ABSTRACT
The core myths that have informed psychoanalysis since its inception are the Oedipal and Narcissus myths. In this chapter, I discuss the clinical implications of two different types of myths, which I describe as “spontaneously arising, alternative, intuitive models.” I describe them as “spontaneously arising” because they emerge freely, without thought, during the course of therapy. They have not been preconceived or imposed upon the treatment. Additionally, I describe them as “alternative” because they do not necessarily fall within the range of standard models such as the Oedipus myth or the myth of Narcissus. In fact, while highly useful from the psychoanalytic perspective, these latter models can often saturate an individual’s psychic space and interfere with the spontaneous emergence of fresh, alternative ways of understanding how different people organize their unique inner psychic experiences. Finally, I describe them as “intuitive” because they typically emerge freely through the operation of what Zen practitioners refer to as prajna, which I described in Chapter 4, rather than through pre-learned cognitive processes or through discursive thinking.
