"Ever since I discovered the mating dynamics of the deep-sea anglerfish, where the male fuses with the female, and how closely this mirrors some disturbing human relationship patterns, I have been chewing over the idea that everything that exists in our unconscious also exists in the ocean. From the methodical violence of sharks, to dolphins who mourn their dead and jellyfish whose pulsating contractions remind me of my labour,"
"My problem, as I realised in a session not long ago with my psychoanalyst, is that I have been swimming in shallow waters. This is something I have seen many times in myself, and perhaps these moments of recognition help me to see it in my patients the unconscious pull to stay in the emotional shallows, not to delve deeper into your own internal experience and understand the more profound wishes and hungers that drive us."
The deep sea serves as a vivid metaphor for the unconscious, with marine behaviors echoing human emotional patterns. Examples span the anglerfish's fused mating, sharks' methodical violence, dolphins' mourning, and jellyfish's pulsations recalling childbirth. Many people prefer to remain in emotional shallows, using screens, consumption, and superficial relationships to avoid confronting deeper wishes and hungers. This avoidance is described as an unconscious pull that prevents internal exploration and understanding. Historical advances in magnification revealed abundant unseen life in small water samples, suggesting that hidden depth and complexity exist even in tiny, overlooked places.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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