“Everyone carries a shadow. the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. At all counts, it forms an unconscious snag, thwarting our most well-meant intentions.”
”Shadow is that hidden, repressed for the most part, inferior and guilt-laden personality whose ultimate ramifications reach back into the realm of our animal ancestors.”
C.G. Jung
Most would agree that the great Carl Jung did much to popularize the western understanding of the “shadow.” Yet the concept itself is ancient. It has timeless eastern/esoteric spiritual and shamanic roots that Jung was well-acquainted with.
Jung’s own ‘confrontation with the unconscious’ engaged with gusto throughout his now much better understood dark night of the soul/descent into madness trials with the release of the Red Book shines the light, so to speak, on the depth of commitment to understanding and integrating his own shadow/unconscious contents.
Fascinating too that even though as we’re only now entering what’s being called the age of embodiment, Jung himself spoke (such as in the above quote) way back when to the necessity of not only making conscious but embodying that which we access.
Shadow defined
The shadow can be described many a way. In essence, and in short, I understand it as the various aspects of our private inner experience—of our psyche—that we have a vested interest in remaining unaware of. Unconscious of. The experiences, emotions, traits, proclivities, tendencies, views and corresponding behaviors we’re most likely to have ‘repressed,’ and keep suppressed, by definition then, are what we’re most prone to project out onto others and the world. Because that energy has to go somewhere.
“What we resist persists” the saying goes.
“A man who is unconscious of himself acts in a blind, instinctive way and is in addition fooled by all the illusions that arise when he sees everything that he is not conscious of in himself coming to meet him from outside as projections upon his neighbor.”
C.g. Jung
Projection can be understood as the outward persistence of what we resist (owning). And projection, it’s said, is hard-wired. As hard-wired as attachment—as that we are social creatures hard-wired for connection.
Both projection and attachment can be seen in a fresh light, through a modern lens, but I’ll come back ‘round to that below.
Back to shadow…
Individuals have shadows. Families have shadows. Organizations and institutions have shadows. Religions and Spiritual Traditions (all of them) have shadows. This is probably why there’s so much truth to the adage “For every ism is an eventual schism.”
Countries have shadows, too. In fact, there’s a whole psychoanalytic subfield of study called Psychohistory founded upon the view that all socio-political dysfunction, all international conflict— wars and such— can be largely reduced to the outward projection of shadow contents. It’s a bit myopic (and projection-laden itself?) but a rich and interesting view.
If you’ll indulging me in reaching back into my traditional ‘inside the box’ psychodynamic training vault here for a minute, one concept that’s always stuck with me from which to consider shadow contents comes from the standpoint of these three essential intrapsychic positions of how we organize our internal experience:
Good Me / Bad Me / Not Me.
(There’s an interesting corollary to other triune concepts like the Drama Triangle: Victim, Rescuer, Persecutor. And the related Transactional Analysis Ego State Theory: Child, Parent, Adult that I’ll maybe attempt to tackle in another post).
Anyway…
Good Me contents would be all the aspects of ourselves that are ego syntonic; free of inner conflict and outwardly applauded, positively reinforced, clearly welcomed as societally acceptable. Early on these would be the traits and behaviors that our families, schoolteachers and other authority figures deemed “good;” desirable, pro-social, and encouraged more of. Good Me contents are easy to lead with, rewarding to own and display.
Bad Me contents would be those traits and behaviors that received negative reinforcement, negative attention, withdrawal of affection or approval, and outward consequences. In the absence of much Good Me reinforcement, many of us overdevelop our Bad Me positions, becoming rebels with or without a cause, and taking more and more anti, rather than pro positions.
Because, especially as children, any attention always beats none. Every time.
When Bad Me is effectively channeled, transmuted, sublimated, great things can be accomplished. Great subversive art can be made. Great social change can be accomplished. But for Bad Me presentations to be truly effective, it must conform to the Dylan Paradox, based on Bod Dylan’s famous assertion that “To live outside the law, you must be honest.”
