Shadow Work

Whatever is avoided in the shadow is lived out as fate. - C.G. Jung

“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” - C.G. Jung

It was Carl Jung who first used the term Shadow to refer to the dark side of the Psyche. Jung broke with his colleague & mentor Freud over many things including what Jung saw as man's basic need for Spirituality and for ever more efficient tools for dealing with emotional traumas as well as the emotional baggage we all carry around. Jung discovered the archetypes who inhabit the collective unconscious, a deep dwelling-place of energies accessible to every human soul.

WHAT IS SHADOW WORK?

Shadow Work is a personal growth process which brings your hidden powers out of the shadow and into the light. We all have these hidden powers within us. But we don't always allow ourselves to use them. We have all been hurt, and we have learned to hide parts of ourselves so we don't get hurt again.

Shadow Work is a way to explore the inner landscape and discover the gold that is hiding in the shadows. It is a way to become more and more who we really are. Shadow Work is a way to face the hurt, the fear, the anger, and learn how to live more fully. Most of all, it is a way to love ourselves for the journeys we have chosen.

WHAT IS A SHADOW?

The term "shadow" was first used by Carl Jung to describe the repressed or denied part of the Self. Robert Bly popularized this idea in A Little Book on the Human Shadow. Bly says that we were each born into a "360-degree personality." As infants we expressed the full breadth of our human nature, without editing or censoring.

As we grew up, however, we learned that certain slices of our 360-degree pie were unacceptable to the people around us. Maybe we were shamed for crying or punished for being angry. Maybe we were ridiculed for wanting attention or acting proud of ourselves. So, we learned to repress those slices of our pie; the ones that got us hurt. According to Bly, it was as if we threw these unacceptable qualities over our shoulder into a bag, which we've been dragging around behind us ever since.

In Shadow Work, we define "shadows" as all the parts of ourselves we have stuffed into the bag. These may be "positive" parts or "negative" parts. Our shadows are all those parts we have split off, repressed or denied — the parts of ourselves we are afraid to show.

I believe it is proper and useful to have a shadow bag, and to keep some shadows in the bag. But when the weight of the bag slows us down and prevents us from being who we really want to be, it is time to open it up. It is time to find a safe place to look into the bag, examine its contents, and see what needs to come back out.

HOW DO I RECOGNIZE MY SHADOWS?

You can identify your shadows by looking at what you project onto others. When you deny a trait in yourself, you tend to be very aware of that trait in other people. In the twelve-step tradition, they say, "If you spot it, you got it." This means that you are most aware of those traits in others which reflect your own shadows. You may react irrationally to one of these traits in someone else, becoming unduly annoyed and blowing things all out of proportion.

You can also notice the traits which you admire the most in others. Who do you look up to? Who are your idols? We often project our golden shadows onto others, and get stars in our eyes, because these people represent the qualities we have disavowed in ourselves out of a false sense of modesty. You could say that we paint other people with our shadows, for better and for worse.

Another way to spot your shadows is to look for things you find yourself doing by accident. No matter how hard you try to keep your bag sealed, your shadows may leak out in a way that seems beyond your control. For example, you may promise yourself that you're going to spend more time with your family, when you actually spend more time at work. You may find yourself jumping into a questionable relationship, when you know that this person isn't right for you. You may ignore your own rules about eating, smoking or drinking. When you repeat a pattern of behavior involuntarily, it is a sign that your shadow is running the show.

WHY WOULD I DO SHADOW WORK?

I believe that the core of every shadow contains a nugget of strength and power. Your shadows are like a gold mine of creative, useful energy. However, you may find that when a shadow has been in the bag for some time, it becomes crusty and a little smelly. When you decide to open the bag and examine some of the material hidden in there, you'll want to be in a safe place. Your everyday life might not be the best arena for breaking in a new shadow. For example, you might not want to start expressing your repressed grief when you are at work. You might not want to experiment with your anger in your relationship. Your shadows can mess up your life; that's why you put them in the bag in the first place.

Shadow Work creates a place in your life to let things out of the bag slowly, choicefully and safely. In Shadow Work you can experiment in a safe environment first, without the fear of real-life consequences.

You might not want to dive into your shadows alone either. Trained facilitators can help you keep it safe and help you break the job down into manageable parts, so you don't lose your perspective. Shadows can be very seductive. A trained coach can help you remember the overall goals you have chosen for yourself.

Various forms of Shadow Work is one of the things I do here at Integrated Magic. I help people find new & better tools, coping skills to resolve past trauma as well as release their emotional baggage & Shadows, instead of merely finding larger bags to fit their past baggage & Shadows into.

Has your emotional baggage begun to affect your daily life in unpleasant, harmful even destructive ways?

Here is a partial check list

Lacks confidence
Clings to others too much
Needs to have you tell them you love them constantly
Needs you to call them 24/7
Always blames others for THEIR PROBLEMS & issues
May not have many friends
May have had too many broken past relationships
Seldom has fun and seems depressed most of the time
Only talks about their problems or whines constantly
Is very quiet, act distance and not want to discuss their issues or problems
Has problems with sexual relationships
Has been caught stealing
Doing drugs
Drinking too much
Doesn't keep dates with you
Doesn't let you know where they're gone when they should be with you
Flirts with others
May be jealous and have rages

Most of us merely use whatever coping skills we were raised with rather that acquire new and/or better tools. Many do not realize that dragging around their baggage can cause deterioration of their mental & physical health until major damage has been done.

Unprocessed negative emotions

If your negative emotions are not fully processed there is a high chance they can fester, distort & turn bitter, where they then can harden & compress into a hardened shell. Without release the poison can cause great mental, physical & emotional pain as well as permanent damage -- even shorten your life span.

Has the recent down turn in the economy wrecked havoc in your life thru: loss of job, loss of income, increased credit card debt, failed marriage, repo, foreclosure, overwhelming stress or sleepless nights? Has this caused paralysis in your life? Then it's likely time to learn better ways to resolve past baggage, problems, issues and get a new grip & start in life.

I am skilled at working with symbols, archetypes, Shadows, your unconscious, dreams as well as releasing frozen mental and emotional states. I work to achieve the best possible results in the shortest possible time, so that you can achieve your goals and new possibilities free of hindrance.

The Wounded Feeling Function

In these modern times it's more important than ever that we understand and deal with the wounded feelings aspect of the Shadow in both the male & female psyche.

Nor is this mere 21^stpop psychology it was known and documented as far back as the middle ages.

At Integrated Magic I can show you a number of ways to do effective Shadow Work. Learning healthy, effective methods of letting go of emotional baggage. It can extend your mental, physical & spiritual life. Let's discuss it.

References & Links

Frozen Emotions

Shadow - Wikipedia

A Little Book on the Human Shadow by Robert Bly

Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche by Robert Johnson

The Fisher King and the Handless Maiden: Understanding the Wounded Feeling Function in Masculine and Feminine Psychology by Robert Johnson

Inner Unity: The Vital Importance of Integrating Your Inner Feminine and Inner Masculine

The Solution to Your Problems: Rise Above the Trouble Zone

10 signs you've raised your vibrational frequency

Three Super-Fast, No-Equipment-Required, Frequency-Raising Techniques

Feelings Buried Alive Never Die by Karol Truman

Ego or Higher Self: Who's Behind Your Decisions?