Читать книгу Temporal Psychology and Psychotherapy. The Human Being in Time and Beyond - - Страница 19

Summary

The past is not a frozen layer; it lives within us as an active force. It manifests in subpersonalities, images, bodily reactions, cultural scripts and even in epigenetic predispositions. The memory of the unconscious is not only recollections but also recurring dreams, archetypes, bodily symptoms, family plots and cultural «fonts» that continue to rewrite the present. In psychotherapy, work with the past makes it possible to translate hidden influences into language and dialogue, and thus to change the present and open the future.

Key Concepts

– Primary past – that which is actively alive in the soul, influencing feelings, actions and meanings.

– Memory of the unconscious – manifestations of the past in dreams, images, bodily reactions and cultural scripts.

– Subpersonality – a part of the personality that carries the imprint of a particular temporal layer or role.

– Font of time – a system of symbols (personal, cultural, archetypal) through which a person perceives and expresses the past.

– Ancestral memory – epigenetic and cultural traces of the ancestors’ experience that influence their descendants.

Aims

– To show that the past is not only history but an active psychic reality.

– To examine the main mechanisms by which the past influences the present.

– To formulate methodological approaches for working with the memory of the unconscious.

– To provide clinical examples («cases») and demonstrate techniques for their therapeutic processing.

– To outline ethical boundaries and limitations in working with themes of the past and the family line.

Main Text

We begin with an axiom tested by practice and patient attention: the past does not necessarily remain «in the past». The past that is actively present in the soul – what we have called the primary past in this book – lives within us as an active force and rewrites the present on a daily basis. To become aware of this is to gain the possibility of entering into dialogue with it; to remain unaware is to allow the past to continue conducting our feelings, actions, meanings, perspectives and fate.

1. The Past as a Living Architecture of the Psyche

The past is not a warehouse of forgotten dates and facts; it is a multilayered structure: archives of memory, rhythms, portraits and ornaments that interact both with one another and with the living present. We imagine it as a «world of the past» – an ocean with currents and bays, in which some images are submerged deep, while others surface as dreams, bodily reactions or sudden feelings. These surfacings are what we call the memory of the unconscious.

2. Main Mechanisms of the Past’s Influence

Clinical work shows several reliable pathways by which the past takes hold of the present. For the therapist it is important to see them and know how to work with them.

Subpersonalities.

Inner «parts» – the child, the guardian, the aggressor, the ideal – often bear the imprint of specific temporal layers. A subpersonality may be the «carrier» of a biographical episode, a role prescription or a family script. Dialogue with a subpersonality is not a mere hypothesis but a working method: by giving each part a voice, we translate the uncontrollable into the conscious.

Imaginal memory (dreams, portraits, cultural images).

Recurring dreams, faces in portraits, «ideal images» from culture (idols, heroes) – all these form the «fonts» of meaning by which a person describes time and self-in-time. These images are bridges between individual experience and collective memory.

Bodily memory.

Rigidity, automatic reactions, somatic triggers – the body «remembers» differently from consciousness. Interventions that ignore the body leave the past functioning «in the body», i.e., they preserve symptoms.

Cultural and familial stereotypes and rituals.

Family scripts, religious rituals, social myths – they form the very «fonts» by which the personality writes its own story. The denser the familial or cultural field, the greater the risk that a person will replicate someone else’s meanings and present them as their own.

Epigenetic «ancestral memory.»

Contemporary research shows that severe stress events in ancestors can leave marks in the gene expression of descendants. This is not «fate» but a predisposition – a biological fabric upon which psychological and cultural scripts are laid. Clinically this may manifest as heightened reactivity, a tendency toward anxiety or reduced stress tolerance that easily «hooks onto» family subpersonality patterns. Mentioning epigenetics gives us another bridge – from biology to narrative – and requires careful, non-reductionist interpretation.

3. The Classics and Their Contribution: From Personal Unconscious to Collective Memory and Bodily Trauma

Work with the past in psychotherapy cannot rely on a single theoretical tradition. Each approach contributes its own layer of understanding – from the unconscious to collective structures, from cognitive processes to bodily memory.

Personal unconscious and trauma.

