24/05/2022
Shadows.
Have you ever said, thought or done something that you regret?
And afterwards you ๐คท๐ปโโ๏ธ wondered:
~ What just happened here?
~ What was that about?
~ Why did I say that?
If youโre curious and yes, brave enough to look at those parts of you that challenge your constructed idea of who you are, you might might see your shadow.
The โshadow selfโ is a concept first coined by 20th century psychologist Carl Jung. He called it a moral problem that challenges aspects of our personality that we choose to reject and repress.
You know ๐ค
The parts of ourselves that we donโt likeโor that we think society wonโt like.
Jung had this theory that we push those parts down into our unconscious. Bury them.
Most of us donโt want to acknowledge that these blind spots exist. ๐ ๐
We tend to want to distance ourselves psychologically from thoughts & behaviours that are undesirable such as:
~ Jealousy.
~ Feeling superior or better than.
~ Having biases and prejudices.
Jung believed that it takes effort to become conscious of oneโs shadow and then be ready to do the work.
I see this happen every day.
I find that patients find their way to my room when their way of being in the world no longer is working for them.
1) Some are invested in blame.
Or they may reject how their actions have played a part in a difficult situation. They might feel justified somehow? Or deny that theyโve played a role in it, because it would be too shameful to admit.
2) Some are invested in self-discovery & working with their shadows.
Therapy helps to:
~ Deepen an understanding of ourselves & explore what we co construct in our relationships.
Imagine what the world would be like if we acted as a collective? ๐๐ผ
Food for thoughtโฆ ๐ซ
โ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐.. ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐
๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐. ๐ป๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐๐ ๐๐๐๐-๐๐๐๐๐๐๐
๐๐.โ
- Carl Jung
Image c/o Marthe Sobczak
