What is Depth Psychology?

Understanding “Depth”

The word “depth” is a metaphor for the parts of ourselves that lie beneath the surface. What is not immediately visible or measurable, but profoundly real. Think of an iceberg, where only a small portion floats above the water. The majority is hidden, submerged, yet crucial to the whole. In the same way, much of the human psyche, the motivations, dreams, memories, and inner patterns that shape us, resides beneath conscious awareness.

Depth psychology is the study of this hidden terrain. It invites us to ask: What is really going on beneath our everyday actions and emotions? What are the unconscious patterns influencing our lives? And how can we listen to them, rather than ignore them?

We see every day slips of the tongue, dreams, unexpected emotional reactions, synchronicities, and even symptoms as meaningful expressions of the unconscious. These moments often point us toward something unresolved, repressed, or yearning to be understood. As depth psychologists, we work to bring these parts into awareness, not to “fix” them, but to integrate them, so healing, insight, and transformation can unfold.

A Brief History of Depth Psychology

Two of the most well-known early depth psychologists are Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Freud explored how repressed wishes and unresolved childhood experiences shape adult behavior, developing a method for making the unconscious conscious through psychoanalysis. Jung expanded this view, emphasizing not only personal but collective unconscious patterns, what he called archetypes, that show up across cultures in myths, dreams, and symbols.

In modern times, the field has grown to include not just the content of the unconscious, but the dynamic processes that operate beneath awareness, affecting individuals, relationships, communities, and even our collective psyche.

What Depth Psychology Does

Depth psychology is not just a theory, it is a way of seeing the world. Whether working with individuals in therapy or examining cultural and ecological issues, depth psychologists listen for the hidden stories that shape both suffering and transformation.

This means attending to:

• Dreams and symbolic images
• Emotional patterns and life themes
• The impact of trauma, both personal and collective
• The role of creativity, spirituality, and imagination
• The presence of soul in daily life

At Pacifica, our work is grounded in the belief that tending to the inner life is essential for wholeness, not only for individuals, but for communities and the planet. Guided by our motto, “tending the soul in and of the world,” we approach psychology as a sacred calling that embraces imagination, meaning, and the deep interconnectedness of all life. Our students engage with the psyche through literature, philosophy, mythology, indigenous wisdom, spirituality, and critical theory, making this an interdisciplinary, soul-centered field of study.

Why It Matters Today

In a world that often values speed, superficiality, and productivity, depth psychology invites us to slow down and look within. It reminds us that much of human suffering stems from disconnection, from our inner selves, from one another, and from the natural world.

Pacifica faculty member Dr. Mary Watkins writes:

Depth psychology provides tools not only for healing individuals, but for restoring meaning to communities and ecosystems. It has inspired new approaches to social justice, education, ecopsychology, the arts, organizational leadership, and so much more.

Does It Work?

Growing evidence shows that depth psychological approaches to therapy offer long-lasting, meaningful change, often more enduring than short-term behavioral models. These approaches help individuals connect with what is been denied, forgotten, or hidden, so they can live with greater authenticity, compassion, and soul.

But the field does not stop with therapy. Pacifica students are applying depth psychology in innovative ways such as writing books, leading nonprofits, guiding community rituals, consulting in creative industries, and advancing research at the intersections of psyche, culture, and nature.

Our Commitment at Pacifica

At Pacifica, we are proud to carry the tradition of depth psychology forward and honor its rich history while exploring new directions of its future. We are committed to the soul’s presence in every aspect of life and learning.

As we often say:

Contemporary Evidence-Based Research for Depth Psychology

The following list is of some selected, peer reviewed scholarly articles and summaries from the mainstream media (e.g., New York Times, the Guardian). This is offered in the spirit of supporting diversity through contemporary research validating the noble traditions of depth psychology. It highlights the clinical and scholarly affirmation of depth psychological approaches that attend to unconscious processes, relational aspects of treatment, psychic complexity, and embodied experiences.

Abbass, A. A., Hancock, J. T., Henderson, J., & Kisely, S. R. (2006). Short-term psychodynamic psychotherapies for common mental disorders. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. Retrieved from http://www.cochrane.org/CD004687/DEPRESSN_short-term-psychodynamic-psychotherapies-for-common-mental-disorders

American Psychological Association. (2013). Recognition of psychotherapy effectiveness. Psychotherapy, 50(1), 102–109. Available at: http://www.apa.org/about/policy/resolution-psychotherapy.aspx

Anton, B. (2015, October 14). Talk Therapy Works. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/14/opinion/talk-therapy-works.html

Burkeman, O. (2016, January 7). Therapy wars: The revenge of Freud. The Guardian. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jan/07/therapy-wars-revenge-of-freud-cognitive-behavioural-therapy?CMP=share_btn_link

Chiesa, M. (2010). Research and psychoanalysis: Still time to bridge the great divide? Psychoanalytic Psychology, 27(2), 99–114. http://doi.org/10.1037/a0019413

Cohler, B. J., & Galatzer-Levy, R. (2007). What kind of science is psychoanalysis? Psychoanalytic Inquiry, 27(5), 547–582. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/247527419_What_Kind_of_Science_Is_Psychoanalysis

Cornelius, J. T. (2014, Oct. 7th). The Case for Psychoanalysis (Version 4). Retrieved from https://youtu.be/IQBx5TONHac

Evidence base of psychoanalytic psychotherapy. Institute of Psychoanalysis. Retrieved from http://psychoanalysis.org.uk/resources/evidence-base-of-psychoanalytic-psychotherapy.