Freud showed that repressed childhood events return in dream symbols and neurotic symptoms (Freud, 1900). His discovery made the past a key field of analysis. Janet studied dissociation and demonstrated that fragments of memory can exist autonomously in the psyche, forming hysterical symptoms (Janet, 1907). Bowlby complemented this line with attachment theory, revealing how early relationships with parents shape stable models of experiencing self and others (Bowlby, 1969). Taken together, these approaches allow us to see the past not only as an archive of events but as a living force shaping personality structure.

Collective and cultural.

Jung broadened the horizon by introducing the concept of archetypes and the collective unconscious, where individual experiences are interwoven with universal myths and symbolic «fonts» (Jung, 1959). Halbwachs demonstrated that memory is always social and organised by cultural frameworks (Halbwachs, 1950). Ricoeur added a philosophical stratum: the past is never given directly; it always passes through interpretation, memory and forgetting (Ricoeur, 2000). In therapy this means that work with the past must take into account not only personal recollections but also the language of culture in which they are shaped.

Cognitive science of memory.

Tulving divided memory into episodic and semantic, which allowed a more precise grasp of the difference between «lived experience» and its narrative (Tulving, 1983). Schacter showed the reconstructive character of memory and described the «seven sins of memory» – distortions that a therapist must take into account (Schacter, 1996). Loftus demonstrated the existence of false memories, highlighting the ethical risks of uncritical suggestion (Loftus, 1993). These findings make work with the past more cautious: the therapist must differentiate a living recollection from a construct that may be created in the course of therapy.

Body and trauma.

Contemporary psychotherapy increasingly turns to bodily memory. Van der Kolk demonstrated that trauma is stored not only in words but also in bodily reactions (van der Kolk, 2014). Yehuda studied the epigenetics of stress and the intergenerational transmission of traumatic experience (Yehuda & Lehrner, 2018). These data remind us that the past may be inscribed in the body and even in biological inheritance, which requires specific methods from the therapist – work with breathing, movement and somatic awareness.

Integration of subpersonalities.

Assagioli proposed psychosynthesis as a practical technology of dialogue with parts of the personality (Assagioli, 1965). His approach helps integrate fragmented subpersonalities and rework traumatic experience. For temporal psychotherapy this is particularly important: parts of the «I» stuck in the past can be brought back into dialogue and included in the person’s wholeness.

Bringing the traditions together.

In our practice we combine these lines:

– we recognise personal trauma and mechanisms of dissociation (Freud, Janet, Bowlby),

– we take into account the collective background and cultural codes of memory (Jung, Halbwachs, Ricoeur),

– we rely on cognitive science to understand the reconstructive nature of memory (Tulving, Schacter, Loftus),

– we include work with the body and intergenerational transmission (van der Kolk, Yehuda),

– we use psychosynthesis techniques to integrate subpersonalities (Assagioli).

Such a multilayered approach allows the therapist to see the client’s past not as a «static archive» but as a living, multidimensional field where personal recollections, cultural myths, bodily traces and family history intersect.

4. Illustrations – Case Vignettes from the Author’s Book The Primary Past

Below are several examples from the author’s book The Primary Past, each with a brief plot and clinical annotation: what the case shows and how to work with it.

Case A. A Dream about Alexander Abdulov – a Cultural Ideal Within the Personality

Plot. In a dream the image of the actor Abdulov appears: he passes a «control check,» receives forgiveness and acts as an on-screen hero who permits or evaluates the behaviour of entrenched characters.

What this illustrates. A cultural image (a generational ideal) becomes an «embedded voice» that dictates standards and restrictions. For the client, this image may play the role of an internal critic or ideal to which they strive, losing their own face.

Clinical annotation. Work through: (1) exploring the «font» – what values and criteria the image brings; (2) mask-therapy/portrait work – materialising the image, discussing its demands; (3) dialogue with the «idol» subpersonality, separating «what is mine» from «what is adopted». Recommendation: carefully dose interventions – transference may intensify, so stabilisation prior to deep work is essential.

Case B. Dialogue with «Lenin» – a Historical Font Implanted in the Soul

Plot. In a dream/dialogue the author converses with the image of Lenin about culture, power and the fate of society. This image functions not as a historical fact but as an active moraliser and censor in his psyche.

