The Shadow: Healing in the Dark

Shadow work is some of the most important work we can do as individuals on the path to healing and wholeness.

For those of you who have practiced emotional healing, with myself or another practitioner, have experienced the transformative process of shedding light in dark areas. Some of what we do in emotional healing is shadow work.  

So what is shadow work and why is it important?

Shadow work is the ability to heal aspects of ourselves that we are not consciously aware of.  The reason shadow work is so important is that it brings awareness to belief systems, emotions, experiences, and generational thought patterns that affect our everyday decisions and outcomes. Shadow work can be compared to shining a flashlight into a dark cave: we are shining awareness (light) on information or systems of thought that were previously shrouded in darkness. By doing so, we can more clearly discern if we are holding onto truth or falsehood - or said another way - whether our beliefs serve our greater good or keep us from it.

UNDERSTANDING THE MIND

To understand shadow work it’s important to understand the mind.  Let’s use the classic iceberg analogy for this:

Imagine an iceberg, a great shard of ice sitting above the surface of the water. This represents our conscious mind. It is our active decision-making faculty and comprises less than 10% of our cognitive capacity. This is everything we can actively see - what we are aware of in the present moment.

Now if we were to look beneath the surface of the water, we would see that this iceberg is much bigger below: a mountain of ice, representing roughly 90% of our cognitive capacity. This is our subconscious mind. It holds all of our beliefs, experiences, familial thought patterns, and genetic information below the surface of our awareness.

It’s now we might realize that this iceberg sits in the ocean.  The ocean might be considered the collective unconscious, representing the combined cognitive information of all humanity. Just as an iceberg is influenced by the water in which it is held, the collective unconscious impacts our individual thoughts, feelings and emotions.

The iceberg is both an aspect of the collective, and independent of it.  So we are both influenced by the collective and, likewise, we influence the collective consciousness of humanity.

Using this analogy, we can see that when we are doing shadow work, we are working with the 90% subconscious aspect of ourselves. This is how we can help to heal not only our individual subconscious thoughts, but also the thoughts of our family, ancestry, and larger human family.

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When I say “shadow work” folks often become nervous.

The truth is that shadow work is simply bringing subconscious information to the surface, into our awareness, so that we can address and heal any negative influence it might have on our thoughts and beliefs.

I personally feel that shadow work is a necessary and powerful tool for personal growth of any kind.  It can be accomplished in any way that allows us to access information held beyond our active awareness: through meditation, emotional healing, chakra work, hypnosis, and other modalities that allow us to bypass the conscious and access information below the surface of our awareness.

SHADOW WORK, UNCOVERED

Let’s learn the power of shadow work through something we can all relate to: abundance.

A common theme with my clients is healing our emotions and beliefs around lack and limitation. Imagine someone, who we’ll call Jan, that has a desire to create more income, wealth, or abundance in her life. Let’s say she is active in personal growth and development.  Perhaps she has written down her financial goals and has been saying affirmations around money.  We can say that Jan is doing a really good job making strides to a better financial future. It is important to know that Jan is using her active conscious mind, the 10% of the iceberg above water, to make movement to her goal.

Let’s say Jan has made some progress. She has increased her monthly income, but still feels like she has to exert a lot of willpower to “make it happen.”  Jan decides to look at this through the lens of emotional healing, to see if there are any subconscious beliefs or thought systems that need to be healed around money.

Through emotional healing, Jan might bring forward experiences and decisions that have shaped her perspective around abundance. Perhaps she grew up in the Midwest where there was an underlying currant of “needing to work hard to get what you want” (collective unconscious and subconscious influences).  Let’s also say that Jan’s father grew up in the depression, where unaddressed feelings of lack and limitation were passed down to Jan generationally. This set the stage for Jan to build more evidence to support both of these generational and cultural belief systems.

