Wonder if the dark shadows needs to be validated and integrated, so they can be recognized and when they come knocking internally, allow us the opportunity to discern the origin, are we being warned or are we being just dark?
When I refer to shadow or dark, it is not just one, they are the opposite of what are or want to be. Developing in early childhood out of a coping or protection mechanism, they sort of just hang out in us, rearing their ugly heads when we really do not have use for them…or maybe we do, but think of them as the negative sides. Somewhere anger protected you, somewhere selfishness warned you, somewhere fear protected you; as an adult, they can sabotage you because we have not put them to bed, or acknowledged their purpose during our formative years. It is a very deep and vast approach to integrating negative aspects, when we really look at them and when they show up in our adulthood, they are signals….unless you are psychopathic.
There to help us overcome our weaknesses, our fears, insecurities during ego development and latency, can make us look like assholes as adults. They are sub aspects, sometimes just being annoying and sometimes life saving.
It is too much to write out here, but shadow work can teach us more about ourselves in a weekend and 3 years of therapy.
I would be more than happy to talk about this, just know this is not my invention or creation, it is birthed from Carl Jung; it is really the break from psychoanalysis and psychosis that is Freudian and Jung’s belief that psychosis was created not birthed, therefore could be cured not managed. If you look at Freuds approach to “psychosis” I would assert that created more than he cured. If I had a moment of rage after suffering years of abuse, restrictions, rules, corsets, judgements and that rage was determined to be a psychotic break, then my family or husband, who had control over me under the best of circumstances, took me to an institution and I was restrained to a bed, injected with drugs, unable to free my limbs…damn right I would appear psychotic, I would struggle, scream, fight to this very day. The big break in the Freud/ Jung bromance was over this, in essence.
Jung was still very much a product of his era, but to me he was the Thomas Jefferson of all the early formers of psychology/psychiatry.
We all have shadows, we all have parts of ourselves we would rather remain hidden, what do we do when they refuse and come out anyway? Whether it be anger, rage, embarrassment, self hate, doubt, pick an adjective or noun, add a verb; make a list. Your safest shadows will probably come to mind first, that is fine; we all start somewhere. There is always one, one that is the touchstone, that when feel ready, when we have understood ourselves better, it will rise out of our darkness and just that alone is enough to bring the mountain down. It is scary, a lifetime of carefully constructing our defensive walls, only to realize that we built that wall or hid behind that mountain out of an experience, a perception, a FEAR that may have been real when we were small and struggle with its continued control over us…and inside of us, the ability to deconstruct, to smash, to make the mountain crumble is within our grasp. Literally within.
My black cat who wandered into my life is my dark shadow who absorbs all my stress and anxiety when I lay my head next to her body at night and listen to her rythmnic purr. 🐈⬛
This was an amazing podcast. I'm amazed by it, I'm honoured my essays have any sort of effect on you good sir.
I have to thank you - your essay really got me thinking.
So glad you enjoyed my “weaving”.
I genuinely did, and I’m glad it got you thinking. It’s all I want from my essays to get people thinking.
Wonder if the dark shadows needs to be validated and integrated, so they can be recognized and when they come knocking internally, allow us the opportunity to discern the origin, are we being warned or are we being just dark?
I think we need the dark shadow for discernment. Taming it means we learn where it can overrun us.
When I refer to shadow or dark, it is not just one, they are the opposite of what are or want to be. Developing in early childhood out of a coping or protection mechanism, they sort of just hang out in us, rearing their ugly heads when we really do not have use for them…or maybe we do, but think of them as the negative sides. Somewhere anger protected you, somewhere selfishness warned you, somewhere fear protected you; as an adult, they can sabotage you because we have not put them to bed, or acknowledged their purpose during our formative years. It is a very deep and vast approach to integrating negative aspects, when we really look at them and when they show up in our adulthood, they are signals….unless you are psychopathic.
There to help us overcome our weaknesses, our fears, insecurities during ego development and latency, can make us look like assholes as adults. They are sub aspects, sometimes just being annoying and sometimes life saving.
It is too much to write out here, but shadow work can teach us more about ourselves in a weekend and 3 years of therapy.
We have to talk so more about that - I’m really fascinated.
I would be more than happy to talk about this, just know this is not my invention or creation, it is birthed from Carl Jung; it is really the break from psychoanalysis and psychosis that is Freudian and Jung’s belief that psychosis was created not birthed, therefore could be cured not managed. If you look at Freuds approach to “psychosis” I would assert that created more than he cured. If I had a moment of rage after suffering years of abuse, restrictions, rules, corsets, judgements and that rage was determined to be a psychotic break, then my family or husband, who had control over me under the best of circumstances, took me to an institution and I was restrained to a bed, injected with drugs, unable to free my limbs…damn right I would appear psychotic, I would struggle, scream, fight to this very day. The big break in the Freud/ Jung bromance was over this, in essence.
Jung was still very much a product of his era, but to me he was the Thomas Jefferson of all the early formers of psychology/psychiatry.
We all have shadows, we all have parts of ourselves we would rather remain hidden, what do we do when they refuse and come out anyway? Whether it be anger, rage, embarrassment, self hate, doubt, pick an adjective or noun, add a verb; make a list. Your safest shadows will probably come to mind first, that is fine; we all start somewhere. There is always one, one that is the touchstone, that when feel ready, when we have understood ourselves better, it will rise out of our darkness and just that alone is enough to bring the mountain down. It is scary, a lifetime of carefully constructing our defensive walls, only to realize that we built that wall or hid behind that mountain out of an experience, a perception, a FEAR that may have been real when we were small and struggle with its continued control over us…and inside of us, the ability to deconstruct, to smash, to make the mountain crumble is within our grasp. Literally within.
This explains the reasons we do not want to dig, excavate and look at our shadows; I promise they are not this scary but we fear they are
My black cat who wandered into my life is my dark shadow who absorbs all my stress and anxiety when I lay my head next to her body at night and listen to her rythmnic purr. 🐈⬛