What Depth Psychologists Mean by Interiority
Summary: This article explains interiority as a living relationship between the ego and Being, not self-reflection or technique. When that relationship collapses, the psyche replaces depth with simulation through the Anti-Self. The piece argues that true therapy, healing, and humanity require a grounded relationship to Being, not optimization or narrative control.
There is a foundational misunderstanding at the heart of contemporary depth psychology, and until I name it clearly, nothing else I write will make sense.
When I speak about interiority, I am not talking about introspection, self-reflection, journaling, emotional awareness, parts work, or psychological processing, all of which can occur in a psyche that is utterly hollow.
What I am talking about is something more fundamental:
Interiority in psychology is the living, ongoing, autonomous relationship between the ego and a deeper ground of Being, what Jung called the Self Archetype, and it is this relationship that distinguishes a human psyche that is alive from one that is merely functional.
There Is Something Deeper Than Ego
Every mature psychological, spiritual, and wisdom tradition has recognized that human consciousness is not self-generated, but is oriented toward a deeper reality, call it God, Self, Being, Tao, Buddha-nature, the Ground, the Beloved, before which the ego is not sovereign.
The ego psychologydoes not create itself.
At its healthiest, the ego is a relational structure that remains accountable to truth, permeable to meaning, capable of humility, able to love, and grounded in something greater than itself.
That relationship, ego to Being, is what creates depth, and it is what allows a human being to experience genuine feeling, conscience, symbolic imagination, interior life, and the capacity for transformation.
This relationship is interiority.
When That Relationship Breaks, Simulation Replaces Soul
When the human psyche cannot bear Being, because trauma overwhelms it, or culture denies it, or a psychological model refuses to acknowledge it, something else develops in its place.
What develops is a closed system: a self-referential organizing center that is omnipotent, managing, performative, brilliantly functional, psychologically sophisticated, and yet fundamentally hollow.
Instead of a living interior world, we get:
Image instead of identity
Performance instead of presence
Emotional management instead of feeling
Technique instead of transformation
Narrative editing instead of truth
Simulation instead of soul
This is what I am calling the Anti-Self structure. It is not ego gone wrong; it is ego without ground, a mirror suspended over a great void where a living alchemical vessel should be.
Why This Matters for Therapy
If this is true, and clinically, spiritually, and existentially, it is, then a hard line has to be drawn:
A psychology that does not recognize something greater than the ego cannot restore interiority; it can only refine the simulation.
It can regulate anxiety, reduce symptoms, stabilize functioning, help people narrate their lives more coherently, and increase coping capacity, all of which are good, necessary, and sometimes life-saving.
But it cannot address the real disorder of our time: exile from Being (Self archetype).
And that is why so many modern psychologies feel precise but lifeless, clever but shallow, technologically powerful but spiritually vacant, not because clinicians lack compassion, but because the model itself denies depth.
If there is no relationship to Being, there is no interiority; and without interiority, there is no soul, and without soul, no true healing.
This Is Why My Work Sounds Different
Everything I write, about narcissism, trauma, culture, internal family systems therapy, postmodern therapy, AI, spirituality, collective collapse, comes from this foundational reality:
Human beings need a living interior relationship with Being to be psychologically whole.
Without this, love collapses into attachment strategies, morality into preferences, spirituality into branding, therapy into management, culture into performance, and identity into image.
You can optimize a human without ever making them real, which is why optimization is not my concern.
I am interested in soul.
What I Am Defending
I am defending the possibility of real interior life: the ability to be touched, to suffer meaningfully, to love deeply, to feel remorse, to encounter truth, to change, to live from something deeper than self-image and performance.
This is not nostalgia, mysticism, or metaphysical indulgence; it is the prerequisite for being human.
Where We Go From Here
Everything else I am writing, about narcissism as alienation from Being, about the Anti-Self structure, about why some therapies deepen the soul while others hollow it out, about why AI concerns me not morally but ontologically, flows from this ground.
If you understand this, you understand my work; if you don’t, nothing I say will make sense.
This is the line: Being and simulation are not the same, and only one can sustain a human soul.
And the choice between them is the real psychological question of our time.
Dr. Bren Hudson is a Jungian psychologist analyst in private practice. This essay establishes the foundational framework for her ongoing work on interiority, structure, and depth in contemporary therapeutic culture.
About the Author, Dr Bren:
Dr. Bren Hudson is a holistic psychotherapist, life coach, and couples counselor specializing in Jungian depth psychology and spiritual transformation. With a PhD in Depth Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, she integrates Jungian analysis, Psychosynthesis, and somatic practices to help clients uncover unconscious patterns, heal trauma, and foster authentic self-expression. Her extensive training includes certifications in Internal Family Systems (IFS), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), HeartMath, Reiki, and the Enneagram, as well as studies in archetypal astrology and the Gene Keys. Formerly a corporate consultant, Dr. Bren now offers online sessions to individuals and couples worldwide, guiding them through personalized journeys of healing and self-discovery.
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FAQ's
1. What does “interiority in psychology” mean here?
It means an active, living relationship between the ego and a deeper ground of Being, not introspection or emotional skills.
2. Why isn’t self-reflection enough?
Because reflection can exist without depth. Without connection to Being, it becomes management rather than transformation.
3. What is the Anti-Self?
It’s a compensatory structure that forms when interiority collapses, replacing inner life with performance, control, and simulation.
4. How does this affect modern therapy?
Therapy may become efficient but hollow, refining coping and narratives without restoring depth or soul.
5. What is the core message of the essay?
Human wholeness depends on a real relationship to Being. Without it, psychology becomes functional but lifeless.
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