Episode 16: Breaking the Shadow Open

Hannah and Alexa explain a concept developed by psychiatrist, Carl Jung called the Shadow.

In the early twentieth century, Carl Jung developed a way to conceptualize our "self", identifying two main structures: the persona 
(the things we know about ourselves that we present to the outside world), and the shadow (the unconscious part of ourselves that we keep hidden).

Hannah and Alexa explain this and educate listeners about this concept. They explain that this isn't a bad or good thing, that each person has a persona and shadow side. They show that social media is a good way to see how we each present our persona.

Hannah further explains the shadow and says she visualizes this concept as a backpack we all carry that contains the rules and "shoulds" we all learn about who we are supposed to not be. She shows that often people think of the shadow as dark and containing bad and unwanted aspects of ourselves, it often contains potentially good and healthy aspects and energy that could be useful to people.

Alexa explains projection and what happens when our shadow is activated and have strong reactions.

Alexa shares about an experience she had recently at a conference where she witnessed other therapists have reactions that seemed to come from their shadows.

Hannah and Alexa examine how the current political environment in America seems to be activating many shadow reactions.

Hannah and Alexa share personal examples of shadow work they've done, and times they've recognized something come up from their shadows. 

Hannah discusses the danger of not exploring the shadow side. She provides examples of things that happen when the shadow is not recognized or explored. As she explains, when someone firmly attaches to their persona, while disowning and repressing their shadow side, the shadow side often takes over and drives someone's behavior, leading to increasingly toxic and harmful actions, examples Bill Cosby and Michael Jackson.

She shares examples of things that are often in one's shadows and explains that each person has a shadow side and is capable of doing harmful behavior.

Hannah then explains the process of unlocking and integrating the shadow. She explains that when someone explores their shadow side and becomes conscious of it, they feel better, become aware, can harness the power of the shadow, and then don't engage in harmful behavior.

Alexa educates listeners about the "idealized self" and explains why many of us don't like to look at our shadows.

Hannah also explains Carl Jung's concept of the collective shadow. She shows how this collective consciousness leads to groupthink, allowing people to feel supported and empowered and to collectively engage in hate, seeing people with differing views as the "other', a faceless group that is seen as bad and dangerous.

Hannah and Alexa talk about how to do shadow work. They share tools and ways people can unlock, explore and integrate their shadow sides. They explore the power of examining projections and reactions, psychotherapy, journaling, examining dreams, using substances like dmt and ayahuasca, and reflecting on the rules we each have in our shadow backpacks.

Hannah says that often sexuality is locked in our shadows. She explains the power and possibilities for growth that happen when we harness our sexual energy and examine the sexual elements we've placed in our shadow.

Hannah shares examples of shadow from the media and from movies. She explores Batman, Star Wars, and Disney, including Elsa.

Hannah explains that by becoming more aware and conscious of the elements of our shadows, we become more integrated and whole. We feel better, we have more power, we have more control over our behavior, and we feel less shame.

 

Resources:

Hannah Mirmiran and Alexa Theisen practice at Omaha Psychotherapy.

omahapsychotherapy.com

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