Rooken’s GoldenShadows Collection

spiritsound.comhttp://www.spiritsound.com/arrien.html

Please note: this is an unofficial webpage devoted to Angeles Arrien. The excerpt below is posted here to whet your appetite for Ms. Arrien's wonderful work, and perhaps entice you to explore her website or order her books online.

Four Ways to Wisdom

BY ANGELES ARRIEN

As Alvin Toffler points out in his visionary book "Future Shock", we must become more capable of handling change than ever before if we are to survive and thrive in the twenty-first century. Toffler observes, "We have the opportunity to introduce additional stability points and rituals into our society, such as new holidays, pageants, ceremonies, and games. Such mechanisms could not only provide a backdrop of continuity in everyday life but serve to integrate societies and cushion them somewhat against the fragmenting impact of super-industrialism."

Although Toffler writes about introducing new techniques to help us handle change, indigenous and Eastern cultures have long recognized that the only constant is change. Among tribal peoples, medicine men, chiefs, shamans, teachers or seers are called "change masters." The shamanic traditions practiced by agrarian and indigenous peoples remind us that, for centuries, human beings have used nature and ritual to buffer the effects of change and to support a life event, rather than denying or indulging in it. Although individuals in industrial cultures can help themselves embrace change through dreams, images, play, relationships and acts of creative work, we suffer from the lack of cultural support as we face the ever-increasing demands of change. In the introduction to Arnold Van Gennep's Rites of Passage, Salon Kimbala observes that "one dimension of mental illness may arise because an increasing number of individuals are forced to accomplish their traditions alone and with private symbols."

In cultures like ours where we are alienated from our mythological roots, renewal requires a return to the basic source where all personal and cultural myths are ultimately forged the human psyche. To guide our renewal we can look to cross-cultural research that reveals how shamanic traditions have consistently accessed four archetypal patterns to maintain connections to the mythic structures that support creative expression, health and adaptation to change. These four archetypal ways are The Way of the Warrior, The Way of the Healer, The Way of the Visionary and The Way of the Teacher. The four Ways reflect a pervasive belief that life will be simple if we practice four basic principles: Show up or choose to be present, pay attention to what has heart and meaning, tell the truth without blame or judgment, and be open, rather than attached to, the outcome.

THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR

The task of the warrior is to show up, to be visible and empower others through example and intention.

Through the archetype of the warrior an old-fashioned term for leader indigenous societies connect to the process of empowerment and to the human resource of power. Universally there are three kinds of power: power of presence, power to communicate, power of position. Shamanic societies recognize that a person who has all three powers embodies "big medicine."

Every human being carries the power of presence. Some individuals carry such presence that we are drawn to and captivated by these charismatic people even before they speak or we know anything about them.

A warrior or leader uses the power of communication to effectively align the content, timing and placement to deliver a message at the right time in the right place for the person involved to hear and receive it.

A warrior demonstrates the power of position by the willingness to take a stand. Many politicians have great presence and great communication, but lose power when they allow constituents to wonder where they stand on specific issues.

Examples of individuals who carry all three powers and who access the mythical structure and archetype of the Way of the Warrior are Mother Teresa, Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Each has been committed to aligning the power of presence, communication and the willingness to take a stand in arenas that have heart and meaning for them.

Cross-culturally, the posture of standing meditation in one position with arms at sides and eyes open for at least fifteen minutes is used in the martial arts, spiritual practices and in the military as a way of reinforcing and coalescing the three universal powers and of connecting the practitioner with the greater being of who he or she is.

Most native peoples attribute the Way of the Warrior to the direction of the North, the home of Father Sky and of all the winged creatures. The belief is held that during challenging times, it is essential to face our challenges with the grace, power and dignity of the "winged ones." It is important to remember that when challenges present themselves, it is the warrior's way to embrace them with full-bodied presence rather than to constrict in fear.

THE WAY OF THE HEALER

The task of the healer is to pay attention to what has heart and meaning and to access the human resource of love. We express the Way of the Healer through attitudes and actions that maintain personal health and support the welfare of our environment.

The archetype of the healer is a universal mythic structure that all humans experience. Every culture has ways of maintaining health and well-being. Healers in most traditions recognize that the power of love is the most potent healing force available. Effective healers from any culture are those who extend the arms of love gratitude, acceptance, recognition, validation and acknowledgment.

Probably the most powerful contemporary example of someone who demonstrates the healing power of extending love is Mother Teresa. In shamanic traditions she would be called a medicine woman.

The posture of lying meditation is often used for healing work. In "journey work," which is lying down on one's back with closed eyes to the accompaniment of the drum, individuals in shamanic traditions access spiritual guidance and healing. When individuals do a journey, they open themselves to the possibility of removing the blocks and obstacles to receiving and giving love.

Most native peoples attribute the Way of the Healer to the direction of the South, with Mother Nature and all the four-legged creatures. Across cultures, there are four universal healing salves: singing, dancing, storytelling and silence. Native cultures transmit their values, ethics and spiritual beliefs through the oral traditions of stories, songs, dances and silent rituals and prayer. It has long been recognized that these healing salves reawaken and sustain the divine child within human beings and return to individuals the qualities of wonder, hope and awe. It is how we pay attention to our life story that allows us to experience the human resource of love, the most powerful healing force on Mother Earth.

THE WAY OF THE VISIONARY

The task of the visionary is to tell the truth without blame or judgment. Truthfulness, authenticity and integrity are essential keys to developing our vision and intuition. We express the Way of the Visionary through personal creativity, goals, plans, and our ability to bring our life dreams and visions into the world.