Let’s also say that at 13 Jan started a babysitting business. Jan was making a healthy stream of income for herself at this age, and she really enjoyed doing it. Perhaps, during the course of an emotional healing session, a memory comes forward about a time when Jan was babysitting that went poorly.  Here is her story: There was a family where the children refused to sleep and Jan could never get the dinner cleaned up, between 3 unruly kids. By the time the parents are home, she is exhausted. Before handing her babysitting wages, the mother says a few harsh words to young Jan. Depleted and forlorn, Jan takes the money feeling awful about the evening. It’s not just the experience, but at that moment, Jan decides that making money never really was meant to feel good.  Maybe her Dad was right - "life is about putting your head down and doing with what little you have."

Jan, now 65, still carries the residual feelings of that young entrepreneurial experience within her. Trivial as it may seem, her subconscious mind has paired the idea of “hard work,” “pain,” and “exhaustion,” with abundance. And though her active mind has set goals and made strides, the subconscious part of Jan holds negative beliefs about herself and her ability to create abundance. Remember, the subconscious is more than 90% of our cognitive power.

By helping Jan to access the subconscious beliefs, we can shed the light of awareness onto them, releasing what no longer serves her.

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In our desire to do good work in the world and experience greater outcomes, let us not look solely to that which we can see.  Instead, let us be able to shine a flashlight into the darkness and bring forward all aspects of ourselves yet to be seen.

Seasonal Wellness: Spring | Part 2

In my previous post we learned about seasonal wellness, living in tune with nature’s natural rhythms, and what the season of spring has to teach us.  Likewise, we reviewed “spring cleaning” along with some of my favorite tips for cleansing your physical space.

It’s not just our physical space that we can cleanse. We all have a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual body. Spring is also a good time to look at cleansing not just space, but our minds, emotions, spirits, and bodies.

A quick note: Because our mind, emotions, spirit, and bodies are all connected, when we cleanse one aspect, we often begin to see benefits in the other.  For example, cleansing the body through exercise and diet, helps us to clear our minds and boost our emotions.  When we feel emotionally and in our physical bodies, we also “lift” our spirits.

The following is a few suggested practices for cleansing. In my own practice, I typically pick one or two areas to focus on. Spring has a sense of effortlessness to it; plants don’t strive to grow. Naturally, with the lengthening of the days, we become more active, and absorb more Vitamin D. So look at these practices as a welcomed boost, not as a struggle.  Use your own good discernment and judgement on a cleansing practice that feels right for you. I do not recommend any extreme “dieting” or exercise regimens, and please consult with a primary care physician before embarking on any extreme dietary cleanses.  Remember, spring is about releasing and making way for new growth. A mantra at this time is: I release old energy and make way for new growth and beauty in my life.

Mind

A-typical to the majority of folks, I tend to put forth new annual goals and intentions forward in spring as opposed to the New Year. Nothing says “no thanks” to new goals like another 3.5 months of winter, here in Minnesota. I keep winter for more of the inner work.  Come spring, it feels like the best time for me to focus on what’s ahead. I have found that the best way to “cleanse” my mind is to give my mind something to focus on. For some, spring is an excellent time to meditate and clear the mind.  For active exercises, I recommend:

• Creating a new vision board
• Writing out your intentions for the next 6 months and year ahead
• Locating a new area of interest and pursuing self-study on that topic

To make room for new ideas and mindset, it’s important to first clean out the old.  In my last post, I wrote about clearing out old books, papers and information. When we clear out the old, we make room for the new.  If you are a student, be sure to weed through books you intend to keep or those you can donate. Be clear about the notes you want to keep. Spring is an excellent time to get a new journal or notepad.

To clear the mind, I also recommend working with the body. Active, rhythmic exercise is a wonderful way to drop out of the head space and move back into the body.  We can actually clear the mind through this process.  Some recommendations are gardening, running / jogging, yoga, or active meditation.

Body

For the last 8 years I have done a spring cleanse every year.  This has changed in intensity, from “The Master Cleanse” to simply cutting out stimulants and meat. As a longtime runner, it just felt right to prepare my body for the outdoor running season by hitting the reset button on my diet.  Each person is different. I intuitively feel what is right for my body each year. Some years, my physical activity is too great to support a calorie-restrictive cleanse. Other years, I Vitamix soup and smoothies, with restorative exercise.  If you intend to do a body cleanse using diet, I recommend taking an honest look at what is doable for you personally, and aim to set an intention of self-kindness and restoration, over intensity.  Remember, spring is about renewal.

