Synchronicity as an Intersubjective Connection

At one of my supervision sessions during my internship at Northwestern University, I discussed with my supervisor about a patient with whom I worked intensively for nearly a year.  This patient was back home across the country for the summer and I hadn’t seen her in two months. I remarked to the supervisor that I hoped this patient is doing okay.  Then I walked back to my desk to check on my emails. Lo and behold, there was an email from this very patient I had been talking about!  She wrote to let me know that she is doing well.  Most recently I received contacts from two former patients within days after my thinking about them.

Most people have experienced thinking about a friend whom they haven’t seen or thought in a while and then to either run into them, receive a telephone call from the friend, etc.

What is this seemingly common and also yet uncommon phenomenon?  Some call it uncanny coincidence, some call it telepathy, and others call it intuition or serendipity.  Scientists theorize this phenomenon through quantum physics and chaos theory. Carl Jung describes this as “synchronicity” which is a part of the collective unconscious.  He said this underlying connectedness manifests itself as a meaningful coincidence that cannot be explained by cause and effect.  According to most analysts including Jung, communication is relayed not only at the conscious level, but unconsciously between individuals as well.

I believe the groundwork for synchronicity is the two different but related types of connectedness.  These two types of connection can be defined as intersubjectivity. First, a strong bond is formed between two people as part of their relationship with one another. I call this interconnectedness.  In addition to the strong relationship, the individual is well attuned to his/her own emotions and that of others, and has awareness of his/her unconscious emotions. I call this intraconnectedness.  As a result of both inter- and intraconnectedness, it becomes possible for the individual to sense or pick up emotional vibes from one another and from within.

Synchronicity, when it occurs, is a fascinating event that pays tribute to the close relationships we have with one another.