All cultures regard the importance of vision and its capacity to magnetize the creative spirit. Shamanic societies use Vision Quests, extended periods of solitude in nature, as a way of remembering their life dream and of accessing the four ways of seeing: intuition, perceptions, insight, and vision.

Many native American cultures hold a belief that each individual is "original medicine," nowhere duplicated on the planet and that therefore it is important to bring the creative spirit and life dream or purpose to Earth. Since we are "original medicine," these native people see that there is no need for comparison or competition. The work is to come forward fully with our gifts, talents and resources and to powerfully meet our tests and challenges. The Visionary is one who brings his or her voice into the world and who refuses to edit, rehearse, perform or hide all ways we can feed the false-self system of denial and indulgence.

Among most indigenous peoples, the direction of the East is associated with the home of the Great Spirit, the place of the rising sun and the place where we come home to our authentic self. Archetypically, the bell or conch shell serves as a sonic voice that calls people together and calls us as individuals to remember our authentic purpose.

The human resource of vision is the container that magnetizes the creative spirit to bring one's original medicine into the world. It is the Visionary within that inspires the voice to share what it sees. Rollo May states what shamanic traditions have practiced for centuries, "If you do not express your own original ideas, if you do not listen to your own being, you will have betrayed yourself."

THE WAY OF THE TEACHER

The task of the teacher is to be open, rather than attached, to outcomes. Openness and non-attachment helps us recover the human resources of wisdom and objectivity.

Every culture has traditional and non-traditional means of education. Shamanic traditions believe that wisdom is flexible and fluid. The teacher's way is to be open to outcome and access wisdom by learning how to trust and be comfortable with states of not knowing. Trust is the container out of which the qualities of wisdom grow clarity, objectivity, discernment and detachment.

The opposite of trust is control. The trickster figure found in many shamanic traditions functions to present surprises and the unexpected as a way of waking people out of their routines and shocking them into seeing their attachments.

Among many shamanic traditions, the Way of the Teacher is associated with the direction of the West, the home of Grandmother Ocean and all the water creatures. The ocean is nature's mirror for indigenous cultures to learn how to be malleable and fluid.

BALANCING THE FOUR-FOLD WAY

Even though these four archetypes are emphasized in most shamanic traditions, it is important to understand the they are universal and easily accessed by all humans in a variety of different contexts, cultures, structures and practices. To maximize well-being and to be adaptable to change, indigenous peoples consider it important to be equally balanced in the areas of leading, healing, visioning, and teaching work.

If you numbered these archetypes from one to four, with one being the most developed in your nature and four being the least developed, what would you discover? Most cultures recognize optimum health as having a balance in the expression of all four of these ways. Independent of the culture we come from, we can follow the warrior's way to access power, the healer's way to access love, the visionary's way to access vision, and the teacher's way to access wisdom.

Through the resource of power we are able to choose to be present. Through the resource of love we are able to pay attention to what has heart and meaning. Through the resource of vision we are able to give voice to what we see. Through the resource of wisdom we are able to be open, not attached to, outcomes.

the above essay is Copyright 1995 by Angeles Arrien

Angeles Arrien, Ph.D. is a cultural anthropologist, educator, corporate consultant and author of
The Four-Fold Way: Walking the Paths of the Warrior, Teacher, Healer
and Visionary and Signs of Life: The Five Universal Shapes and How to Use Them.
She lectures internationally and conducts workshops that bridge cultural anthropology, psychology and comparative religions. Her work reveals how indigenous wisdoms are relevant in our families, professional lives and our relationship with Mother Earth.

View a brief Angeles Arrien Bibliography or a Fourfold Way Overview Chart

Send email to:

  Page created April 1997

psychotherapy.nethttps://www.psychotherapy.net/article/the-gift-of-therapy

The 3 First Chapters

Remove the Obstacles to Growth

When I was finding my way as a young psychotherapy student, the most useful book I read was Karen Horney's

Neurosis and Human Growth

. And the single most useful concept in that book was the notion that the human being has an inbuilt propensity toward self-realization. If obstacles are removed, Horney believed, the individual will develop into a mature, fully realized adult, just as an acorn will develop into an oak tree.

"Just as an acorn develops into an oak." What a wonderfully liberating and clarifying image! It forever changed my approach to psychotherapy by offering me a new vision of my work: My task was to remove obstacles blocking my patient's path. I did not have to do the entire job; I did not have to inspirit the patient with the desire to grow, with curiosity, will, zest for life, caring, loyalty, or any of the myriad of characteristics that make us fully human. No, what I had to do was to identify and remove obstacles. The rest would follow automatically, fuelled by the self-actualizing forces within the patient.

I remember a young widow with, as she put it, a "failed heart"—an inability ever to love again. It felt daunting to address the inability to love. I didn't know how to do that. But dedicating myself to identifying and uprooting her many blocks to loving? I could do that.

I soon learned that love felt treasonous to her. To love another was to betray her dead husband; it felt to her like pounding the final nails in her husband's coffin. To love another as deeply as she did her husband (and she would settle for nothing less) meant that her love for her husband had been in some way insufficient or flawed. To love another would be self-destructive because loss, and the searing pain of loss, was inevitable. To love again felt irresponsible: she was evil and jinxed, and her kiss was the kiss of death.

We worked hard for many months to identify all these obstacles to her loving another man. For months we wrestled with each irrational obstacle in turn. But once that was done, the patient's internal processes took over: she met a man, she fell in love, she married again. I didn't have to teach her to search, to give, to cherish, to love. I wouldn't have known how to do that.

Avoid Diagnosis (except for insurance companies)

Today's psychotherapy students are exposed to too much emphasis on diagnosis. Managed care administrators demand that therapists arrive quickly at a precise diagnosis and then proceed upon a course of brief, focused therapy that matches that particular diagnosis. Sounds good. Sounds logical and efficient. But it has precious little to do with reality. It represents instead an illusory attempt to legislate scientific precision into being when it is neither possible nor desirable.

