Communicating with the inner mind
Pendulum, Automatic Writing, Finger movement,
As some of the examples above make clear there are excellent reasons for wanting to better understand the workings of the inner mind. Now we will discuss a few approaches to doing just that.
Psychoanalysis makes use of free association and interpretation of dreams to access repressed experiences too painful to be readily available to the ego or conscious portion of the mind. Neither of these
techniques is natural for all; many patients resist their therapist, keeping embarrassing details secret until a level of trust has been built. Even then learning to open one’s mind to free association often takes time and practice. Dream interpretation is highly subjective, especially when interpreting complex and subtle symbols requiring a highly trained therapist to sift through those details that matter and those that don’t. In either case, the process is usually long and costly. Although conclusive data is difficult to come by regarding the success rate for psychoanalysis, studies suggest that approximately 25% of those who enter psychoanalysis reach their goals by the end of the treatment.
