My INTJ friend did this. I think she had/did a lot of things that were negative(?) Se. Along the way, it looks like she decided to embrace these experiences in a more positive way. I know she became more physically active, deliberately challenging herself to do things she would not have normally done. Loosen up on planning and trust in-the-moment improvising more. It's really awe-inspiring.
My INFJ daughter will push herself like this, too. She'll be scared to be in situations where she has to depend on her body or senses (her words). It's her normal mode to shut out sensory input. But then I'll see her challenge herself to something scary. Like walk across a high bridge or steep hiking trail. Be in a huge, really noisy festival crowd. Test herself. She said it's like being blindfolded. She feels much better after she does this. I notice that both of them will have a sense of pride and accomplishment. Joy. And they don't necessarily get it from succeeding at it but from the fact that they pushed themselves and gave everything they had to even try it.
The common thing in both of those examples seems to include physical activity and getting out of your comfort zone. Would you agree with that?
What did you think of it, [MENTION=8936]highlander[/MENTION]?
There is a jumble of concepts or themes for me as I’m thinking about all this. First, there is the topic of developing inferior extraverted sensing. This to me is rather specific. There is the midlife passage, which involves a whole lot of stuff. There is type development, which is related to both of these.
I thought there were important things in the video, which is why I posted it. I think that the overall process of the midlife passage can take many years. In that period, there can be inflection points, or “crisis†that occur. One such crisis is described in the video. Those crises are periods for potential growth.
As we grow into adults, people see us through the lens of our auxiliary function, Te for INTJ or Fe for INFJ. It’s our face to the world and is very much linked to our persona. Ni is experienced in a somewhat nebulous way. It isn’t so much that we don’t trust it. It’s more that it isn’t focused and it's almost invisibile to others. As we move through midlife, we get in touch again with who we are vs. the face that we have grown to shown to others. Part of this involves deepening our respect for that inner knowing (Ni) that we have and focusing our ability to recognize, understand and honor those insights and finding a way of expressing those insights. In a similar way, the tertiary “grows up†– from baby Fi or Ti to a more mature version of it. It becomes a stronger and more core part of the personality. I think this more or less happens naturally. The inferior is not as easy in my opinion to develop.
I have read this sort of advice many times before and it is all well and good in theory, but how does one actually implement it???
[MENTION=14857]fia[/MENTION] and [MENTION=9883]Redbone[/MENTION] have hit on a couple of the points. I agree with the point about being in nature. I don’t do it enough. It’s one of the reasons I enjoyed living in Northern California. I still have dreams of going back there. Ni-doms spend a fair amount of time in their heads. Developing Se to me seems to involve things that ground in you reality - physical exercise, being present, listening, communicating what’s in our heads in a clear and concise way to others. Get out of our heads. Get out of the house. Do things in the real world. Act instead of think.
In the video, she described a point where she realized she couldn’t control things, was just exhausted and she and just let go. That allowed her to live in the moment. It strikes me as being similar to what people experience in their relationship with God. You have faith in God. You trust in the outcomes that are driven by him. You pray for guidance and support. You offer yourself up do what you are steered towards. Then you are able to let go. You don’t have so much to worry about anymore because you don't have to do it all on your own. This then leads more to living in the moment and to happiness. When Jung talks about individuation, religion seems to be a common theme that comes up,