Did therapy affect your approach to minimalism?
Listing the many benefits of minimalism in this sub is of course not necessary. However, if you ever mention minimalism as something very important for you to a psychoanalyst or therapist, the first questions that would arise on their mind are:
- Is this serving an unconscious need for control that isn't expressed elsewhere in life?
- Is there any underlying unconscious avoidance of rootedness?
- Is there any unconscious fear of dependence or embodiment being expressed here?
- etc. (you get the point)
Of course (and ideally) the answer could be no to all of these, and that would mean that minimalism is genuine and very consciously chosen. And if any are yes or "maybe", that's also not a problem, one might discover that after addressing the unconscious issue one still remains a committed minimalist and that it feels even more genuine and pleasant than before. Or one might quit it but feel relieved to do so.
So my question is for any of you who have done extensive self-work (therapy, psychoanalysis, therapeutic psychedelics or breathwork, advanced meditation, etc.): did it change your relationship to minimalism? and if so how?