Though diagnosis is unquestionably critical in treatment considerations for many severe conditions with a biological substrate (for example schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, major affective disorders, temporal lobe epilepsy, drug toxicity, organic or brain disease from toxins, degenerative causes or infectious agents) diagnosis is often counterproductive in the everyday psychotherapy of less severely impaired patients.

Why? For one thing, psychotherapy consists of a gradually unfolding process wherein the therapist attempts to know the patient as fully as possible. A diagnosis limits vision, it diminishes ability to relate to the other as a person. Once we make a diagnosis, we tend to selectively inattend to aspects of the patient which do not fit into that particular diagnosis, and we correspondingly over-attend to subtle features which appear to confirm an initial diagnosis. What's more, a diagnosis may act as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Relating to a patient as a "borderline" or a "hysteric" may serve to stimulate and perpetuate those very traits. Indeed, there is a long history of iatrogenic influence on the shape of clinical entities, including the current controversy about multiple personality disorder and repressed memories of sexual abuse. And keep in mind, too, the low reliability of the DSM personality disorders category (the very patients often engaging in longer-term psychotherapy.)

And what therapist has not been struck by how much easier it is to make a DSM-IV diagnosis following the first interview than much later, let us say, after the tenth session, when we know a great deal more about the individual? Is this not a strange kind of science? A colleague of mine brings this point home to his psychiatric residents by asking: "If you were in personal psychotherapy or are considering it, what DSM-IV diagnosis do you think your therapist could justifiably use to describe someone as complicated as you?" (C. P. Rosenbaum, personal communication, Nov. 2000)

In the therapeutic enterprise we must tread a fine line between some, but not too much, objectivity; if we take the DSM diagnostic system too seriously, if we really believe we are truly carving at the joints of nature, then we may threaten the human, the spontaneous, the creative and uncertain nature of the therapeutic venture. Remember that the clinicians involved in formulating previous, now discarded, diagnostic systems were competent, proud, and just as confident as the current members of DSM committees. Undoubtedly the time will come when the DSM-IV Chinese restaurant menu format will appear ludicrous to mental health professionals.

Therapist and Patient as "Fellow Travellers"

Andrè Malraux, the French novelist, described a country priest who had taken confession for many decades and summed up what he had learned about human nature in this manner: "First of all, people are much more unhappy than one thinks...and there is no such thing as a grown-up person." Everyone—and that includes therapists as well as patients—is destined to experience not only the exhilaration of life, but also its inevitable darkness: disillusionment, aging, illness, isolation, loss, meaninglessness, painful choices, and death.

No one put things more starkly and more bleakly than the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer:

In early youth, as we contemplate our coming life, we are like children in a theatre before the curtain is raised, sitting there in high spirits and eagerly waiting for the play to begin. It is a blessing that we do not know what is really going to happen. Could we foresee it, there are times when children might seem like condemned prisoners, condemned, not to death, but to life, and as yet all unconscious of what their sentence means.

Or again:

We are like lambs in the field, disporting themselves under the eyes of the butcher, who picks out one first and then another for his prey. So it is that in our good days we are all unconscious of the evil that Fate may have presently in store for us — sickness, poverty, mutilation, loss of sight or reason.

Though Schopenhauer's view is colored heavily by his own personal unhappiness, still it is difficult to deny the inbuilt despair in the life of every self-conscious individual. My wife and I have sometimes amused ourselves by planning imaginary dinner parties for groups of people sharing similar propensities—for example, a party for monopolists, or flaming narcissists, or artful passive-aggressives we have known or, conversely, a "happy" party to which we invite only the truly happy people we have encountered. Though we've encountered no problems filling all sorts of other whimsical tables, we've never been able to populate a full table for our "happy people" party. Each time we identify a few characterologically cheerful people and place them on a waiting list while we continue our search to complete the table, we find that one or another of our happy guests is eventually stricken by some major life adversity—often a severe illness or that of a child or spouse.

This tragic but realistic view of life has long influenced my relationship to those who seek my help. Though there are many phrases for the therapeutic relationship (patient/therapist, client/counsellor, analysand/analyst, client/facilitator, and the latest—and, by far, the most repulsive—user/provider), none of these phrases accurately convey my sense of the therapeutic relationship. Instead I prefer to think of my patients and myself as fellow travellers, a term that abolishes distinctions between "them" (the afflicted) and "us" (the healers). During my training I was often exposed to the idea of the fully analyzed therapist, but as I have progressed through life, formed intimate relationships with a good many of my therapist colleagues, met the senior figures in the field, been called upon to render help to my former therapists and teachers, and myself become a teacher and an elder, I have come to realize the mythic nature of this idea. We are all in this together and there is no therapist and no person immune to the inherent tragedies of existence.

One of my favourite tales of healing, found in Hermann Hesse's Magister Ludi, involves Joseph and Dion, two renowned healers, who lived in biblical times. Though both were highly effective, they worked in different ways. The younger healer, Joseph, healed through quiet, inspired listening. Pilgrims trusted Joseph. Suffering and anxiety poured into his ears vanished like water on the desert sand and penitents left his presence emptied and calmed. On the other hand, Dion, the older healer, actively confronted those who sought his help. He divined their unconfessed sins. He was a great judge, chastiser, scolder, and rectifier, and he healed through active intervention. Treating the penitents as children, he gave advice, punished by assigning penance, ordered pilgrimages and marriages, and compelled enemies to make up.

