Rojas Tripartite Model of Psychosis

Working theory of psychosis rooted in Jungian and Transpersonal concepts.

Spiritual frameworks believe that "psychosis" is simply a spiritual awakening.

Modern psychiatry chalks up psychosis to simply a chemical imbalance.

Jungian therapy views psychosis as a "confrontation with the unconscious"

Unconscious vs the Conscious Mind

The conscious mind is dictated by logic and reasoning. It communicates with written and verbal language. In Jungian theory this is represented by the Animus. In spirituality it is Yang, or Purusha

The unconscious mind is dictated by emotion and is NOT ruled by the logic or the rules of society. It is untamed and feral. In Jungian terms it is represented by the Anima. In spiritual terms it is Yin, or Shakti.

People who do not experience psychosis , primarily experience the world through the "conscious" mind lens and are able to tap into the "unconscious" mind via dreams, meditative states or even drugs like psychedelics. In these cases, they are able to return back to the conscious mind once these altered states wear off (they wake up, they snap out of a trance or a drug wears off).

Think of states of mind as being a lens over the mind's eye. A conscious lens will present things as is, psychosis or altered states will present things using the language of the unconscious.

What causes psychosis and why does medication help?

Psychosis is not well understood and there are several theories on what "causes" a person to experiences psychosis. From a psychodynamic/Jungian perspective, psychosis is the mind's attempt to resolve an internal conflict. Jung would argue that psychosis is the unconscious mind flooding the conscious mind and taking the lead.

When the unconscious mind floods the unconscious mind, it applies the rules of its realm onto the waking life. Suddenly a person who is awake and conscious begins to interpret symbolic processes in the unconscious as reality. Symbolic representations are taken as a reflection of reality rather than an emotional expression.

It is well documented that this phenomenon may be triggered by a traumatic event but it can also be triggered by a pleasant event that is emotionally overwhelming such as falling in love for the first time. Drug use can also trigger it because it is a deliberate dive into the unconscious (hence why many times people will have strange thoughts or have hallucinations - - because the unconscious is very symbol driven).

The Chemical Imbalance Theory

The theory that a chemical imbalance may cause a proclivity towards psychosis is not inaccurate. Many of the same neurotransmitters at play in psychosis are also activated in psychedelic and or spiritual experiences. It can be caused by a chemical imbalance, a drug experience or a profound spiritual experience. Regardless of the cause, if one does not know how to properly differentiate between the conscious and unconscious, one can get lost in that space. Medication can help clear the lens to make things clearer, more rational.

Emotional Upheavel Theory

When a person is unable to process or work through a conflict, the feelings tied to that conflict are suppressed into the unconscious. Despite being suppressed, the feelings do not go away or lose power but rather continue to build up pressure in the unconscious. If it manages to burst through into the conscious mind, it will come out in a the exaggerated, distorted and use the symbolic language of the unconscious. Medication may clear the distortion but it does not remove the internal conflict that caused it to manifest in the first place.

Psychosis or Spiritual Experience?

From my understanding, psychosis and spiritual experiences are different terms for the same phenomenon. Psychosis from a clinical perspective is a detachment from reality (operating from the lens of the unconscious mind). My theory is that what spiritually minded people refer to as the other side, the dreamtime, the akashic field is all spiritual terminology for the collective unconscious. Psychosis is typically seen as the more negative of the two, but anyone who has had a spiritual or transpersonal experience can attest to how difficult and challenging they can be.

Many spiritual experiences can be interpreted using Jungian concepts such as archetypes and synchronicity. Jungian and transpersonal psychology can integrate psycho-spiritual techniques for navigating these experiences regardless of whether they are classified as psychosis or spiritual emergencies.

Rojas Tripartite Model

Based on my research working with persons experiencing psychosis and the religious experiences of Yoruba faith healers I have developed a psycho-spiritual model for conceptualizing and treating psychosis from a more holistic perspective that acknowledges the psychiatric realities of a mental health without negating the person's inner experiences and personal narratives.

Stories and personal narratives are an important part of the human experience and key to making sense of our inner worlds. When a person experiences psychosis, the unconscious is attempting to communicate something. An inner conflict the conscious mind was not able to work through. The conflict is suppressed into the unconscious where the pressure builds up. For some people the conflict manifests as unexplained depression, anxiety or somatization. For others it presents as distorted narratives in the form of psychosis. Medication can clear the distortion but it does not resolve the underlying conflict that caused the psychosis in the first place. While medication may resolve psychosis superficially, the deeper inner conflict remains unaddressed and will often times redirect into other outlets (depression, anxiety or other mental health conditions).

Psychosis is like a fever - - it indicates something deeper is taking place within the psyche. Addressing the fever without addressing the cause of the fever is an incomplete treatment. Medication can be an important part of treatment but it is not a complete solution.

I will be expanding more on this theory in my book Mind, Body, Spirit: