Understanding The Truth About Shadow Work
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- Опубликовано: 27 июн 2024
- In this video, Maggi Colwell, MS ATR-BC, delves into the true meaning of Jungian shadow work, a concept that has recently gone viral but is often misunderstood. Discover the differences between the popularized version of shadow work and Carl Jung's original concept. Maggi explains why shadow work is best approached with the guidance of a trained therapist and how it involves uncovering unconscious aspects of ourselves that our ego tries to hide.
Key Points:
What is Jungian Shadow Work?
Maggi explains that Jungian shadow work involves bringing to light the unconscious parts of our psyche that we are not aware of, as opposed to the common misconception that it simply involves acknowledging bad habits or negative self-talk.
The Importance of Professional Guidance:
Shadow work can be complex and challenging. Maggi emphasizes that it should be done with the help of a therapist who can provide support and insight, preventing potential emotional harm.
Real-life Examples:
Learn how shadow aspects manifest in our behavior and relationships, often causing patterns and triggers that we may be oblivious to but are apparent to those around us.
Dream Analysis:
Discover how dreams can provide a window into the unconscious, revealing shadow aspects that our waking mind might not be ready to confront.
Risks of Self-guided Shadow Work:
Maggi shares concerns about the growing trend of self-guided shadow work through self-help books and unqualified advisors, highlighting the dangers of opening "Pandora's box" without proper support.
Questions Answered:
- What is shadow work in Jungian psychology?
- How do I know if I have shadow aspects?
- Why is it important to do shadow work with a therapist?
- Can shadow work be harmful if done alone?
- How do dreams reveal our unconscious shadow?
- "The shadow is literally the things that you are not consciously aware of. If I'm aware of it, it's not shadow."
- "When people start to ask those kinds of questions of their families and friends, it turns into arguments. It's the part of yourself that you are very sensitive about and don't want to look at."
- "You could open Pandora's box, not have the proper support, and actually make your condition worse."
Why Watch This Video?
If you've been curious about shadow work and want to understand it from a Jungian perspective, this video is for you. Maggi Colwell offers clear explanations, practical advice, and emphasizes the importance of professional support in this deep and transformative psychological work.
For more insights on Jungian psychology and art therapy, visit columbusarttherapy.com.
Maggi’s Story:
I spent many years doing personal work, meditation, ritual, and training in an initiatory tradition in the Pagan community. I had a deep spiritual hunger and found that something was calling me from the ancient mysteries. After over a decade of training I received my 3rd degree initiation as a Wiccan High Priestess and started my own working group in New Jersey. However, this training and experiences did not equip me to understand the psychological needs, nor the psychological risks taken in such groups. This eventually led me to leaving my tradition, going into years of therapy and then Jungian analysis, and finally to a graduate degree in Art Therapy. I continue to study as a training candidate at the CG Jung Institute Zurich where I find my love for symbolism, mystery, psychology, creativity, and helping people has converged into an ongoing syncretic, and even, alchemical process. 
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I think I healed a lot but traumatized myself from the depths I explored in my shadow work, I haven't been able to find much positivity in life since, but I'm conscious of that now.
I felt the same way about the shadow work I did 15-20 years ago on my own. I highly recommend looking for support to help you work through the pieces that are coloring things in a negative light and keeping you stuck. It's so hard to know what we don't know. Try to be patient and kind with yourself as you continue on your journey.
@@chironarttherapy Thank you ❤️
Nice little clip about shadow work! Thanks! I think its a great advice you gave about , not opening the Pandora's box without having the proper professional help. However , when someone has come to a realization about the mind/thoughts and have an experience beyond the mind, they are able to see this patterns with their awareness and heal themselves.
Hi @NavodiLuwisHewa, thank you for your comment and thanks for watching. I agree there are lots of amazing realizations, personal work, and transformations that we can do on our own. Personal journeys are very individualized and can also be lonely. However, having experienced both, I do not think that what is commonly thought of as shadow work is actually the way Jung meant it. Mindset work is not shadow work that is much too much of a consciously driven process and is not the same thing.
Jung did it by going through what is represented in the Red Book. He never intended this very personal work to be made publicly available. It emphasises a 'working though' or process dynamic which needs to play itself out.
The concept 'shadow' only makes sense with regard to at least 2 other continuous concepts. In Jung's mental conceptual model these would be the 'ego' and the 'self'. Replace 'shadow' with 'dark' or 'subconscious' and 'ego' with 'light' or 'consciousness' and you can begin to understand this dynamic tension. Jung is referring to a very fundamental dynamic here - the Taoists represent this as the 'yin' and the 'yang'.
I say at least 2 because Jung also identified that in order for a dynamic tensioning to be functional (a "process-dynamic"), it needs a 3rd component - that which includes and transcends the fundamental pairing. For the Taoists, this is of course the 'Tao' which is the circle which includes and transcends both the 'yin' and the 'yang'. It is also the piece of 'one' that is in the 'other'. In Jungian terms, this would be the Self (which Jung defines as "a God image. Or, at least it cannot be distinguished from one"). So here, 'God'/'the self' is that 3rd element which seeks to bring both the light conscious thought and dark unconscious shadow into alignment with its God-image.
This is the best definition I can come up with for "Shadow-work" so far:
Seek god, venture out and find your darkness, confront it and enter into that dynamic dance. From the position of light, seek more and more of the darkness (as much as you can bear) knowing that the more of the dark shadow you can bring into the light of consciousness, the more enlightened and wiser you will become therefore, pleasing god. Do this everyday through thoughts, words and deeds and at the end you will have completed a "great work" or magnum opus.
Please take all of this entirely metaphorically, of course ;P
Actually he instructed his family to not release the Red Book until long after his death "about 40 or 80 years." They respected his wishes. It's been invaluable to us Post Jungians as we continue to develop the field for the future.
Even the definition of God is so subjective. Is it the Self? Is it totality? Is it the transcendent function? Is it the number zero or infinity or both? Oof! More question than answers, aways. Michael Conforti, one of my past teachers defined God as "that which brings us to our knees."
Even Jung abandoned his work on the Red Book after 17 years for his "great work" with alchemy. Taking all of these processes with deference and respect for how serious it can get is the right attitude.
I also think there is no reason to go into crisis or suffer alone without reaching out for more support and resources. It can get deep and overwhelming.
@@chironarttherapy Thanks for your provocative response! You are quite right about Jung's wishes. I get very uncomfortable whenever I read through the Red Book as I'm painfully aware that this stuff is deeply revealing of Jung's personal journey. So maybe I'm projecting my own shadow of never wanting others to see that dark side that I've had to confront in myself? Although there is something to say about the liberation of death and not caring anymore. I hope I can get to that place one day.
Regarding your questions about what is god? I would say yes, all of the above! At least according to Jung and what I've found. Words are labels which only point to deeper referents. Perhaps the deepest reference of all is that totality, is god? If that is what you mean by "god is subjective" then I can see where you're coming from though I think it's still a little confused. As an analogy, I read that sentence alternatively as 'the Tao is the yin' or 'the Tao is the yang'. Neither are false statements but; not the complete truth either.
I agree with Jung that the 'self' or 'god' is the most fundamental unity, the thing that unites all the opposites. The fundamental opposition, psychologically speaking; is that of ego and shadow - consciousness and subconscious pulling and pushing against one another contained within the background of the self. I like your teacher's definition because we have all had the experience of feeling so doggedly identified with one side of the polarity - usually from the side of ego-consciousness fighting against the perceived darkness of the other when suddenly, revelation is poured onto us (as if form "above"; from god) and we can plainly see the state of things as they are. It is generally a very humbling and difficult thing to experience. But if we can learn to submit to what is revealed, we may grow wiser under the guidance of our self; our god-image.
Finally, I'm in two minds about your final paragraph. Having gone though this process myself and very much alone (in fact, part of my personal revelation was to realise and accept that there may not be another soul alive who can currently help me--leaving my own salvation to myself). I can now see that I had to go through that journey alone but when I read Jung or Janet or Nietzsche or the gospels or gnostic texts I'm reminded that it doesn't have to be a lonely journey and that others have walked a similar path before.