The two healers never met, and they worked as rivals for many years until Joseph grew spiritually ill, fell into dark despair, and was assailed with ideas of self-destruction. Unable to heal himself with his own therapeutic methods, he set out on a journey to the south to seek help from Dion.

On his pilgrimage, Joseph rested one evening at an oasis, where he fell into a conversation with an older traveler. When Joseph described the purpose and destination of his pilgrimage, the traveler offered himself as a guide to assist in the search for Dion. Later, in the midst of their long journey together the old traveler revealed his identity to Joseph. Mirabile dictu: he himself was Dion—the very man Joseph sought.

Without hesitation Dion invited his younger, despairing rival into his home, where they lived and worked together for many years. Dion first asked Joseph to be a servant. Later he elevated him to a student and, finally, to full colleagueship. Years later, Dion fell ill and on his deathbed called his young colleague to him in order to hear a confession. He spoke of Joseph's earlier terrible illness and his journey to old Dion to plead for help. He spoke of how Joseph had felt it was a miracle that his fellow traveler and guide turned out to be Dion himself.

Now that he was dying, the hour had come, Dion told Joseph, to break his silence about that miracle. Dion confessed that at the time it had seemed a miracle to him as well, for he, too, had fallen into despair. He, too, felt empty and spiritually dead and, unable to help himself, had set off on a journey to seek help. On the very night that they had met at the oasis he was on a pilgrimage to a famous healer named Joseph.

Hesse's tale has always moved me in a preternatural way. It strikes me as a deeply illuminating statement about giving and receiving help, about honesty and duplicity, and about the relationship between healer and patient. The two men received powerful help but in very different ways. The younger healer was nurtured, nursed, taught, mentored, and parented. The older healer, on the other hand, was helped through serving another, through obtaining a disciple from whom he received filial love, respect, and salve for his isolation.

But now, reconsidering the story, I question whether these two wounded healers could not have been of even more service to one another. Perhaps they missed the opportunity for something deeper, more authentic, more powerfully mutative. Perhaps the real therapy occurred at the deathbed scene, when they moved into honesty with the revelation that they were fellow travellers, both simply human, all too human. The twenty years of secrecy, helpful as they were, may have obstructed and prevented a more profound kind of help. What might have happened if Dion's deathbed confession had occurred twenty years earlier, if healer and seeker had joined together in facing the questions that have no answers?

All of this echoes Rilke's letters to a young poet in which he advises, "Have patience with everything unresolved and try to love the questions themselves." I would add: "Try to love the questioners as well."

Copyright © 2002 Psychotherapy.net. All rights reserved.

dorleem.comhttp://www.dorleem.com/2011/05/drama-therapy-healing-through-role.html

I remember work with a client who had experienced massive daily trauma growing up: parental violence, alcoholism, chaos, political violence, racism, poverty and neglect.

In a group session, we used an Inuit story about the choosing of a new shaman for the village. In the story the old Shaman choose the new one, who is then taken by spirits to an underworld and ritually tortured and broken by bad spirits. Then is remade by good spirits and brought back to the village.

This experience transforms the chosen one into the healer for the village. By enacting the story and playing the chosen one, the client was able to embody his/her tortuous and broken childhood as a possibility (of in the story becoming a healer) rather than a prison sentence.

The client was then able to extend this into his/her life and begin to reframe how he/she related to the world and begin to look for opportunities to change, transform and grow.

dorleem.comhttp://www.dorleem.com/2011/05/drama-therapy-healing-through-role.html

Do you find that engaging in this modality of therapy helps you take in less of the trauma from the patients i.e., minimize the risk of secondary trauma?

In terms of trauma, definitely using metaphors and arts approaches lessen the impact of secondary trauma and also re-traumatization. Especially if the trauma the client experienced involved large amounts of shame.

For example, some for the refugees I have worked with had experiences in the rape camps during the Balkans conflicts or some of the refugees from Africa experienced similar atrocities. Not having to immediately name the trauma, but place it within a mythic structure can be very helpful.

The myths and stories provide a very powerful container. As you know, narrative approaches can have serious limitations in the context of overwhelming shame.

Re dealing with secondary trauma, it is vital that the practitioner look to their needs, if they find themselves in either an omnipotent or overwhelmed position, then they need to see that as a very serious warning sign. Practitioners need to have regular supervision when dealing with clients with serious trauma to be able to process this and keep themselves safe.

forbes.comhttp://www.forbes.com/sites/carolkinseygoman/2012/09/04/how-savvy-negotiators-read-your-body-language/2/

Carol Kinsey Goman, Contributor

Savvy negotiators have learned how to read body language and to use the resulting insights to their advantage. (I know because I train them to do so.) But many negotiators miss valuable opportunities to read their counterparts’ nonverbal messages — simply because they don’t pay attention. They get so wrapped up in what’s being said or in the documents being presented, they neglect to look for these vital cues. From The Silent Language of Leaders: How Body Language Can Help – or Hurt – How You Lead, here are four body language strategies for negotiators.

FIRST STRATEGY – IDENTIFY A BASELINE

To accurately read your counterpart’s body language, you first need to establish that person’s normal — or baseline — behavior. If you don’t take the time to do this, you are most likely going to misinterpret his or her signals. “Baselining” entails observing people when they are not stressed or pressured. It only takes a few minutes to get a feel for how someone acts in a relaxed or neutral setting, and the best time to do this is before the negotiation starts — for instance while having coffee and making “small talk.” While you are chatting informally, ask a few simple questions to which you know the answers (and for which there would be no reason to lie) and watch how your counterpart behaves when relaxed and candid.

• How much eye contact are you given?

• Notice if eyes go to one (preferred) side when constructing truthful answers.

• How much smiling are you being shown?

• Which gestures are you seeing most frequently?

