“Because of the depth analysis, I came to see and feel C. G. Jung’s distinction between the many aspects of a human being, without his forgetting for a moment the wholeness of each one. It is a wholeness consisting of totality, completeness. Most people say, “self” using the small letter “s” to mean the ego, the individual, the personality. The world of self is the world of Me and its concerns. […]. Jung says, “Self” with a capital “S” meaning also the world of the transpersonal, a world greater than the individual, more powerful than the ego. The Self is the totality of aliveness; it is wholeness, known and unknown, good and evil. If the idea lies at the bottom of the dance teaching, then it becomes a primary value leading directly to another – that of self-knowledge.” -Whitehouse (1979)
The Self in the Jungian analysis is an archetype that represents the whole being or the consciousness. It is the awareness emerging in the process of integrating internal polarities (i.e., consciousness-unconsciousness, masculine-feminine, corporeal-psychic, light-darkness) (Jung, 1991). In the struggle to maintain a balance, one learns how to tune in to the impalpable while remaining present in the physical reality. It is a phenomenon in which the unconscious becomes integrated through a felt sense or image. A way for it to be transmitted to the current reality can be done through any form of art, including movement. When the felt-knowing takes on a form and is ready to reveal, it can be translated into words by the thinking mind. Once named through language, it becomes a knowing of the consciousness. The Self is that aspect of the psyche that remains present while the integration occurs. Without it, to witness the process, the process cannot happen. That is the process of individuation (Whitehouse, 1979).
The witness in an AM session embodies the role of the Self. They act as the mediator between the mover’s ego and unconsciousness (Whitehouse, 1979). They create a safe, non-judgmental environment for a him/her to express themselves freely. After completing the process, the mover internalizes more of their personal Self and can take it in their daily life.