Jung On Purpose Podcast by CreativeMind
Episode: “Why You Keep Repeating Patterns and the Secret to Change”
Hosts: Debra Maldonado & Dr. Rob Maldonado, PhD
Date: February 16, 2026
Episode Overview
In this episode, Debra and Dr. Rob Maldonado explore the persistent question of “Why do we keep repeating patterns in our lives, and how can we truly change?” Drawing from Jungian psychology, Eastern spirituality, and social neuroscience, the conversation delves into the practical implications of Jung’s concept of wholeness, the formation and integration of complexes, and the emotional roots of transformation. The hosts challenge popular self-help ideas, emphasizing that surface-level insight alone is not enough to create real change—true transformation requires accessing and integrating the unconscious emotional drivers behind repeated patterns.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Why Surface-Level Insight Isn’t Enough
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[00:42–02:44]
- Debra introduces the theme that transformation necessitates more than self-examination and surface insight.
- Dr. Rob discusses “self-determination” and “self-inquiry,” encouraging listeners to question their internal truths.
- Jungian psychology focuses on integrating the psyche, not just behavioral change.
“We’re not just here to just examine ourselves. We want our life to change. That’s what draws people to personal growth.” — Debra [00:42]
2. The Split Between Conscious and Unconscious
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[02:44–04:42]
- Integration means healing the split between conscious and unconscious minds—these are often experienced as separate, but Jung sees them as parts of a whole self.
- The ego is oriented outward early in life, seeing itself as separate from others and the world.
- True integration is about unity with all aspects of experience, dissolving the “us versus them” mentality.
“Jungian psychology… is a depth psychology model of wholeness, that we’re moving towards our human experience as a whole experience, not fragmented into conscious versus unconscious.” — Dr. Rob [04:42]
3. Projection and the Formation of Patterns
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[05:10–06:54]
- Debra illustrates Jung’s idea of projection, particularly with parental relationships—what we perceive in our parents is a product of our psyche.
- Patterns (e.g., “mother complex”) form from early projections and continue to shape adult life and relationships.
“We project an archetypal image onto our parents... we are a part of our psyche's involvement, it's not like everything happened to me and I'm this just helpless child.” — Debra [05:22]
4. Complexes: The Heart of Repeated Patterns
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[06:54–08:26]
- Complexes are emotional, automatic patterns rooted in early experience.
- Transformation doesn’t happen by “fixing” or suppressing emotions but by accepting and integrating them.
- The emotional charge behind a pattern must be acknowledged for true change.
“We’re not pushing it away, not denying it, suppressing it, fixing it. We’re simply acknowledging it, accepting it as this is part of what created me up to this point.” — Dr. Rob [07:29]
5. Resilience, Childhood Experience, and the Limits of Trauma
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[08:26–10:33]
- Not everyone with difficult childhoods is doomed to struggle; resilience and willingness count for more than the depth of early trauma.
- Transformation speed varies and is not strictly determined by one’s level of adversity.
“It's not a depth of trauma or tragedy in the childhood… it's more of the person's resilience and willing to, you know, do the work and break free.” — Debra [10:29]
6. The Unconscious as Creative Intelligence
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[10:33–13:14]
- Freud saw the unconscious as a “bad” storage space; Jung reframed it as a source of creative intelligence.
- The unconscious adapts to the stage of life, offering necessary survival patterns during childhood, but these can become outdated in adulthood.
“Luckily for us, Jung gave us a different picture... it's more a creative intelligence that lives deep in our psyche...” — Dr. Rob [11:32]
7. How Patterns Form: Emotional Imprinting in Childhood
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[13:14–15:55]
- Emotional experiences in the first nine years of life create templates that persist into adulthood.
- These aren't simply thoughts—childhood conditioning is largely non-rational and affective.
“That directness [of experience] imprints on us emotionally. That's what stays with us for the rest of our life, unless we do this inner work.” — Dr. Rob [15:31]
8. Shifting from Conditioning to Conscious Choice
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[16:39–17:49]
- Understanding complexes helps “reverse-engineer” emotional conditioning.
- Unexamined, early programming keeps us stuck in old templates and reactive living.
“We're acting pretty much based on our first nine years of life. As if we're still back there.” — Dr. Rob [17:14]
9. Why Behavior Change Alone Doesn’t Work
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[17:49–19:57]
- Behavior-focused approaches often fail because they address symptoms, not root emotional patterns.
- “Insight” from the rational mind doesn’t integrate emotional patterns, which run unconsciously.
