In order to survive, we have all had to make compromises to our free and total expressions of our humanity. The parts of ourselves we have had to hide, repress or deny can collectively be called 'the shadow'. Carl Jung coined this term to aptly describe the way in which these parts of us follows us around, making appearances in our lives unconsiously.
"The truth of the matter is that the shadow is ninety percent pure gold" Carl Jung
Shadow Work is an approach to releasing human potential based on the work of Carl Jung and developed by Cliff Barry, Mary Ellen Blandford-Whalen, Erva Baden and Dimitri Bilgere. We can begin with almost any personal circumstance to symbolically represent outside what is going on inside and use processes to explore what might have been previously unrecognised.
It is a safe, respectful way to help people access as much or as little of the aspects of ourselves that lie ‘in shadow’ as is appropriate for each person at any given time. It is renowned for both its safety and impact. There are no tips or techniques to remember. There is a powerful and lasting transformation with no backsliding. It can be accessed via a small group experience or one to one.
It takes a lot of energy to hold parts of ourselves in shadow! Shadow work can help identify where energy is held in shadow, and reconnect you to the power contained within these parts. It can help you access and work with that energy safely, in an environment where you are protected from any collateral damage while you do so. It can also help by supporting you in integrating that energy into your life so you can use it for whatever purpose you choose.
'Know Thyself' - inscribed upon the Temple of Apollo in Delphi
An archetype is a collectively held unconscious aspect of the human psyche recognisable to all humans.
Shadow Work uses a four-quarter model which groups all the known archetypes which Jung identified into four separate categories: they are the energies of Sovereign, Warrior, Magician and Lover. We react to negative or painful messages absorbed from our environment over the course of our development by inflating or deflating one or more of these core energies. When these energies are out of balance, one or two tend to predominate.
The group Shadow Work weekend seminars are run by two co-facilitators, Elizabeth Klyne and Greg Manning, often with Shadow Work students helping out.
Elizabeth has spent most of her professional life since 1996 as a coach and have been a certified Shadow Work coach since 2014 and group facilitator since 2015. She is also a Shadow Work Coaching trainer, mother, cake baker and Director of Women in Power CIC.
Greg has been around Shadow Work in various forms since 2014, and helps people to discover and integrate their shadows in the Shadow of the Shaman space holding course. You can find out more about his work by exploring the rest of this website, which is his.
Group Workshops are weekend seminars which run from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening for groups of 8 participants. The weekend is an in-depth experiential session where time is initially spent exploring, understanding and experiencing the principles of Shadow Work through presentations, group rounds, pair work, visualisations and small group exercises. After that, each participant has time to present and explore their individual issue through a facilitated process. During this process, we will look at what you want to have to happen, which parts of you are involved in this situation, the possible origin of the behaviour and how you can change it. You might be clear on what you want to get from doing Shadow Work and you might not. It is alright if you don’t know, before you come to a session or workshop, what it is you want to have to happen. Just knowing that you want to have something happen, is enough!
The one-to-one coaching sessions are usually in-person but can also be done online. These typically last a few hours. During such a session, we will start by exploring what you want to have to happen, how your history might have impacted the way you behave today and what is hindering you in reaching what you want. We will then begin to unpack the parts of you which are involved in this situation in order to understand more about how these parts relate to each other and to find a way to begin to change your behaviour in the light of knowing what you want. At the end, you will have time to integrate what has happened.
In Shadow Work, everything is held with the highest level of shame-free respect and confidentiality.