Acorn Theory in Therapy

Take for a second or two the image of an acorn. 

Most of us, as children and adults, have held an acorn in our hands and have had a moment of awe as we considered how that little seed has the potential to grow into a beautiful mature oak tree.  It seems mysteriously wonderful that the acorn has this kind of potential - that it holds some type of “blueprint” to become a mature oak.  Maybe deeper down, this awe is a form of connection with this image - that we too are like the acorn and oak tree. 

The acorn theory holds the idea that just like the acorn, humans too contain a blueprint for our own growth and maturation. 

But this blueprint is more than our genetics. It doesn’t just determine how tall we will be, or what color hair or eyes we will have.  It instead speaks to the way we may show up in the world, and what kinds of activities and passions we will engage in and even what vocations we will manifest - or rather, what we need to manifest.  This blueprint is our inborn destiny.

In the fields of psychology and psychotherapy, as well as the self-help pop psychology world, you hear a lot of statements about “actualizing your potential” or “fulfilling or manifesting your destiny.”   We get excited when we hear this kind of talk, because at some level we resonate with the idea that there is something important that we need to be doing in our life, and that maybe each of us are unique and special in some way and that it’s our job during this brief lifetime on earth to figure out what that is.  These ideas and concepts are a part of the acorn theory. 

The psychologist James Hillman (2017), who coined the term acorn theory, also knew that there was a danger in taking up these ideas in the way they are presented, especially in the self-help model that has become so popular over the last few decades.  Hillman was critical of how our western cultural values and worldviews of individualism has created and reinforced the self-help model. These models reflect a type of “rugged individualism”- that is, the sense that it is solely up the individual to figure out what their potential or destiny is and subsequently, the personal responsibility to discover the actions and behaviors needed to achieve these goals. And while this is partly true, that the individual is responsible for their own actions, behaviors and motivations to achieve realizing their potential, it neglects to consider how our environment can play a role in helping each other discover the blueprint and aid in promoting the growth and development of the individual.  

Turning back to the mature oak tree, we know that the environment is critical for it to reach its full maturation. 

Adequate soil, water and sun exposure needs to be present for the acorn to take root and begin its growth process.  And humans are not so different.  We also need the right amount of support from our environments for us to develop according to our blueprint - from birth, to childhood and adolescence and even throughout adulthood. The problem we face, however, is our current environment lacks the supportive framework to address the needs of our inner blueprint.  And this is largely due to the values of our society and how we’ve structured our society to support the growth and development of a very particular set of skills. Our society values technological and economic growth, as well physical and mental growth, and our institutions and educational systems reflect this. We have done extremely well in these areas, but not without a cost. Our schools and community endeavors has failed to adequately support the psychological, emotional and (especially) spiritual growth of our children, adolescents and adults of our society, and we are suffering as a result.

Our environment lacks to be the right “container” for the ideas of blueprints, spirituality and the likes. 

And so does the majority of the fields of psychology, psychotherapy and counseling. Moreover, these fields not only neglect to take into account these ideas and how they are vital for our well-being, but they also approach the psychology and suffering of individuals from an individualistic perspective. That is, they seem to largely focus too narrowly on the individual from the framework of the question: “what’s wrong with the individual” - what inside “them” is broken, damaged or defective? Subsequently, psychology and psychotherapy has become a process of “fixing” the inside of individuals - just as a mechanic fixes a car.  These fields rarely go beyond looking at the “interior” of the individual to find the problem.  In an interview, Hillman addresses this point and goes to criticize the field of psychology and our culture by saying “It makes every problem a subjective, inner problem. And that's not where the problems come from. They come from the environment, the cities, the economy, the racism. They come from architecture, school systems, capitalism, exploitation. They come from many places that psychotherapy does not address. Psychotherapy theory turns it all on you: you are the one who is wrong. What I'm trying to say is that, if a kid is having trouble or is discouraged, the problem is not just inside the kid; it's also in the system, the society” (London, n.d.)

My research and clinical work reflects Hillman’s ecological perspective.  In the background of what Hillman is calling attention to is the fact that we are always in relationship to these forces and structures of our society.  And it is the relationships to these things that are causing the suffering we encounter in our inner lives.  For example, take the young child who has an active inner world that is constituted of his creativity and imagination, who finds themselves daydreaming about creatures, monsters, worlds known / unknown and unseen, but finds themselves in relationship to a school, or a teacher that does little to encourage or cultivate this inner creative potential for the sake of testing, grades, and lessons.  This creative curiosity is snuffed out and put away due to the demands of our society.  Or take the young adult who dreams of quitting college, or their jobs, in favor of throwing on a backpack to travel the world, to experience new landscapes of sights, smells, tastes and cultures with foreign language, ideas and values, only to encounter a system that doesn’t support this spontaneous or haphazard pursuits that may be calling out or yearning within that young person.  Instead of encouraging to live with, embody and cultivate our creative and impassioned pursuits, the relationships within our society snuffs out this light to fit the demands of society.

Our inner blueprint is constituted of creativity, imagination, curiosity, and a desire to manifest these things into the world. 

Our spirit is these things.   And it is our job as mentors, parents, teachers, legislative members, doctors and therapists to become more attuned to this spirit as it calls out in our children, our teenagers and the adults of our society.  It is up to us to cultivate an environment that encourages psycho-spiritual growth and development of this nature so that we can all manifest our potential.  I believe that this is possible, and that when we all become aligned with this goal, we can continue to evolve and transform ourselves and our societies.  

On this note of personal and collective transformation and the call to mental health professionals to become more attuned and aligned with the acorn theory, I would like to add a few more pieces of critique about the therapeutic profession.  One of the criticisms taken up is the idea that our helping profession largely seeks to alleviate and heal suffering with the unassuming goal of becoming more adjusted to society.  The problem here is the fact that this end goal only reinforces or perpetuates suffering, that is, it only seeks to be more adjusted to a society that is the root cause of suffering.  The goal should not, therefore, be to become more adequately adjusted to society and the demands it places on us.  Our goal as therapists should be to help alleviate suffering, and to educate others about the role of culture and society and how our relationship to these needs to be changed and ultimately transformed.  

My work, and the work we are attempting here at Apraxis Center is in alignment with this goal.  The focus on growth and transformation that we encourage is about changing both the individual and the collective, and I believe this is done through becoming more aligned with our blueprint.  I know through personal experience that the therapeutic space and relationships can help facilitate this.  I have witnessed time and time again a patient becoming more intimately aware of their calling, and have marveled at their courage to attempt to live more fully in their actions and behaviors that reinforce their calling.  It’s a beautiful thing to witness.  

Additionally, my own personal and professional experiences has allowed me to become more intimately aware of my own blueprint. I have gained awareness of the impact that direct personal experience in the world - both in nature and with others - has on illuminating the spirit of our creativity, passions, values and life goals.  Immersive experiences in nature, and encounters with others from other cultures opens the pathway to these insights.  This is why we have created our therapeutic excursions.  We model our excursions from the awareness that the beauty of nature can mirror the beauty of our spirit, and that the challenges presented through recreation in nature can help one discover the strength and perseverance of one's spirit. Lastly, experiencing others cultures and worldviews, and opening to these ideas allows for greater self-reflection on one’s values - and our values are the foundations for our blueprint.

  • Hillman, J. (2017). The soul's code: In search of character and calling. Ballantine Books.

  • London, S. (n.d.). On soul, character and calling : A conversation with James Hillman, from https://scott.london/interviews/hillman.html

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