What ChatGPT gets right about Liminosophy - Part 3: C.G. Jung

Within this series of articles I have a dialogue with ChatGPT on liminosophy and was surprised by the amount of additional information I received. This time I asked about the work of C.G. Jung.

Jung has been extremely helpful for me to develop liminosophy in a number of ways, although my approach differs from that of a typical "Jungian". First of all my aim would not be therapy but an enhanced experience of meaning. Then there are aspects of the work of Jung which I have not adapted or with which I would disagree with, concepts like "the shadow" or "projection".

There are things which liminsophy also does different. Symbolic thinking for example. While Jung placed great emphasis on the experience of the symbol, especially when it comes to archetypical symbols and also mandalas, liminosophy looks more at the symbolic functioning of the mind and what this implies for meaning making. This is called "symbolic thinking".

Where Jung engaged in something he called "active imagination", liminisposhy uses "metaphorical thinking". This can be done in groups and ties the imagery to a specific topic or theme. For example: "If we as a group would be a family, what would that family look like"? The family which emerges is metaphorical for the group members, and express their characters, relationships to each other.

Lets see what ChatGPT had to say:

Aha! What is very interesting here is the idea of a "collective unconscious". With liminosophy this collective unconscious becomes visible as a "web of interrelated meaning", which is constantly present but not always fully conscious.

Here I sense that ChatGPT is not really well versed on liminosophy. Archetypal images do not play such an enormous role within the liminal experience. Yes they are present, but what is more important is their meaning in relationship to a certain question or perspective. The question also if symbols are "encountered" or if symbols are the totality of the liminal experience.

This sounds now a lot like we have certain "liminal scripts" such as the mother-child relationship, which appear again and again. I cannot really subscribe to that. The liminal experience is highly individualised and very rarely follows a certain pattern, although certain processes like death and rebirth and crisis can be experienced, if this experienced is evoked willingly.

This is rather amazing. Yes the liminal space affords wholeness and integration of opposites to the experiencer. And also - if this is desired - a transcendence of the self.

The summary is a bit "rough". Liminosophy recognises more the importance of "symbolic thinking", rather than a knowledge on symbols and archetypes. I am consoled though on the recognition that transformation and personal growth is at the heart of the matter.