• What sort of posture is being displayed when your counterpart is comfortable?

Once you’ve determined how your counterpart uses his/her body in a relaxed, informal context, you’ll have a baseline against which to compare possibly meaningful body-language deviations during the negotiation process itself.

SECOND STRATEGY – MONITOR THE MOST IMPORTANT SIGNALS

In any negotiation, engagement, disengagement, and stress are the most important signals to monitor in the other person’s body language. Engagement behaviors (eye contact, head nods, smiles, forward leans, etc.) indicate interest, receptivity, or agreement. Disengagement behaviors (looking away, leaning back, narrowed eyes, frowns, etc.) signal that a person is bored, angry, or defensive. Stress signals (higher vocal tone, face-touching, tightly crossed ankles, etc.) most often accompany bluffing or discomfort with how the negotiation is proceeding.

THIRD STRATEGY – LOOK FOR GESTURE CLUSTERS

Nonverbal cues occur in what is called a “gesture cluster” – a group of movements, postures and actions that reinforce a common point. Trying to decipher body language from a single gesture is like trying to find narrative meaning in a single word. However, when words appear in sentences or gestures in clusters, their meaning becomes clearer. For example, while a person’s fidgeting may not mean much by itself, if that person is also avoiding eye contact, wringing his hands, and pointing his feet toward the door, you can bet he’s distressed and wants to leave. A good rule is to look for three body language signals that reinforce the same nonverbal message.

FOURTH STRATEGY – CONSIDER THE CONTEXT

A gesture can be highly significant – or mean nothing at all. Much depends on the context in which that gesture is displayed. Take crossed arms, for example: In an audience, I expect to see people with their arms crossed sitting in the first row. I know that without a row of chairs in front of them, most people will create a barricade with their arms (at least initially, before they “warm up” to the speaker and lower their guard). Likewise, if your negotiation partner is sitting in a chair that doesn’t have armrests, realize that the limited option increases the likelihood of crossed arms – as would the response to a drop in room temperature.

This is also why baselining is so important. Someone who sits with crossed arms when relaxed or thoughtful is sending a very different message than someone whose first display of that gesture comes immediately after you made a counteroffer. (This, of course, would be especially meaningful if the crossed arms were accompanied by other signals, such as reduced eye contact and shoulders that subtly angled away from you.)

Of course there will always be aspects of context you won’t be aware of. An erect posture may be a sign of a tough bargaining position or it may simply indicate a stiff back.

It may sound like an impossible task, especially since you’ll be conducting a conversation at the same time, but remember that you’ve been reading body language all your life. All that is different now is that you’re taking this innate but unconscious skill into awareness — and by doing so, gaining insight into what your negotiating counterpart is really thinking.

suite101.comhttp://suite101.com/article/what-is-the-shadow-a60154

An explanation of how the shadow material of the unconscious works in people's lives and ways it can be brought into healthy balance within the personality.

“Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?” begins that famous spine tingling, radio thriller from the 1930s -- The Shadow. No, this is not that shadow. That shadow actually did lurk in the rooms, streets and dark alleys of our cities. Still, this shadow is close by.

There is, indeed, an actual shadow-like energy that exists hidden from conscious mind yet contributing to the overall shape of the personality. This is what in psychological terms is meant by the shadow. It has become so popular in the lexicon it is worth understanding in more depth.

What Is Hidden

According to Carl Jung, the shadow is that part of the personality one chooses not to see. Usually of a vulgar, shameful, or corrupt nature, the shadow is comprised of whatever one cannot uphold in one’s idea of oneself. Not being integrated or even acknowledged by conscious mind, the shadow sits and waits in the unconscious.

If Not Acknowledged

But never does the shadow evaporate or disappear; it simply goes underground where it continues to influence the person as complexes and neuroses. The solution from a Jungian perspective is not to repress but to acknowledge this material, to move closer towards it while disallowing its full expression in daily life.

A Life of its Own

Otherwise, the shadow can take on a life of its own, burst out in inopportune moments causing embarrassment or worse. These are the stories that hit the cable news channels by the famous and infamous. Mostly, however, one feels only gripped from time to time by the black dog of depression or malaise which seems to arise for no apparent reason.

Shows up in Dreams

Meanwhile, the unconscious continues to present this shadow material in dreams and daydreams or fantasy life. In this way the psyche is constantly being given the opportunity to become cognizant of its entire range and reconciled, at least in part, to its “unacceptable” aspects.

Energy Block

The effort to handle the shadow by repression only blocks crucial energy from the psyche which can contribute to depression and inertia. Trying to handle it through projection onto others is another unsatisfactory as well as dangerous way. However, once this repressed material starts to be acknowledged, the integration process has begun and tremendous energy starts returning to the psyche.

Causing No Harm

Jung saw that part of the work of the unconscious was to make itself heard by allowing life giving energy to be integrated back into conscious awareness. By transforming the shadow energy into acceptable expressions, the whole personality, its light and its dark side, can be brought into greater balance.

It should be remembered, however, that it is crucial to find appropriate substitutes for this shadow energy. It must be neither repressed nor fully exploited but, through transformation into appropriate channels, brought into balance with the conscious personality

Hiding the Gold

Sometimes it is not the darker aspects of the unconscious but the very best parts, the gold of the psyche, that is hidden. These are the unrealized talents and gifts that can seem as threatening to the psyche as anything else for they demand change of the personality structure and/or lifestyle in order to be realized.

Balance in the Personality

The work of the psyche, then, is to find ways to incorporate the unacknowledged material thereby releasing its energy caught in the backwaters of the unconscious. As this is accomplished more and more of this “stuck” energy becomes released and returned to consciousness. Thus the whole personality, its light and its darker sides, come into greater balance and wholeness. Read Shadow Work in Eight-Easy-Steps for practical tips on how to handle this awesome shadow energy.

