The MBTI & A Course In Miracles

I type the scribe of A Course in Miracles, Helen Schucman as an INTJ. While the Course may have been inspired by the Christ Consciousness, it was filtered through the personality of the scribe and clearly reflects the elements of an INTJ personality type. The four functions of an INTJ’s functional stack are:

·  Dominant: Introverted Intuition (Ni)

·  Auxiliary: Extraverted Thinking (Te)

·  Tertiary: Introverted Feeling (Fi)

·  Inferior: Extraverted Sensing (Se)

The dominant function of INTJs is Introverted Intuition (Ni). It is a form of processing that generates insight largely on a subconscious level and allows INTJs to piece together subtle observations and come to understand the elements of their world in a deeper, more nuanced way than most people. Their dominant Ni is a perceiving function that allows them to more easily see the bigger picture and develop a strong sense of their own inner wisdom. In A Course in Miracles this function corresponds to the function of the Holy Spirit. The student is encouraged to call upon the Holy Spirit as a wise internal guide for help reinterpreting events and circumstances in order to heal painful first interpretations that are limited and therefore false. Calling on the Holy Spirit’s expanded perception also supplies “guidance” or a recognition of what may be more intelligent action in the same way that a well developed Ni does when leaned upon. In this way, a method closely aligned with the INTJ’s dominant function and core of their personality—Ni—is recommended by the Course as the primary tool for psychological healing and direction. Typologists would not consider an INTJ’s Ni to be infallible in the way that the Course frames the Holy Spirit, which would be the extreme of infinitely holistic perception. Many of the other healing prescriptions of the Course take the form of visualizations found in the Workbook lessons. This aligns well with Ni’s very visual or symbolic mode of understanding the world.

The INTJ’s auxiliary function is Extraverted Thinking (Te), which shines brilliantly in the Course’s extensive Text and Workbook spanning more than 1,000 pages. It is written as if an authority figure is laying out clear facts about how things are, with virtually no catering to the reader’s potential emotional reactions to what is said. The facts are laid out solidly in a “like it or not, this is the truth” kind of way, which is just the way Te tends to operate, with many people seeing INTJs as relatively blunt when expressing their views. The Course’s text methodically lays out a masterful and highly logical theory of spiritual psychology that is difficult to poke holes in. INTJs are known to make for some of the greatest theorists due to their strong Ni and Se perceptivity and their Te ability to methodically translate what they perceive into clear and elaborate theories that draw many relevant connections with a high degree of internal consistency.

Introverted Feeling (Fi), the INTJ’s tertiary function shows up more subtly as the Course’s focus on internal alignment and inner change of attitudes toward more loving impressions of others much more than external acts of kindness and affection (Fe). Despite the Course’s otherwise highly logical nature, no logical explanation for love’s existence is given, but the reality of love is made as an internally verifiable value claim in true Fi fashion.

INTJ’s inferior function, Extraverted Sensing (Se) corresponds to their perceptivity of the material qualities of the world and shows up in the Course’s abundant use of imagery such as “light and darkness” and “sleeping and awakening” yet takes a back seat to the INTJ’s dominant function with Ni’s powerful assertions that the world we see with the physical eyes is unreal and merely symbolic (Ni loves symbolism). Due to the relatively unconscious nature of their inferior Se, INTJs often report feeling disconnected from the physical world and a stranger to their own bodies, prone to fearing potential physical vulnerabilities. A standout theme of the Course is its emphasis on the valuelessness of the world and especially of the body, deeming it vulnerable, a liability when identified with, a speck of dust, all but dead.

It seems to me that material such as this would most naturally come through an INTJ and I think Helen’s psychology in this incarnation was not incidental. Due to this, INTJ students are likely to find the Course more perfectly fitting and easier to understand and to work with than any other type, yet many other types gain plenty of benefit from the Course. It is simply more likely that non-INTJs will see the Course as one tool among others or will supplement the Course with other tools that cater to aspects of their type’s unique functional stack in ways that the Course does not. Marianne Williamson is an example of an INFP who benefitted greatly from the Course while interpreting it through a more love-centered and inspirational lens in accordance with the preferences of her dominant Fi, and who teaches about other tools beyond the Course. INTJ students, on the other hand, are more likely to focus on the Course as it is written and feel satisfied with it as their primary tool—sufficient unto itself for meeting their spiritual goals to the extent that it is thoroughly understood and applied (think Ken Wapnick).

The instinct of every type is to call upon its dominant function first, so for most types, calling on the Holy Spirit for a new or expanded perception will feel less natural than for Ni-dominants. Types that lead with a judging function (i.e. T or F) rather than a perceiving function (i.e. N or S) may be less keen to step back and allow the Holy Spirit’s guidance and perceptual corrections in the moment. Those with Ni lower in their functional stack or who rely on Ne instead of Ni may also find it more difficult to interpret the guidance of the Holy Spirit—His help often seeming too faint a whisper. For such reasons, many students will benefit more from other aspects of the Course beyond trying to surrender every moment to the Holy Spirit’s guidance—such as certain Workbook meditations, or the conceptual reorientation and ongoing inspiration to forgive that arise through reflection on Course material.

It is important to own our preferences and seek guidance and understanding primarily through our natural strengths (i.e. our type’s dominant and auxiliary functions). I spent six months trying my level best at taking direct guidance for my daily decisions and interpretations from the Holy Spirit in the way the Course frames Him, yet I often felt unclear about His guidance and did not seem to be healing in proportion to my efforts. It happens that, of my four functions as an INTP (Ti, Ne, Si and Fe), none match those most reflected in the Course’s structure. This does not mean the Holy Spirit is useless to me or to anyone else. The Holy Spirit can be thought of as our own guiding inner voice, even if it manifests differently from Ni-inspired perceptual correction in our case. It may take the form of Ti-inspired questioning of assumptions, or Fi-inspired emotional guidance for us instead, which can be just as helpful on our awakening journey. It is also practical to call upon the Holy Spirit, Jesus, or any other being as an aid in letting go of pain and extending forgiveness through whatever psychological process feels natural to us. I’ve found success in calling upon my own concept of ‘The Father’—akin to ‘Consciousness Power’ or ‘Love Consciousness’—when I need help extending forgiveness, whilst quiet reflection allows my leading Ti-Ne pair to generate helpful guidance for decisions.