What this illustrates. Political and ideological artefacts become subpersonalities: they judge, prohibit, prescribe. For many clients such «leader-figures» inside are sources of behavioural style and meaning.

Clinical annotation. Approaches: (1) systemic mapping – identifying the political-historical «fonts» that influence the request; (2) broadening context – bringing in family history and public rituals; (3) careful desacralisation – translating the «leader» into a part one can negotiate with. Ethical note: such interventions may provoke conflict with relatives/environment – prepare a safety plan.

Case C. «The Big Letter to a Woman» – Family Plots and Role Multiplicity

Plot. A series of sketches – the Cossack Woman, the Princess, the Concubine, the Muse – shows how these roles are «worn» by a modern woman, dictating feelings and scripts. The author observes that the image of an ancestor or role prototype can «invert» a family knot.

What this illustrates. Family scripts and archetypal roles are easily transplanted into modern life, creating identity conflicts.

Clinical annotation. Methods: (1) mapping family archetypes (who in the family is the «Cossack Woman,» the «Muse,» etc.); (2) the boundary of «mine/not mine» – exercises that return authorship of choice; (3) if needed – a family or systemic session to rework the script. Important: not to destroy the memory of the family line, but to restructure its meaning.

Case D. Experiment with a Portrait (the Leonardo da Vinci Effect) – Portrait as a Key to Access

Plot. Prolonged concentration on Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait led to a series of dreams and images that gave the author a felt sense of «temporality» and of the artist’s personality; the author calls this the «effect»: the portrait became an access code to temporal dimensions.

What this illustrates. A portrait or art object can function as a tool for activating deep memory; in mask-therapy a client’s portrait often evokes material from their past.

Clinical annotation. Recommendations: (1) use portraits as «triggers» within a safe frame; (2) document the material that arises (dreams, associations); (3) integrate via artistic actions and rituals of completion; (4) consider the risk of over-activation – stabilising techniques are mandatory.

5. Methods of Access and Working Protocols

We distinguish several methodological lines that are flexible and can be combined depending on the situation:

– Dream work. Systematic recording, search for ornaments, translation of symbols into narrative.

– Dialogue with subpersonalities. A structured approach: identification → encounter → agreements → integration.

– Mask-therapy and portrait work. Materialising the image as a field for negotiation and reconstruction of meaning.

– Regression and hypnotic techniques. Effective but require strict criteria of readiness, stabilisation and monitoring.

– Creative reconstruction and rituals. Safe symbolic actions to reframe knots of the past.

A brief working protocol (practice-oriented algorithm):

– Screening of readiness (sleep, risk, stability).

– Stabilisation (anchors, breathing, journaling).

– Mapping/portrait in time (a visual map: nodes, fonts, ornaments).

– Accessing material (method selection).

– Integration (art, ritual, behavioural change).

6. Ethics, Limitations and Notes on Epigenetics

Work with the past is at once an opportunity and a risk. It requires: informed consent, transparent goals, monitoring, and a plan in case of destabilisation. When we touch family themes and mention epigenetics, it is important to explain to the patient: this is not a sentence but a factor of heightened sensitivity that can be taken into account in planning therapy. When family themes are involved, systemic work is sometimes necessary – one cannot act in a vacuum.

Conclusion. The Past as a Tool for Changing Time

We have drawn a line from the classic concepts of Freud and Jung to contemporary practical techniques of mask-therapy and dialogue with parts. But the main conclusion is simple and practical: by working with the past, we change the present – and thereby open a different future. The past ceases to be a dark prison cell once we translate it into language: temporal handwriting, fonts and ornaments become intelligible, the map of time becomes readable, and the portrait of the personality in time becomes a tool for navigation. With this vocabulary and craft we move on to the practice of temporal psychotherapy.

References

Assagioli, R. Psychosynthesis: A Manual of Principles and Techniques. Hobbs, Dorman & Co., 1965.

A practical source on working with subpersonalities and inner dialogue. The psychosynthesis method provides tools for structuring encounters with «parts» of the personality and for translating image-captured subpersonalities into negotiable, integrative processes.