“It feels like we're making conscious decisions... unconsciously, it's all choosing for us. It's choosing every partner you've had, your friends...” — Debra [18:20]
10. Entering the Unconscious: The Hero’s Journey and Coaching
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[17:49–19:57]
- A coach serves as a guide on the “hero’s journey” through one’s inner life, revealing unconscious drivers and supporting integration.
- Transformation is “making the unconscious conscious,” expanding our genuine self-agency.
“To find someone to help you enter the unconscious, sort of like a guide of a hero's journey. The guide is taking you on a journey of your own inner life—not fixing you, not healing you, but helping you reveal what you can't see.” — Debra [18:56]
11. Complexes: A Working Definition
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[21:10–22:14]
- Complexes are “constellations” of memories, emotions, behaviors, and attitudes that become habitual and drive compulsive reactions.
“It is a constellation, meaning a kind of a conglomerate... of memories, emotions... attitudes, behaviors too.” — Dr. Rob [21:10]
12. Changing Patterns: Emotions as Keys to Transformation
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[23:13–25:31]
- We embody our complexes. Early experiences shape how we interpret reality.
- The antidote isn’t to suppress habits, but to reach the emotional core and transform it via integration and symbolic understanding (e.g., through dreams).
“How do we reverse that? Not again… Not pushing it away, not making it bad, but simply saying, if I'm ready now to decide and to make conscious decisions beyond my conditioning... I need to get to the emotional layer of the complex.” — Dr. Rob [24:00]
13. The Limits of Traditional Self-Help
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[25:31–27:45]
- Work with a Jungian coach often involves asking deeper, less conventional questions, moving beyond the “limiting beliefs” and “positive self-talk” surface fixes.
- True integration is complex and demands a deeper inner dialogue.
“I remember when I first started doing personal growth, it was all about limiting beliefs... and just think positive... But it really wasn't... the whole picture.” — Debra [27:13]
14. Taking Responsibility: From Automation to Agency
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[27:45–29:29]
- The symbolic forms of the unconscious are the true “fuel” of change.
- Listeners are urged to ask: Am I living on autopilot, or am I consciously creating my life?
“The question simply becomes: am I going to live my life unconsciously? ...Or can I take the reins of my psyche and make decisions for myself?” — Dr. Rob [28:43]
15. Friendliness and Acceptance Towards Your Patterns
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[29:29–31:18]
- Transformation begins with an attitude of acceptance, not resentment, toward our patterns.
- Eastern philosophy adds the dimension of witnessing and non-judgmental awareness.
“Approach the pattern and the complex in a very friendly way because it had a purpose at some point.” — Debra [29:36]
“That powerful part of our conscious mind... is like a light that can break apart the delusion and can be witnessing to it and in itself, when we start bringing it to that light versus our ego, examining our patterns.” — Debra [30:34]
16. Integration Requires Both Emotion and Intellect
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[31:32–33:09]
- Lasting change involves both feeling and thinking together—balancing catharsis and cognition.
- Avoiding feelings is an ego defense; true transformation asks us to courageously engage emotionally.
“You need both intellect and emotion... for that transformation, you need both. A lot of people, especially now, are very in our heads.” — Debra [31:32]
17. Looking Ahead: Individuation vs. Self-Improvement
- [33:09–33:48]
- Teaser for the next episode, shifting from “fixing” yourself to “becoming” yourself and exploring Jung’s path of individuation.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “The outer conflict is pointing to an inner conflict.” — Debra [08:26]
- “The complexes... are internalized, we absorb them into the structure of our cells, of our bodies, of our psyche. Therefore, they're very powerful because it feels that that's the way reality is...” — Dr. Rob [23:13]
- “If we’re not afraid of feeling, then we’re unstoppable.” — Debra [32:31]
- “Embodied emotions.” — Dr. Rob [33:48]
Timestamps For Key Segments
| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------------------|------------| | Why Insight Isn’t Enough | 00:42–02:44| | Integration: Conscious vs. Unconscious | 02:44–04:42| | Projection & Parental Complexes | 05:10–06:54| | What is a Complex? | 21:10–22:14| | The Emotional Key to Change | 23:13–25:31| | The Limits of Traditional Self-Help | 25:31–27:45| | From Automation to Agency | 27:45–29:29| | Friendly Acceptance vs. Resentment of Patterns | 29:29–31:18| | Integration Requires Both Emotion and Intellect | 31:32–33:09|
Summary Takeaway
The secret to breaking repeated patterns is not more insight or willpower, but the courageous integration of unconscious emotional complexes. Wholeness—‘becoming yourself’—requires moving beyond old templates, marrying intellect and emotion, and consciously choosing to engage with the full dimension of your psyche.
Next episode preview: “From self-improvement to individuation: The path from fixing yourself to becoming yourself.”