Fonagy, P., Rost, F., Carlyle, J., McPherson, S., Thomas, R., Pasco Fearon, R. M., … Taylor, D. (2015). Pragmatic randomized controlled trial of long-term psychoanalytic psychotherapy for treatment-resistant depression: the Tavistock Adult Depression Study (TADS). World Psychiatry, 14 (3), 312–321.

Gaskin, Cadeyrn (2014). The effectiveness of psychoanalysis and psychoanalytic psychotherapy: A literature review of recent international and Australian research. PACFA. Retrieved from http://www.pacfa.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Psychoanalytic-Review-V2-Ready-to-design-Final.pdf.

Gerber, A. J., Kocsis, J. H., Milrod, B. L., Roose, S. P., Barber, J. P., Thase, M. E., … Leon, A. C. (2011). A quality-based review of randomized controlled trials of psychodynamic psychotherapy. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 168(1), 19–28. Available from: http://academiccommons.columbia.edu/download/fedora_content/download/ac:145066/CONTENT/appi.ajp.2010.08060843.pdf

Keller, W., Westhoff, G., Dilg, R., Rohner, R., & Studt, H. H. (2002). Efficacy and cost effectiveness aspects of outpatient (Jungian) psychoanalysis and psychotherapy–A catamnestic study. In M. Leuzinger-Bohleber, M. Target, M. (Ed) Leuzinger-Bohleber, & M. (Ed) Target (Eds.), Outcomes of psychoanalytic treatment: Perspectives for therapists and researchers. (pp. 186–197). Philadelphia, PA: Whurr Publishers.

Lazar, S. G. (2010). Psychotherapy is worth it: A comprehensive review of its cost-effectiveness. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publications.

Leichsenring, F., Leweke, F., Klein, S., & Steinert, C. (2015). The empirical status of psychodynamic psychotherapy—An update: Bambi’s alive and kicking. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 84(3), 129–148. Available from: http://www.eegym.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Leichsenring2015ESTreview.pdf

Leichsenring, F., & Klein, S. (2014). Evidence for psychodynamic psychotherapy in specific mental disorders: A systematic review. Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy, 28(1), 4–32. http://doi.org/10.1080/02668734.2013.865428

Leichsenring, F., & Leibing, E. (2007). Psychodynamic psychotherapy: A systematic review of techniques, indications and empirical evidence. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 80(2), 217–228. http://doi.org/10.1348/147608306X117394

Levy, R. A., Ablon, J. S., & Kächele, H. (2012). Psychodynamic psychotherapy research: Evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence. New York, NY: Humana press.

McGowan, K. (2014, April). The second coming of Sigmund Freud. Discover Magazine. Retrieved from http://discovermagazine.com/2014/april/14-the-second-coming-of-sigmund-freud

Mishna, F., Van Wert, M., & Asakura, K. (2013). The best kept secret in social work: Empirical support for contemporary psychodynamic social work practice. Journal of Social Work Practice, 27(3), 289–303. http://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2013.818944

Richards, G. (2008). Jung’s social psychological meanings. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology, 18(2), 108–118. http://doi.org/10.1002/casp.967

Roesler, C. (2013). Evidence for the effectiveness of Jungian psychotherapy: A review of empirical studies. Behavioral Sciences, 3(4), 562–575. Available from: http://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/3/4/562/htm

Shedler, J. (2010). The efficacy of psychodynamic psychotherapy. American Psychologist, 65(2), 98–109. Available from: http://jonathanshedler.com/PDFs/Shedler%20%282010%29%20Efficacy%20of%20Psychodynamic%20Psychotherapy.pdf

Shedler, J. (2015). Where is the Evidence for “Evidence-Based” Therapy? The Journal of Psychological Therapies in Primary Care, 4(1), 47–59. Available from: http://jonathanshedler.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Shedler-2015-Where-is-the-evidence-for-evidence-based-therapy-R.pdf

Where the power lies in the therapist-client relationship. (2016, January 12). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jan/12/where-the-power-lies-in-the-therapist-client-relationship

Whether to pick sides in psychology today. (2016, January 12). The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/jan/12/whether-to-pick-sides-in-psychology-today