In most reasonably well adjusted humans, Bad Me contents are usually judiciously engaged, selectively demonstrated, and controlled/controllable.
“The disowned part of self is an energy– an emotion or desire or need that’s been shamed every time it emerged. These energy patterns are repressed but not destroyed. They are alive in our unconscious.”
John Bradshaw
Now the Not Me is where it gets interesting and connects most directly to the shadow theme.
As the name suggests, this is the repository of disowned aspects of Self. The so-called deeply ‘repressed’ contents—the experiences (traumas most especially), traits, thought forms, emotions, attitudes and corresponding behaviors that would be most universally considered unacceptable, unconscionable, even anti-social/sociopathic. In other words, that which is most antithetical to the stability and the Good Me image of the individual.
Think of this as the deepest, darkest part of the shadow-dungeon.
Not Me forever connects in my mind to the treasure trove of spiritual wisdom that largely reduces a healthy mind, and corresponding fulfilling life, to the ability to accept all of ourselves. All of who we are. This means all of what we’re capable of. And we’re all capable of everything and anything that anyone else is. The idea is that ultimately, there are no new thoughts, no new emotions. That all of what we think, feel, perceive and experience, so some extent or another, has all been thought, felt and experienced before. This extends to the idea that given the right (or “wrong”) set of variable/conditions— we are all capable of anything. Right down to the most horrendous acts. All of it.
“I AM THAT” proclaimed Sri Nisargradatta Majaraj as the penultimate liberation and doorway to the Supreme Soul of the Universe.
We are One. We are Everyone and Everything.
Practical Not Me example:
On the more straightforward and common end, take a tendency toward judging others. In this case with a rigidly devout, overly pious, traditionally ‘God-fearing’ individual where such a thing might be considered un-Godly, even sinful.
This neurosis about judgment could easily become Not Me to the individual operating within a such a system of strict conformity and constraint that the mere capability— let alone demonstration— of judgement toward another would be a threat to the likely fragile, inauthentic, at least under-developed self-concept. As well as an affront to the group ethos and self-identity, thereby awakening the possibility of deep shame, abandonment/rejection and/or reprisal.
Given that everyone is capable of and experiences judgmental thoughts at times— an inescapable truth as long as we’re housed in the body— it would leave such an individual no choice but to outright ‘disown’ the very existence of this tendency, banishing it forever into the “shadow.” Ironically/paradoxically, said individual then likely becomes gripped by the counterforce—a compulsive urge to crusade against judgment itself and/or those that 'judge others.
Most of us have seen this time and again, notably in our most conservative public evangelists and political figures. Though doth protest too much, right?
On the opposite end of the spectrum, take adult sexual attraction to children. A psychosexual proclivity toward pedophilia. Outside of some periods of ancient Greece where there was actual cultural support for such attraction and behavior, very few modern adults would outright own and exhibit such deviancy. The aberrant trait itself therefore easily become Not Me (or Bad Me, or even to some degree Good Me in private, shadowy like-minded circles) and thereby it would find expression in all manner of distorted, projected, shadowy, underground ways. Because the energy, the flame of human desire shall not be extinguished in whatever form that desire directs.
“The patience of lust in infinite” wrote Graham Greene.
Of course, the impulse to sexually abuse children (or anyone) is not simply about lust or sex. It’s very much about power, dominance, violence, and in most if not all cases on the deepest level the distorted re-enactment of early trauma, pain, and humiliation stemming from the banishment (Not Me) of such experiences in the psyche and history of those who perpetrate. Talk about shadow.
There may be no better, and sadder, example than the world-wide Human Trafficking / Sex Trafficking epidemic. It’s well understood that this epidemic is driven by multiple individual and systemic factors, only one of which (although a major one) is Not Me pedophilia-related drives. It seems this Not Me expression is often converted into its opposite by some organized religious circles into an outward cloak of caring for and nurturing children, thereby Not Me-masking the darker impulse and true goings on underneath, and the projection of these Not Me contents onto those who question or threaten to expose the “shadow” of the organization or subculture and the actions of individuals involved. Historically, the Catholic Church’s sexual abuse cover up is prime example.
But I digress. If you’d like to know more about this, check out organizations such as End Slavery TN, and Free for Life International. Because believe it or not, it’s right there in your backyard. I guarantee it. Scary but true. And true liberation and freedom are to be found in the light of truth, not the darkness of denial.
shadow in a the light of today
The progressive spiritual community at large— the SBNR (spiritual but not religious) and universalistically/gnostically-minded in particular seem to be historically and only more so taken with the shadow concept, and with “shadow work.” And that’s a great thing. We all need healing and integration. Our world obviously needs healing. Desperately.
While there are always more than one way to skin a cat, and probably very few decidedly “wrong” or overtly harmful ways of accessing and engaging the disowned parts of ourselves, there is, as I frequently hear, much confusion as to the “how” of doing shadow work.
In others words, for many, it’s too shadowy. In my view, part of why is that the ‘shadow’ concept is kind of lagging behind in a river of somewhat outdated conceptualization, and locked in a mono-mind construct that doesn’t mirror current holistic, integrative, mindbodyspirit, trauma-related understandings, informed by modern neuroscience.
To this end, I offer an updated perspective and pathway. And this comes largely from—you might have guessed it— the philosophy of Polypsychism / Multiplicity of Mind, from which the wonderful, trauma-aware, evidenced-based Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) model was born.
This is of course the view that the mind is naturally mosaic—made up of many “parts” that exist in a psychic constellation surrounding what in IFS is called the Self. Or the Larger Self. The Self is synonymous with the seat of consciousness, the soul if you will; the undamaged spiritual core of who we truly are, marked by such qualities as calmness, curiosity, compassion, courage and creativity.
I view the Self as not only all of the above and more, but as the direct link to Divinity; the Divinity within, if you will. (“As above, so below. As within, so without”).
Distinct from Self, our parts are those split off collections of subpersonalities within the system that had to separate from the Self, and adopt roles and functions to perform to help keep our system safe and protected. What is traditionally thought of as ‘defense mechanisms’ in psychology can be understood through IFS as parts doing what they learned to do.
In IFS, there are three classifications of parts:
Exiles
Mangers (aka protectors)
Firefighters
Exiles are typically thought of as our “lost inner children,” usually the youngest most vulnerable parts carrying the oldest, deepest pain.
Managers are those parts that protect the exiles, keeping them from flooding or overwhelming the Self.
Firefighters are the parts that spring us into extreme action (drinking binge, suicidality, etc) when something—usually an unexpected, frightening external event—occurs that threatens the ability of managers to contain the exiles.
In essence, the more difficult the childhood, the more parts we have, and the more extreme roles some of these parts are performing. The larger goal of IFS, like many forms of healing, is “all parts,” mindbodyspirit integration. Reliving our parts of their burdens, creating harmony where there is division, and helping our parts to adopt new, more updated and functional roles in support of the Larger Self.
shadow part(S)?
“Shadow work is the path of the heart warrior.”
C.G. Jung
From this modern perspective, at root, the ‘shadow’ then could be seen and treated as none other than a collection of parts split off from Self. Through this same lens, the popular concept of Ego could be liberated from the old (Freudian Id-Superego-Ego) construct, with its negative and selfish/self-centered implications, updated and reframed as as a collection of manager/protector parts just doing what know to do to keep us safe.
In other words, part of what we think of as shadow can be seen as exiles carrying the deepest, oldest pain, such as of being shamed, abused, humiliated and of which we are scarcely aware/unconscious. The pain our exiles carry could be considered Bad Me or perhaps in cases Not Me contents. Our manager parts could be seen as fiercely guarding our exiles through behaviors that could be considered Bad Me (defensiveness, judgment, hostile withdrawal, etc), yet they’re also just doing their job the only way they know how. And firefighters that attempt to help by snapping us into the ‘fight-flight’ response could be viewed as enacting impulsive “last resort” distracting, numbing or/or regulating behavior when Bad Me or Not Me-carrying parts threaten to overwhelm the system. Again, just doing their job.
What I love about this reframe and subsequent way of working with “shadow,” is that it normalizes, humanizes and provides a roadmap to helping these parts of us to unburden, heal, and join us (our Larger, Present Day Self) in a harmonious and cooperative effort at aligning with the leadership of our Larger Self, thereby contributing to humanity in pro-social ways.
It also reframes the “dark/shadow-light,” “good-bad,” “us-them” and “conscious/unconscious” polarizations into a more holistic, inclusive, and welcoming reality that we are all inherently multiple, all inherently good, and unified in that all parts of us have positive intent and are trying to do something for us, even if some of those ways are the worst ways imaginable.
In short, it really takes the business of healing and integration out of the shadows.
IFS shows us time and again that all parts are ultimately tired of the roles they’ve been forced into. These roles are adaptations, and not what they’ve ever truly desired to do, or be. Once understood and engaged, and once they feel okay with beginning to trust our Self, they are always amenable to change.
The Multiplicity-based mosaic mind view and the IFS approach offers a modern take on what we call “shadow work” by reframing it as “parts work,” out of the murky depths and into the bright, modern, multiplicitous light of day.
After all, we are both One and Many.
In this sense, it’s not so different or opposed to what the ancients elucidated, as Polypsychism is an ancient shamanic view, or in conflict with what Jung espoused as the larger goal of psychic integration, healing and wholeness.
Full circle.
other paths
Of course, there are sundry other ways to access and integrate all of who we are. Psychedelics— when utilized medicinally, mindfully, and ceremonially, with proper preparation, set and setting, on site guidance, and follow up integration support and exploration—- is one such way that’s clearly on the rise in our current climate of consciousness expansion. Never, ever to be embarked on lightly, one clear risk is skipping over or incomplete preparation work. Among other things, when our protector parts are not checked in with to see how they feel about a medicine journey, they can become overwhelmed by the intensity of the psychedelic experience, especially at high doses. Firefighters fearing exiles may flood the system can be triggered and an otherwise avoidable and unfortunate panic-laden flight/flight response can ensue mid-trip.
This is why IFS-focused sessions are always part of my preparation for my clients embarking on psychedelic journeys, be it ketamine infusion, psilocybin, LSD, ayahuasca ceremony or MDMA-assisted journeying.
Esoteric spiritual/meditational/devotional and supplication practices such as transmutational alchemy, trauma-focused bodywork, breathwork, certain forms of yoga (Kriya, Kundalini) and other somatic accompaniments, and even deep contact with nature all hold the promise of helping us make contact with our deeper mind, our long suppressed pain, and the exiled parts of ourselves.
Practicing radical self-honesty can’t hurt. Regularly, fearlessly looking deeply at how we see ourselves, others and the world. Committing to ‘catching ourselves in the act’ in real time of our projections and judgments compassionately, without judging and shaming ourselves, can take us a long way towards integrating the parts we’ve been historically conditioned to disown/project.
ready to discover and integrate your “shadow?”
If you’re seeking a Nashville Therapist or a Therapist in Franklin TN, if you want something different—a truly integrative and Outside the Box approach to mind body spirit healing and integration— visit me at Therapy Outside the Box for more information about me and the services I offer. Or email me at: chris@therapyoutsidethebox.com or call me directly at 615.430.2778.
Some of my services are available virtually anywhere via Telehealth/Secure Video. Discount multi-session packages are also always available.
“There’s an Outside the Box Solution for Every Problem.”
Peace, Love and “Parts Work”
Chris Hancock, LCSW, ACMHP
Franklin, TN