For how to learn more about the Shadow read Review of Romancing the Shadow.

Sources and recommended reading:

Bly, R., (1988). A little book about the shadow. San Francisco: Harper.

Johnson, R., (1993), Owning your own shadow: Understanding the dark side of the psyche. New York:

Harper Collins.

Jung, C.G., (1981). Man and his symbols. New York: Dell Publishing.

Copyright

Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph

. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph - Megge Fitz-Randolph is a poet, teacher, and student of Carl Jung and mythology. Her poems have appeared in various journals including ...

suite101.comhttp://suite101.com/article/five-ways-to-find-the-shadow-self-a61937

The shadow self can be discovered by using a few simple strategies. By noticing habits and behaviors, the darker side of psyche can be brought more into balance.

There are at least five successful ways to locate the shadow in oneself according to William A. Miller in his essay, "Finding the Shadow in Daily LIfe." These include:

1. Asking for feedback from others

2. Becoming aware of one's own projections

3. Paying attention to one's own "slips of tongue"

4. Paying attention to what one finds humorous

5. Studying dreams, daydreams and fantasies

Asking for feedback from others

It is mostly impossible to see oneself clearly so getting feedback from other people can be terribly enlightening. It is best to do this with people one trusts and knows well. However, this still may not be a positive experience. When someone exposes a flaw that sounds totally wrong or misguided, strong denial is a common response. Yet, chances are here lies a piece of valuable information. Seeking out a second opinion is a useful way to proceed.

Becoming aware of ones own projections

Whenever one sees another in either strongly disagreeable or strongly agreeable ways, chances are a projection has been engaged. By paying attention to this phenomenon of projection onto others, more information about oneself can be gained.

Examples of this may include things like perceiving another person as arrogant and being very agitated by this arrogance. Chances are arrogance is also in oneself which makes seeing it in others particularly revealing.

Conversely, when one is full of praise and adulation for another person’s qualities one might also experience envy of this other person. More than likely, these same qualities lie dormant and yet unactivated in oneself. To relieve this situation, one might begin to cultivate that part of oneself.

Paying attention to one's own slips of tongue

People expose shadow material in what is said accidentally. In these instances there can be often embarrassment and confusion because what has “slipped out” is in such contrast to one's self image. By paying attention to these accidental slips, one starts to uncover a little of what goes on behind the conscious mind. The results can be humorous as well as a little embarrassing.

Miller sites an example of a 60-year-old woman who tells her friend she is going to modeling school. The friend wants to congratulate her but secretly finds this a very far fetched idea. Her congratulatory remark exposes her true opinion: “I’m sure you will be an outstanding "muddle.”

Paying Attention to Humorous Outbreaks

Often people reveal more of themselves than they would like in what they find funny. Jokes that involve slurs against ethnic or religious groups is a prime example. The joke can expose an unsubtle prejudice and lack of tolerance for others. Even though the person might deny this, the underside of the personality, the shadow side, has been uncovered in that moment.

Whether a person falls into sarcastic humor, dirty jokes and bawdy humor, cruel or dumb humor, this sort of joking always reveals more about that person than he or she would probably like others to know.

Studying ones own dreams, daydreams and fantasies

Dreams are among the surest way to uncover shadow material. Because of their complexity, one must spentd some time, preferably with a dream expert, dissecting these dreams to see the undercurrents of shadow which is where the true feelings or dark material lie. Just because one has an unflatteringly dream of another person, the objectionable qualities more often than not reveal shadow qualities of the dreamer. In much the same way projection works, who and what one dreams about always has as much if not more to do with he dreamer than the person being dreamed about.

Reference:

Miller, William A. "Finding the Shadow in Daily Life". In J. Abrams and C. Zweig (Eds). Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature (pp 38-44). New York: St. Martin’s Press.

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suite101.comhttp://suite101.com/article/what-is-projection-a60383

Interpersonal relationships are confusing because a lack knowledge of projection. Jungian psychology sheds light on improving this situation.

Projection, according to Carl Jung, occurs when a person sees in another qualities they themselves possess. This phenomenon goes on daily in most relationships and encounters.

Whenever a person is convinced that the awful qualities seen in another person have nothing to do with him or herself, a projection is mostly likely being engaged. This does not mean, however, that these qualities are not present. It merely means that they probably exist, to some extent, in the person observing them.

The Good News/Bad News Attraction

Another common projection involves envy. When a person envies another, more than likely that person already possesses the qualities in some unexpressed state. Whether observing negative or positive qualities, more than likely that person is engaged in projection and existing under a kind of spell. They are not seeing all that is. How to awaken from this spell and reclaim a true picture of a person or situation becomes an important task in self-development.

The good news is that a person already possesses those qualities they thought they lacked; the bad news is that that a person already possesses those qualities they thought they lacked. What attracts two people is that each possesses what the other wants. The secret is that what the other wants is already locked away in inside themselves. Unfortunately, the rule applies both ways. Whatever a person feels is safely locked away from view can be generally found alive and well in another.

Intimate Relationships

In relationships, both intimate and otherwise, these same principles apply. A person projects onto another whatever it is they need them to be. Regarding intimate relationship, the inner feminine/anima or inner masculine /animus is seen expressed in the other. That person to whom one is fervently attracted, therefore, is none other than the outer mirror for that person's inner self. The Beloved holds the space, so to speak, for what that person seeks inside themselves.

Understanding the difference between what is true and what is only projection can be a challenge. If a person or group of people has really “gotten under our skin” or the person or situation or thing really “gets to us,” that person is most likely caught up in a projection or spell of some kind. Likewise, that feeling of falling in love, albeit glorious, may be mere projection.

