“It was a surreal dream. There was an abstract shape that looked like a table in the middle of an empty room. It appeared floating midair…”

Have you ever experienced dissonance in the real world, whereby something just doesn’t feel right, but you can’t quite put your finger on it? Maybe you’ve thought, “I feel down, although I have a job, a loving family, proper means for a decent life.” It’s in moments like these that our logical perspective might struggle to fully capture the complexity of our emotions.

In our quest to make sense of our existence, we often rely on a logical perspective, downplaying the overwhelming influence of a parallel and internal dimension: the emotional realm. While logic helps us analyze situations, emotions provide a rich and nuanced layer to our understanding. External factors can sway affect. Imagine the warmth of a genuine smile or the heaviness of a sorrowful gaze – these intangible signals can produce change and convey something that surpasses the boundaries of mere logic.

The emotional realm might be invisible, but it doesn’t make it any less real. Unlike a table requiring four legs firmly touching the ground to stand in the physical world, emotions don’t follow predictable rules. It’s like trying to figure out how that same table is floating in the air without any legs at all. How can an experience feel so significant, yet remain elusive in its explanation? We’ve all been there, attempting to offer structural meaning yet coming up short.

The psychoanalytic process helps recognize and explore these emotions, treating them as vital clues to our inner worlds. By embracing both the logical and emotional aspects of our experiences, we gain a more comprehensive understanding of ourselves, and our connection to the external world finally unfolds. Through therapeutic work, patterns and triggers are identified, bringing abstract notions into the light. There are no magic tricks; instead, profound insight becomes our guiding light. At which point, the floating table can finally rest.