Bowlby, J. Attachment and Loss. Vol. 1: Attachment. London: Hogarth Press, 1969.

A foundational work on how early relationships shape internal working models. It is useful for explaining why past emotional bonds continue to «live» in the present and how attachment styles create specific temporal templates.

Freud, S. Die Traumdeutung. Leipzig; Vienna: Franz Deuticke, 1900.

The source work on dream analysis and its relation to unconscious processes. It provides a methodology for interpreting dream-ornaments of the past and for reading the symbolism of inner experience.

Grof, S. Beyond the Brain: Birth, Death, and Transcendence in Psychotherapy. 1985.

A classic of research on altered states of consciousness and transpersonal experience. Valuable both as a description of the phenomenology of «out-of-body» experiences and as a source of methodological cautions and support protocols.

Halbwachs, M. La mémoire collective. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1950.

A sociological theory of collective memory and its mechanisms. Key to understanding how historical images «outlive» their carriers and become available to subsequent generations as cultural subpersonalities.

Janet, P. The Major Symptoms of Hysteria. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1907.

An early clinical work on fragmentation of the psyche and psychological automatisms. It offers a historical and conceptual basis for understanding dissociative phenomena and «fragments» of the past that function autonomously.

Jung, C. G. The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Princeton: Princeton University Press (Collected Works, Vol. 9), 1959.

The classic source on archetypes and collective images. It explains the phenomenon of «doubles of historical figures» as cultural and mythological fonts that gain personal actuality in therapy and art.

Kluft, R. P. Selected Papers on Dissociation. Collected volume.

Contains clinical observations and analyses of the etiology of dissociation, including the distinction between spontaneous and iatrogenic forms. Indispensable for differential diagnosis of phenomena of «the past as subpersonality» and for assessing the risk of therapeutic suggestion.

Kravchenko, S. A. The Primary Past: Psychology of the Dimensions of Time. Izdatel’skie Resheniya, 2018.

A monograph focused on the phenomenon of the «primary past» – that layer of experience which remains active in the present and shapes behavioural and emotional scripts. The book integrates clinical observations, case studies, methods (dialogue with parts, mask-therapy, dream analysis, work with ASCs) and ethical principles. It serves as an applied complement to the theoretical foundations set out in the first part of the present book.

Loftus, E. F. «The Reality of Repressed Memories.» American Psychologist, 48 (5), 518—537, 1993.

A critical study of the phenomenon of false memories and therapeutic suggestion. Essential for discussing methodological caution and ethics in working with recollections and «emergent» past material.

Putnam, F. W. Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder. New York: Guilford Press, 1989.

A classic practical text on the diagnosis and therapy of multiple personality disorder (DID). Useful as a guide to structuring therapy in pronounced dissociative conditions and for comparative analysis with historical subpersonalities.

Ricoeur, P. La mémoire, l’histoire, l’oubli. Paris: Seuil, 2000.

A philosophical analysis of memory and history, rich in hermeneutic tools. It helps to reflect on the ethical and meaning-related consequences of working with the past, linking individual, cultural and historical memory.

Schacter, D. L. Searching for Memory: The Brain, the Mind, and the Past. New York: Basic Books, 1996.

A study of the reconstructive nature of memory and its neurobiological underpinnings. Useful for explaining memory distortions, limitations of episodic reconstruction and therapeutic work with «memories that create meaning.»

Tulving, E. Elements of Episodic Memory. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1983.

Theoretical foundation for distinguishing episodic and semantic memory. Necessary for differentiating «lived» past from socio-semantic fonts that form historical subpersonalities.

van der Kolk, B. The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. New York: Viking, 2014.

A contemporary synthesis of practices and research on somatic memory of trauma. Essential when working with intense transpersonal experiences and «residual» states after deep ASCs; contains stabilisation techniques and bodily integration methods.

Yehuda, R., & Lehrner, A. «Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma Effects: Putative Role of Epigenetic Mechanisms.» World Psychiatry, 17 (3), 243—257, 2018.

A contemporary review of data on intergenerational transmission of trauma and the possible role of epigenetics. Provides a cautious scientific basis for clinical hypotheses about «ancestral memory»; emphasises the need for careful interpretation and further research.