How to Tell the Difference

Whenever the emotions seem highly charged, more than what the situation might call for, this is most likely a projection. When family and friends ask “what’s up with so-and so?” and the person doesn’t seem to be thinking or acting at all clearly, their “head is in the clouds”, so to speak, these are good signs that a projection is lurking.

When this happens it is called being “hooked.” The other person or group has unknowingly provided the hook, but it is always the person or group (in other words the object of the projection), who has been caught. It is important to keep in mind, however, that this is not done consciously. Projection is always an unconscious act.

Withdrawing the Projection

Withdrawing the projections is the beginning of becoming whole or, what Carl Jung refers to, individuated. Those parts of the personality that have been caught up in projections start to return giving greater authenticity and feeling of wellbeing. Love, too, is more richly realized as the projections are lifted. Becoming individuated brings a greater sense of freedom as a person feels more like themselves and thus more vibrantly alive.

Sources and recommended readings: To read more about collective projection on national level, read "What is Collective Shadow Projection." Also read how projection was an crucial part of the ancient practice of alchemy. And for more practical shadow work read How to Work with the Shadow in Five Easy Steps.

Samuels, A., Shorter, B., Plaut, F. (1986). A critical dictionary of Jungian analysis. London: Routledge. Whitmont, E. C.. (1969). The symbolic quest: Basic concepts of analytic psychology. Princeton: Princeton University Press.

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Megge Hill Fitz-Randolph - Megge Fitz-Randolph is a poet, teacher, and student of Carl Jung and mythology. Her poems have appeared in various journals including ...

suite101.comhttp://suite101.com/article/personal-shadow-work-in-eight-easyish-steps-a93444

Shadow work aids in personal growth by working with archetypal energies. Individual work with shadow archetypes now possible using eight easy to understand steps.

The shadow can sabotage the better angels of one’s nature. The good news is that these darker aspects can be tamed. Carl Jung, who first detected the shadow, wrote that once recognized and understood the shadow can be used for good in a process of self-development. There are eight steps to this process as understood by Jungian authors Zeig and Wolfe. (Check out my review of their excellent book.)

1. Meet the Shadow

2. Detect Early Warning Signs of its Arrival

3. "Romance" the Shadow

4. Trace the Roots of the Shadow in Personal History and Family Patterns

5. Trace the Archetypal Sources and its Story

6. Explore Your Choices

7. Observe Your Resistances

8. Realign with Voice of the Self

Meeting the Shadow, Detecting Warning Signs

Learn to identity the behavior which is sabotaging you. This may be the greatest challenge as many people have so identified with their own difficult patterns that the first instinct is to reach out and blame others. Or they live in the comfort denial brings going peacefully on their way.

To detect when the shadow has been activated, pay attention to sensations in the body such as stomach tightening, throat constrictions, headaches, an overall feeling of numbness. These are all signs that some pattern of behavior is overwhelming the psyche. Another sign is patterns of thinking or speaking that keep repeating themselves. Sometimes great feelings, sadness, anger, jealousy, or lust are enough to announce its presence.

It is crucial to remain grounded in a sense of self. Learn to recognize what is truly one's core self which is different from the small self otherwise known as ego. If this seems elusive or one is unsure, consider engaging in the many practices whose purpose is to reawaken the self. These include prayer, meditation, walking, swimming, yoga, singing -- any activity in which one feels greater wholeness. As one learns to recognize true self, the shadow begins to loosen its grip.

Roots in Personal History and Archetypes

Trace the roots of unpleasant feelings. Did others in your family of origin respond in a similar way? Who in your past acted out in this manner? What were the conditions under which these reactions arose? Working with a trained therapist can be immensely helpful in uncovering these family patterns in a safe and life-sustaining way.

One of the trickiest things about working with least attractive behaviors is the intense shame and guilt they arouse. Identifying or giving a name to the shadow that has momentarily taken over the personality by naming it can ease the healing and lead toward forgiveness.

Because archetypal figures from ancient mythologies can express themselves negatively as well as positively, it helps to keep them aboard. Such figures as Aphrodite, goddess of love/ beauty yet also lust and bodily excess; Ares, god of strength yet also war and rage; and sweet Mercury, god of travel and communication yet also god of sly tricks -- all can be of help when needing to name an emerging shadow.

Exploring Choices, Observing Resistance

One gains perspective by holding onto one’s true self. This is identified in many world religions as the Christ or Divine Self. Through prayer and meditation one becomes accustomed to the location of this true self which in turns keeps one in a more balanced frame of mind.

Observe, however, any resistances in yourself and others as the behaviors change. The ego/self can be quite disappointed if it has to readjust to a "higher" ruler and does not give away its ground without a fuss.

Coming Home

If one is able to choose to listen to the higher self over the ego and respond in a new way, energy pours back into the psyche. One feels revitalized and realigned with one's true nature. This is what Jung called using the "gold" inside the Shadow. It is always wiser to welcome rather than resist the Shadow for the lessons and insights it brings.

For more articles on self-development and Carl Jung's theories read What is the Shadow in Jungian Psychology and The Collecive Shadow in Jungian Psychology.

Sources:

Romancing the Shadow: A Guide to Soul Work for a Vital, Authentic Life by Connie Zweig, Ph.D. and Steve Wolf, Ph.D (1997). New York: Ballantine Wellspring.

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Most companies use the four color personality test to determine how best to address each personality with the goal of creating a harmonious and productive environment. It is useful for an individual to be able to understand each color personality as well to better equipped in adapting to each personality type

No, I'm not asking about your favorite color. After you a reach a certain age, you probably start to realize that not all of us were created equal. We each have our own nuances and personalities which sometimes make it easier for us to get along with some and have a difficult time with others. Some personalities clash and some get along with perfect ease. Most companies use a color personality test in order to better understand these personality differences and how to make it work for everyone.

