. This should stop.
The tool: From now on it’s time to bring it on! In your mind, you address this silent exclamation to a cloud of pain. It always hurts a little to go through something unpleasant. Imagine yourself punching through the cloud. In the end, she literally “spits” you out. Then say to yourself, “The pain frees me.” It no longer holds you back, but becomes a positive force that helps you move forward. Criticism can also become a cloud of pain and thus an incentive to do better.
Tool 3 – Overcoming Anger
The goal: events and people that annoy us primarily enrage the childish parts of our personality. The two-year-old in us wants to be recognized and loved. Their hypersensitivity blocks our subconscious ego creativity.
The Tool: Is Anger Boiling Inside You? Then consciously only think of people you like. This love spreads through you like a warm light. Breathe it out slowly. Think about the person who annoys you. Imagine him breathing in the light – and sending it back to you at the end. You can accept the injustice and leave the anger behind, react more confidently and calmly.
Tool 4 – Don’t lose what’s good
The goal: Our “inner child” is not only very angry quickly (see Tool 3). It also often feels like a victim, small and weak. (“Why should the boss listen to me of all people?”) Negative thoughts slow down ego creativity.
The tool: When a plan works, when we achieve a goal, or when our effort is rewarded, we feel great and are grateful. We feel what Stutz and Michels call “the source”. Tap ’em! Mention at least five things for which you are grateful. Thank you also to everyone who has contributed to this. This drives away negative thoughts and lifts us up inwardly. Tool 4 helps not to lose sight of the positive things in life – what sometimes happens to the “inner child”.
Tool 5 – Be able to persevere
The goal: either we postpone it. (“Tomorrow is another day.”) Or we prematurely throw in the towel. (“Now I’ve been doing this for 14 days – and nothing happens.”) Both are defiant reactions to an authority that we cannot disregard: (life) time. She deserves respect, Stutz and Michels warn.
The tool: In order to start something and persevere, we simply need willpower. Imagine meeting your own aged self. You see it sit up in a bed and yell at you, “Don’t waste my life!” This inner image immediately creates a feeling of not doing what you want – and creates the necessary pressure. The I-creativity stays alert. “The feeling that your own future is at stake at every moment is the strongest motivator,” says Phil Stutz.