Interestingly, when we cleanse the body, often times we may notice anger, resentment, and even sadness rise to the surface.  Cleansing the body is a great way to also release emotions. The gut is referred to as “the second brain.”  Our repetitive eating patterns reflect the way we feel about ourselves and those feelings are stored in the gut. By cleansing, we are releasing ourselves from physical patterning that can result in emotional release as well.  So be kind, loving and gentle during any dietary cleansing.

If you would like to cleanse the body, but prefer to not to do it through diet, here are a few other helpful recommendations:

• Epsom salt baths
• Massage - you can also do this on your own, such as an Ayurvedic sesame oil practice
• Tapping
• Qigong active exercise
• Exercise paired with salt baths or steam rooms

Spiritual / Emotional

For purposes of my recommendations, I am going to link the spiritual and emotional bodies.  Here are 3 recommendations to reset your spiritual / emotional bodies for spring:

Smudging:

In my last post we talked a great deal about space cleaning. Another way to space clean is through using sage smudge sticks to clear your office or home.  I house this under emotional / spiritual because we are actually clearing energy from a space and old, stuck emotions when we are “space clearing” with this method.  There is plenty of information in books and on the internet on how to do this, so I won’t go into detail  However, I always recommend that smudging is done with intention.  Typically, I recite an intention while I smudge a home or office.  Here is an example: All negative energies, emotions, and beliefs leave this space and this home, now. Thank you.

Essential oils:

For many of my clients, myself included, I recommend using essential oils to clear negative emotions or to boost emotions.  I use a diffuser throughout the day to diffuse small amounts of essential oils into my office and home. I test which oils are best for me at a given time, however, most essential oil companies have blends  or information on what emotions each essential oil is helpful in releasing or boosting.  When going this route, I recommend doing some research into the quality of ingredients and where they’re sourced.  Some oils can be expensive, but in this case not all oils are created equally.

Emotional healing:

Well, of course, I had to outline my favorite source of emotional and spiritual cleansing, emotional healing.  Emotional healing is unique in that it can impact all areas of self: physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. Springtime is a wonderful space to cleanse your energy. Likewise, pairing emotional healing with another form of active cleansing can create magnificent results in your overall wellness.

Here's to springing forth new energy and new beginnings!

Solar Plexus: Accessing Our Inner Power

It’s time to explore our own inner power and there’s no better place to look than the solar plexus chakra.

*To get an overview on the seven chakras, you can visit my earlier post here: Chakra Crash Course

The Solar Plexus

This chakra is located right in the stomach area below the sternum.  This is the home of our self identity, the ego, and energetic vitality. The solar plexus governs liver, pancreas, digestive system, spleen, and gallbladder.  

FAST FACTS:

• Color: Yellow
• Essential Oils: Lemon, grapefruit, and other citrus scents
• Music Note: E
• Element: Fire

Lessons from the Solar Plexus

The solar plexus is in the chakra of the Self, our: esteem, worth, identity, and instinct. Individuals who have a healthy solar plexus walk the planet with the ability to generate personal power and confidence from within. This is an inner reservoir of strength and vitality, propelling will and intentions into actionable reality.

The solar plexus is where the ego resides. Often there can be a misconstrued beliefs about the ego.  Some might think that the ego is harmful and needs to be destroyed. I myself have found, corroborated by a few respected mentors, that the ego has a purpose to serve.

Think about it, our ego essentially differentiates our energy from the energy of others.  

When we discern what is our energy, our body, or our thoughts we’re at the same time taking responsibility for our health, our energy, thoughts, actions, and outcomes. In many ways the ego helps us to take ownership over our lives.  

Imagine a great garden without ownership:
Who would make sure the seeds were put in the ground in this area?  
Who would do the weeding on the south quadrant?

The ego helps us to establish what part of the great garden is ours to plant, care for, and reap harvest.  A healthy ego is much the same: we accept the areas of life where we can use our personal power to create change.

