Synopsis: A Vidiian woman dying of the Phage comes aboard Voyager and is treated by The Doctor.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of what Carl (C. G.) Jung termed the union of opposites, or transcendent function, the way in which the conscious ego incorporates bits of material from the unconscious into itself, to become stronger and make the psyche more whole.
In “Lifesigns” a female Vidiian, Danara Pel, who is barely alive beams aboard Voyager. Because she is so near death The Doctor creates a holographic program to keep her brain pattern alive while he treats her body. As it turns out, The Doctor’s program is adaptable and he begins to have feelings for Pel. He initially resists this, but then decides to pursue a romance with her. When it comes time to transfer her brain pattern back into the body devastated by the Phage, Pel tells The Doctor that she would rather die. But because it will give them two weeks to be together before her destination can be reached, she agrees to return to her body, and The Doctor continues the romance.
In this episode, The Doctor can be analogized to a conscious rational ego that is experiencing coming in contact with bits of material from the irrational unconscious. Here, the material is emotions, specifically that of love. The Doctor tells Pel that before she came aboard Voyager his programming was only for work, but now he feels that he has a life outside of work. Not surprisingly, this also helps his bedside manner, in that he is able to speak with Pel in a way that persuades her to continue her life rather than end it. This is akin to how the rational ego is strengthened by becoming more flexible, when it acknowledges and integrates bits of irrational material into itself, which also results in the psyche becoming more whole.
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