Understanding the different personalities is important not just for big companies but for us as individuals as this will make it easier for us to learn how to better deal with colleagues and clients. You might say this could even be useful in understanding your partner when it comes to personal relationships. Understanding gives you a better perspective of a person and how best to react when faced with a stressful situation.

Experts have determined that there are four basic personality types. Yellow, Red, Blue and Green. And it doesn't have anything to do with a person's favorite color. As an individual, learning our color personality is also important. First, because it helps us to better understand ourselves and why we react to certain situations a certain way. Second, when we understand who we are, it allows us to open ourselves to at least try to understand others as well.

Want to learn what type of personality you have? You may take this simple color personality test. Once you have finished the test you may go back to check out what your color personality means by checking out the rest of this article. If you find that 2 or more colors returned the same result, that is perfectly normal as no one person is just one color. All of us have some bits of each color personality, although come colors may be more predominant than the rest.

YELLOW

The yellow personality is generally regarded as the sunniest personality. Often you will find them the life of the party. They are most of the time the loudest and most vocal of the four types of color personality. Some would regard them as the happy-go-lucky type who seem unable to take anything seriously. The yellow personality treats life as if it's one big, continous party. If faced with a stressful situation, the yellow person would seek out friends and drink it out. Most yellow personalities fear rejection most.

Tendencies

1. Optimism

2. Enthusiasm

3. Makes good impressions

4. Verbally articulate

5. Likes to help others

6. Creates entertaining climate

Ideal situation

1. Friendly warm environment

2. Freedom from control

3. Public recognition of ability

4. Opportunity to talk

5. Positive reinforcement

6. Enthusiastic response to ideas

Weaknesses

1. Following through

2. Overestimating results

3. Misjudging capabilities

4. Talks too much

5. Acts impulsively

6. Jumps to conclusions

7. Over commits

8. Acts first, thinks second

Needs others to provide

1. Follow through on details

2. Focus on tasks

3. Logical approach

Personal growth area

1. Time awareness

2. Objectivity in decision making

RED

The red personality is generally considered the "dominating personality". These are the types of person who demands that things be done their way and right now. They sometimes have low tolerance for undisciplined and devil-may-care attitude which oftentimes put them at odds with the yellow personality. If faced with a stressful situation the red personality would generally seek out strenuos activities like running or boxing to vent out his or her frustrations. Most reds fear failure.

 Tendencies

1. Getting immediate results

2. Making quick decisions

3. Persistence

4. Solving problems

5. Taking charge

6. Looking self reliant

7. Accepting challenges

Ideal situation

1. New varied activities

2. Opportunity to really get things done

3. Continual challenges, multi-tasker

4. Difficult assignments

5. Freedom to act from their instinct

6. Control over the situations

7. Direct answers from others, no innuendoes

Weaknesses

1. Insensitivity towards others

2. Impatient

3. Overlook risks

4. Inflexibilty, demanding of others

5. Talks too much

6. Inattentive to details at times

7. Resenting of restrictions

Needs others to provide

1. Attention to routine tasks

2. Caution

3. Focus on details and facts

Personal growth area

1. Greater patience

2. Sensitivity to others' needs

3. Flexibility

GREEN

The green personality is generally referred to as the calm personality. They don't easily get frazzled and are the epitome of calmness even in most stressful situations. To them also falls the role of mediator when faced with sticky situations. When stressed, the green's approach is to sleep it off. The green personality tries his/her best to maintain harmony in all types of situation. Because of the green's inabilty to say no, people oftentimes take advantage of them.

Tendencies

1. Supportive

2. Agreeable

3. Loyal

4. Self control

5. Consistent

6. Good listener

7. Opportunity to develop personal relationships

Ideal situation

1. Sincere appreciation by others

2. Minimal conflict between people

3. Security

4. Acknowledgement of work by others

5. Limited territory

6. Traditional procedures

7. Opportunity to develop personal relationships

Weaknesses

1. Resist change

2. Trouble making deadlines

3. Overly lenient with people

4. Procrastinates

5. Indecisive

6. Holds grudges

7. Overly possessive

8. Lacks initiative

Needs others to provide

1. Push to try new challenges

2. Help in solving difficult problems

3. Initiative and accepting change

Personal growth area

1. Facing confrontation and dealing with it

2. Moving at a faster pace and initiating

BLUE

The blue personality type are seen as the perfectionists. They are the ones who would genarally examine the smallest details of every situation and fret about each one of them. The blue personality oftentimes appear unemotional and doesn't want to be touched. The greatest fear of a blue person is to be criticized.

Tendencies

1. Orderliness

2. Conscientious

3. Disciplined

4. Precise

5. Thorough

6. Diplomatic with people

7. Analytical

Ideal situation

1. Being able to concentrate on detail

2. Opportunities to critique

3. Stable surroundings and procedures

4. Exact job description, expectations

5. Opportunities for "careful" planning

6. Sufficient time to do things right

7. Opportunities for reassurance from authority

Weaknesses

1. Indecisive (looking at all data)

2. Get bogged down in details

3. Rigid on the "how to's"

4. Avoids controversy

5. Low self esteem

6. Hesitant to try new things

7. Sensitive to criticism

8. Can be pessimistic

Needs others to provide

1. Quick decision making

2. Optimism

3. Help in persuading others

Personal growth area

1. Be more open with their feelings

2. Be more optimistic

Sources:

http://forum.blueharvest.net/index.php?showtopic=5883

http://www.heidimorton.net/personality-types/