If our ego is underdeveloped, we’re often in other people’s gardens, pulling up weeds, while our own garden is malnourished and unattended.

If we’re too much in our ego, then we’re harvesting fruit from gardens that are not ours and that we did not help to plant or maintain.

Patterns of Imbalance

The solar plexus governs our digestion, our ability to receive and process vital nutrition.  This chakra also governs mental thought. Scientific studies have found that young people in school perform better when they have access to healthy, nutritious lunches. Proper nutrition impacts our ability to absorb nutrition and new information. When we are not nurturing ourselves, we are not learning or growing. The stomach and the brain are connected.

The following can be indicators of a solar plexus imbalance:

• Low vitality / sluggish
• Pessimism / moodiness / depression
• Digestive issues and food sensitivities
• Liver issues
• Excessive worry and nervousness
• Mental confusion / “clouded thinking”

As we have explored in other chakras, patterns of imbalance happens on a continuum. Sometimes this center is under energized, and at other times we are in excess of energy, holding onto and stagnating the center.

As an a facilitator, here are some of the emotional imbalances commonly seen in the solar plexus.

If we have an over-exercised solar plexus you may notice the following in yourself or others:

• Unhealthy competition
• Deep entrenchment in right or wrong, black or white, all-or-nothing thinking
• Close-mindedness, singular thinking
• Perfectionism, inflexibility
• Judgement and criticism
• Exaggerated sense of self-esteem; excessive focus on self
• Using power to control others
• Shape-shifting, wearing social masks

When we do not have enough energy in this center, you might notice in yourself or others:

• Lack of personal responsibility, low willpower
• Victimhood / self victimization
• Damsel in distress energy
• Low energy, feeling incapable or weak
• Low self-esteem
• Indecision / compulsive distraction
• Lack of energetic boundaries
• Loss of personal identity

Healing the Solar Plexus

In an emotional healing session, we are clearing old belief systems and games (patterns of control) that no longer serve us. This clears out emotional blockages in our chakra system, including in the solar plexus.

When healing this chakra with my clients we are often visiting teenage years when our identities are being formed and expressed in the world.  The decisions we make about ourselves at this time play out in our 20’s, 30’s, 50’s and beyond. If we decided at a young age that we are not good enough, we repeat this cycle of belief in our actions and the circumstances we create in our lives.

In addition to emotional healing session work, there are a few practices I often recommend to help boost the solar plexus, and consequently our personal power and vitality:

Nurturing the Body

Nurturing our bodies creates clarity of mind and is a practice in self-love. Consistent, small changes can create dramatic results. Begin to pay attention to how you feel with what you eat and drink.  
Do you feel heavy and lethargic after eating a certain food?  
Or flighty and chaotic?
What does your body need more of?

I have found Ayurvedic medicine to be an enlightening place to learn about a holistic approach to eating well.  Deepak Chopra’s “Perfect Health,” is a great place to start. An even simpler method is to bring awareness to diet and self-nurturing.  Asking the question: “What best serves my body and spirit today?” and making eating choices from this perspective can create tremendous healing.

Nurturing the Mind

Another way to nurture ourselves is to bring awareness to how we feed our minds. We are absorbing millions of bits of information every second of every day. Often we do this unconsciously. We spend time on social media, watching the news, or absorbed in the same conversations with the same people.

When we feel stagnation, frustration, and uninspired, I typically recommend my clients take a look at the information they’re taking in. Simply be aware.
How do you feel streaming social media sites or watching the news?
What’s the last book you read? Was it inspirational or in a new area of study?
Who do you spend your time with? Big-thinkers or complainers?

I challenge my clients to nurture their minds as well as their bodies. Surround yourself with big-thinking people, read books that inspire growth, and put your attention on the good and growing in the world. After all, when we feel good we do good.

The solar plexus teaches us that the way to experience light, vitality, and strength in the world around us is through the nourishment of our own bodies, minds, and spirit. Our only responsibility is to live in the full power and expression of our own inner light.

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Resources:

Perfect Health: The Complete Mind/Body Guide, Revised and Updated Edition

By M.D. Deepak Chopra

A great intro to nutrition through Ayurveda: