A religious attitude, understood psychologically, is based on an experience of the ‘numinosum’, i.e., the Self. But it is impossible for the ego to experience the Self as something separate as long as the ego is unconsciously identified with the Self. This explains the need for the alienation experience as a prelude to the religious experience.
Like the body, the unconscious psyche has an instinctive wisdom which can correct the errors and excesses of consciousness if we are open to its messages. This corrective function derives from the Self and requires a living, healthy connection between Self and ego in order to operate freely.”