About Shadow Work
What is the Shadow?
In shadow work, when we talk about the Shadow, we are referring to the part of our mind which we are not consciously aware of, the unconscious mind. In the Shadow we store emotions, memories, beliefs about ourselves and others and behaviours. Although we are not aware of what is in our shadow, these emotional drivers affect how we behave in the real conscious world, but in a way which is very hard for us to control.
The Shadow gets populated by emotions beliefs and behaviours during our development from our birth to full adulthood, in response to our familial, societal or cultural environment. For example, a boy may be expected to be tough and not cry in certain situations by his father, and as a result he may unconsciously learn to not cry and be emotional. So we say that he has put some of his ability to cry and show emotion in to shadow. As a boy this may help him gain his father’s approval, but later in life this may show up as an inability to be open and loving, when he might want and need to be. This is a single example to explain how the shadow, but in practice there is no limit to what is put into our shadow.
Why work with the shadow?
Although we are not aware of what we have stored in our shadow (by definition it is unconscious to us), the emotions and beliefs we keep there can affect us in our everyday lives. They actually shape how we are and how we show up in the world. So if there is an emotional or behavioural aspect of ourselves that we wish to change, it is possible that it is rooted in our shadow. Something we learnt in our formative years and put into shadow is still affecting us, determining how we behave and react to situations in our lives. Our shadow affects every aspect of our lives, at home, in relationships, at work. Any issues we have are open to being worked on in shadow work. Working with our shadow, becoming conscious about our shadowy beliefs about ourselves and others, working to change our shadow beliefs and dynamics, can have a quick and beneficial impact on our lives.
What Happens in a
Healing The Shadow session?
A Healing The Shadow Session can be from 2 to 5 hours long. This allows for a spacious and deep exploration of the issue. A full sessions includes a deep discussion of the issue the client is bringing and the distillation of the clients want for the session. Once this is established, I facilitate the client to explore different parts of themselves. The parts are represented by coloured cloths or props on a carpet, and in this way we build picture of what’s going on for the client in their psychological world. Finally, the client has the opportunity to work with the parts on the carpet to bring healing or change to the underlying dynamics.
All the work is client focussed and client led. We strongly believe that every client has the capacity, intelligence and resources to solve their issues. My job as a facilitator is to help the client explore their shadow and uncover the golden nuggets that will lead them to personal growth and change.