There’s a growing movement in ecological circles called rewilding, where humans seek to restore ecosystems to their natural, uncultivated states. It’s a call to bring back the wolves, to unchain the rivers, to let the forests grow dense and wild again. But what if this rewilding concept could also be applied to our inner landscapes? What if the psyche, like the earth, is yearning to return to its primal roots—untamed, unconfined, and free?

When we think about rewilding the psyche, we’re talking about more than just a psychological tune-up. It’s a radical return to the depths, a reconnection with the ancient and archetypal forces that pulse beneath the surface of our everyday lives. This is the realm of myth and metaphor, where the ego steps aside and the soul begins to speak. To rewild the psyche is to invite the primal energies back into your awareness, allowing the wild, untamed aspects of your being to guide you towards wholeness.

Civilisation and the Taming of the Psyche

For millennia, civilisation has focused on control—over the land, the body, and inevitably, the mind. The psyche, under this regime, has been disciplined to behave, to follow societal norms, and to suppress anything deemed “wild” or irrational. This process, what Carl Jung might call the over-identification with the persona (the social mask), distances us from the instinctual and chaotic aspects of our psyche.

The psyche, like a wilderness kept too long behind walls, becomes stifled. Our dreams, our creative impulses, and our intuitions—those inner wolves—are domesticated. We tame the wild parts of ourselves for the sake of stability, often sacrificing creativity and spontaneity for the illusion of control.

But what if the parts of us we’ve labelled as irrational, emotional, or chaotic are precisely the energies we need to engage with in order to feel alive and whole? What if the wilderness we seek externally is mirrored internally, in the psyche’s yearning to express its full range of potential?

Reclaiming the Wild: Steps to Rewild the Psyche

Rewilding the psyche is not about rejecting civilisation but rather about integrating its wisdom with the wisdom of the wild, balancing logos (rationality, structure) with mythos (imagination, intuition). Here are some ways we can begin this rewilding journey:

1. Active Imagination: The Gateway to the Wild Mind
   Jung’s method of active imagination serves as a powerful tool for rewilding. Through this practice, we enter into dialogue with our inner figures—guides, animals, and archetypes that dwell in the wild regions of the unconscious. By allowing the psyche to express itself without the constraints of rational thought, we open the gates to the wilderness within. The images, feelings, and stories that emerge in active imagination are like wild animals—they have their own life and wisdom.
2. Dreamwork: Tracking the Inner Wild
   Dreams are the psyche’s natural habitat. When we work with our dreams, we engage with symbols and stories that are often raw, instinctual, and untamed. Dreams provide a direct link to the wild side of our psyche, offering clues about what needs to be reclaimed, what’s been suppressed, and where our deepest instincts lie. In a way, engaging with our dreams is like learning to track wild animals—we must learn to recognise the signs, follow the trails, and trust the journey.
3. Embracing Shadow Work: Reclaiming the Exiled Parts
   The rewilding process inevitably brings us into contact with the shadow—the parts of ourselves that have been pushed out of sight because they don’t fit with our civilised persona. Anger, lust, fear, and shame may all live here, waiting to be reintegrated. Shadow work is the process of bringing these wild energies back into the fold, acknowledging their place in our inner ecosystem. It’s messy, uncomfortable, and necessary. The more we deny these parts, the more likely they are to manifest destructively. Rewilding invites us to dance with them instead, letting their energy transform into something creative and powerful.
4. Communing with Nature: Reawakening the Archetype of the Earth
   The external world of nature serves as a mirror to our internal wilderness. By spending time in nature, walking barefoot, listening to the wind, and observing the cycles of life and death, we rekindle our connection to the earth archetype within. Nature’s rhythm—its constant flow of growth, decay, and rebirth—reminds us that our psyche is part of that same process. As we reconnect with the outer wild, we remember the rhythms that guide our inner world.
5. Mythic Imagination: Reviving the Ancient Stories
   Myths are not just stories from the past—they are alive in us. Joseph Campbell and Jung both remind us that myths provide the blueprint for the soul’s journey. By engaging with myths and archetypal stories, we reconnect with the deep currents of the psyche. Whether it’s the descent of Inanna, the trials of Hercules, or the wisdom of the trickster gods, these stories are maps for navigating our own wilderness. They teach us how to engage with the wild forces within—sometimes by embracing them, sometimes by negotiating with them, but always by acknowledging their presence.

The Call of the Wild Within

To rewild the psyche is to answer a deep and ancient call—a call that resonates not just through our individual consciousness but through the collective history of humanity. This call beckons us to break free from the confines of rigid thinking, the repetitive loops of logic, and the self-imposed limitations that have been cultivated through centuries of social conditioning. It’s a call to go beyond the narrow corridors of thought that prioritise productivity, efficiency, and conformity and instead embrace the fluid, dynamic, and untamable forces that live deep within us. These forces—the chaotic, instinctual, and irrational parts of ourselves—are often seen as something to be subdued, but in truth, they are the very energies that can guide us towards a deeper sense of aliveness.

In rewilding the psyche, we are invited to step off the well-trodden path of societal expectations and venture into the forest of the unknown. This forest is not a place of danger in the traditional sense but a place of potential, where the ego’s tight grip loosens and something more ancient and intuitive begins to take the lead. Here, in this inner wilderness, the wolves, bears, and serpents we encounter are not external threats to be vanquished but symbolic representations of our own primal nature. These creatures, often feared or misunderstood in myths and stories, are our allies, embodying instincts and powers that have been lost in the civilising process. They represent our deep-rooted capacity for transformation, resilience, and wisdom. To meet them is to meet ourselves in a more raw and unrefined state—a state closer to our essence.

In this rewilding process, we come to know ourselves not as tame creatures bound by the laws of civilisation but as wild beings, deeply connected to the rhythms of the earth and the cosmos. This is not just a poetic metaphor but an experiential truth. Just as the moon cycles through phases and the tides rise and fall, so too does our psyche follow natural rhythms of growth, decay, and renewal. Yet, in the rush of modern life, these rhythms are often ignored. We push ourselves to constant productivity, to always be in a state of “doing,” and we forget that rest, introspection, and even chaos are essential parts of the cycle.

To rewild is to remember—to remember that beneath the surface of our polished, civilised selves lies a vast, untamed wilderness. This wilderness is not a barren wasteland but a fertile ground, teeming with life, energy, and possibility. It’s a place where creativity flows without inhibition, where emotions are raw and unapologetic, and where intuition whispers ancient truths that the rational mind cannot grasp. In rewilding, we reconnect with this part of ourselves, rediscovering the freedom and vitality that come from embracing the fullness of who we are—both the cultivated and the wild. And in doing so, we do not merely return to some archaic, primal state; we integrate the wild with the wisdom of modern consciousness, creating a new form of wholeness that honours all aspects of our being.

Rewilding the psyche, then, is not an act of regression but one of deep integration. It is an opportunity to cultivate a balanced relationship between our civilised persona and the wild, untamed forces within. This integration allows us to live more authentically, more vibrantly, and with a deeper connection to the world around us. The wild within us is not something to be feared or controlled; it is something to be embraced, for it holds the key to our true nature—alive, vibrant, and brimming with possibility.