Religion and psychology share an interest in the arts of interiority, but there are many different forms of them in use today. The world of interiority is quite complex and vast, and there are many options as to purpose and method. But once you do get inside, there are still choices . One aspect of these choices is the degree of freedom each one gives in accessing the unconscious. For the unconscious is rarely entered without prior censorship.
All religions have introspective techniques.
But they all also exercise some form of conscious control over them. So, one way we have of classifying religions is by the degree of freedom they permit in this matter. Lack of freedom is due to the fact that the content of the unconscious is extremely unfamiliar to the conscious mind and potentially very painful. It includes elements that are neither visual, auditory nor conceptual, but purely tactile and kinesthetic. In regard to pain, the unconscious contains the memories of all the early experiences of life that were painful to the fetus, infant and young child that we all once were.