The Deeper Truth About the Body No One Talks About: A Depth Psychology Perspective

Deborah Lukovich
24 hours ago
5 min read

What if the body isn’t something to fix—but something we’ve misunderstood?

Even science agrees that most of who we are, what we think, what we do, and how we feel, is influenced by mysterious unconscious forces.

Today, more people recognize that there is a connection between the mind, body, and a deeper part of us, but few realize that the body itself is a manifestation of the unconscious, not just in a personal way. Our bodies are also a manifestation of what is in the collective unconscious.

Other people, negative energy, unresolved cultural divisions, dysfunctional and decaying institutions and ways of thinking impact more than our image of our bodies. These toxins impact our bodies from the skin outside, to our organs, and our cells.

My recent conversation with Dr. Gretchen Ames powerfully illustrates the power of depth psychology as a framework to understand that our bodies and our images of our bodies are impacted by the forces outside of us that combine with unknown parts of us.

Beneath the rubble of old wounds is a treasure that when acknowledged, releases a reservoir of energy available for a renewed sense of purpose.

A Conventional Psychologist and A Depth Psychologist Walk Into a Bar...

It’s always a treat having a podcast conversation with one of my clients. Sometimes, the impact of a depth psychology approach is so striking, my clients want to share it. In this case, my work with this client bridged the personal, professional, and collective in surprising ways.

I’m excited to introduce you to Gretchen Ames. She holds a PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Florida. She joined the staff at Mayo Clinic in Florida in 2007 as the psychologist for the multidisciplinary bariatric medicine and surgery program.

Gretchen is certified in Clinical Health Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology and holds the academic rank of Associate Professor of Psychology in the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science. As an adjunct Professor at the University of North Florida, she teaches undergraduate Health Psychology. At Mayo Clinic, Gretchen’s clinical duties include evaluations, treatment, and group facilitation for patients who are seeking medical and surgical treatment for obesity.

Her research interests include behavioral and psychological factors that are associated with long-term maintenance of weight loss after medical and surgical treatment for obesity and increasing access to obesity care with utilization of telemedicine.

Our connection and work together is a perfect example of the mysterious nature of the unconscious, which seeks to reconcile and create new expressions of consciousness.

Watch or listen to the full conversation:

Watch on YouTube

Listen on Dose of Depth Podcast

What We Discussed

During our chat, Dr. Gretchen Ames and I explored the following topics. In the near future, I will be breaking our interview into shorter video clips, so be sure to subscribe to my website to receive notifications of when they're ready. You can subscribe at the bottom of my home page, and also download a free PDF of my book, Your Soul Is Talking. Are You Listening?

Medicalization vs. Meaning

Modern psychology focuses on diagnosis and symptom reduction. The conversation about the body changes when we revisit C.G. Jung's idea that every symptom must be understood within the context of the whole person. The result of not treating the whole person has led to pathologizing the human experience.

Chaos, Corruption, and Inner Wisdom

We are all living within the context of decaying systems and cultural upheaval. Gretchen and I explore how failing systems disconnect people from their inner authority, creating fear, dependency, and a loss of trust in one's own instincts. The good news is that the dramatic sense of breakdown may also signal inevitable transformation and an unleashing of a new paradigm that values the flourishing of all humans.

The Body as a Cultural Symbol

Dr. Ames draws from historical and cultural analysis, unpacking how body ideals were constructed, who benefits by them, and how race, gender, and power shaped what is considered "acceptable."

Shame, Morality, and Capitalism

A depth psychology lens allows us to explore the deeper forces of how morality, health, and worth became entangled with body size, and how late-stage capitalism reinforces shame while profiting from it, turning deeply human experiences into personal failures.

The Problem with Individual Blame

Inspired by James Hillman, founder of archetypal psychology, we challenge the tendency to locate distress solely within individuals, rather than recognizing how collective systems produce the very symptoms we try to treat. The path to liberation of the individual is through self-reflection, reconnecting with inner wisdom and the capacity to resist mass-minded ideas and systems that seek to control and profit off human suffering.

The Psychological Impact of Weight Loss

What actually happens when people lose weight? Dr. Ames shares the surprising emotional and relational shifts that happen. External changes don't always bring internal resolution. What hasn't been integrated gets displaced when deeper meaning is ignored, leaving the patient still suffering but not realizing the source of the suffering is inside of them.

The Repressed Feminine and the Body

Building on and critiquing Jungian analyst, Marion Woodman, we explore the idea that the body struggles may reflect a culture that suppresses embodiment, intuition, and the feminine, and point to new understanding about where this theory falls short.

A New Lens for Healing

Gretchen shares how integrating depth psychology has transformed her work with clients and her personal life, opening the possibility that the body is not something to control, but something to lsiten to. We ask people to linger in C.G. Jung's suggestion that the fate of humanity depends upon the self-reflecting individual who can resist mass-minded ideas. Cultural healing and personal healing must happen together.

Concluding Thoughts

My conversation with Dr. Gretchen Ames invites a radical shift: from fixing the body to understanding it, from blaming the individual to examining the systems in which we live, and from fear to a deeper relationship with inner wisdom.

Try This

Listen to your body without trying to fix it. For the next 3 days, when you notice a thought about your body—judgment, worry, comparison—pause. Instead of correcting the thought, ask:

What is this feeling asking for?
If this sensation had a voice, what would it say?

No analysis. Just listening.

Separate YOUR voice from the culture. The next time you think, "I should lose weight," or "I need more discipline," or "Something is wrong with me," gently ask:

Is this actually my voice?
Or did I inherit this from somewhere—family, culture, media, medicine?

You don’t have to answer definitively. Just create space between you and the thought. That space is where something new can emerge.

Track the moment, not the outcome. Notice one moment this week where your body becomes “the problem.” It might be: Looking in the mirror, getting dressed, or being seen by others. In that moment, instead of reacting, get curious:

What just happened right before this feeling?
What am I afraid this says about me?

You’re not trying to change the reaction.You’re tracing it back to its roots.

Expand the Frame. When you feel frustration with your body, experiment with widening the lens by asking:

What larger forces might be shaping this experience?
What expectations am I unconsciously trying to meet?

This isn’t about avoiding responsibility. It’s about seeing more clearly.

The "Nothing is wrong" experience. For one day, live as if this were true:

There is nothing wrong with my body!

Notice what shifts:

Your posture
Your choices
Your interactions

Not because you’ve convinced yourself it’s true, but because you allowed the possibility. Don’t try all of these. Pick the one that creates the most resistance—or the most curiosity.