To understand what Self-Realizationis, it’ s essential to understand what the Self is that’s being realized in the first place. It’s not your individual personality, unique though that is. While personalities are largely kept intact throughout life, they still change, to some extent.
The Self that I’m talking about is not about potential, though it is highly potent in itself. It’s also not about becoming, because becoming is in the field of change and the Self is in the field beyond change. The Self also doesn’t become anything because it is Being itself.
For C.G. Jung, the great Depth Psychologist, individuation is a kind of self-actualization, and is the gradual integration and unification of the self through the resolution of successive layers of psychological conflict.
On a purely practical level, this brings you great happiness, freedom, stability, creativity, energy, and clarity. Instead of having the stress-filled fight or flight response fired off throughout your nervous system on a daily basis, you have the peace-filled stay and play response coursing throughout your system, enabling you to have increasing fun and delight in this indescribably precious gift that we call Life itself.