The Shadow

Confronting the shadow in one’s personal unconscious is usually the first major endeavor in the course of depth psychotherapy. Jung defined the shadow as:

…the “negative” side of the personality, the sum of all those unpleasant qualities we like to hide, together with the insufficiently developed functions and the contents of the personal unconscious.

Jung’s definition is an important one because it reminds us that the shadow is not altogether bad. It can contain parts of ourselves that are childish, undeveloped, rudimentary, and in some cases, genuinely positive. Jung also believed that the shadow could be the seat of creativity.

Parts of ourselves end up as shadow material because they are deemed inappropriate by those around us or stand in contradiction to who we believe ourselves to be. As Anthony Storr notes, the shadow contains feelings and motives which the conscious self disowns. Shadow material is therefore repressed and exists as an unconscious personality. As a result, it has an autonomous, emotional and possessive nature. Storr says that it is the shadow that accounts for embarrassing slips of the tongue (commonly referred to as “Freudian slips”) that Freud noted in The Psychopathology of Everyday Life.

If understanding the shadow proves to be difficult, consider this: the shadow is an archetypal figure that is depicted in art and popular culture. Shelley’s Frankenstein, Shakespeare’s Caliban, and the most recent vampire craze are all representations of the personal and collective shadow. Artists, songwriters, authors, playwrights, and even screenwriters are, knowingly or not, inspired by the depths of the unconscious. If their characters and themes resonate with the public, it is usually because their creations resonate with the unconscious of the public.

Recognizing our shadow material is part of the journey to embracing the totality of ourselves. However, this can prove to be a difficult task. As Jung notes, it takes considerable moral effort, insight, and good will to embrace the dark aspects of our personality. Some parts of the shadow can be recognized more easily than others but because the shadow is “a moral problem,” there is usually some resistance to confronting it.

Resistance to confronting the shadow often takes the form of projections, the unconscious process by which we see undesirable parts of ourselves in others. When we project, “the other is always guilty” because we can’t recognize that the darkness is in ourselves. Projections essentially isolate a person from their environment; instead of having a real, truthful relationship with the people and things around them, they have an illusory one. Jung likened the shadow to a cocoon that, if unregulated, can gradually encapsulate the ego or conscious self.

Some readers may be familiar with one of Jung’s more notable quotes, “what you resist, persists.” In other words, the less embodied the shadow is (or for that matter any part of the unconscious), the darker and denser it gets. Embracing the shadow does not involve the suspension of one’s morality; rather it is the process of reconciling opposite forces within oneself. This requires thought, questioning, periods of uncertainty, and as Jolan Jacobi notes “becoming unsparingly critically conscious of one’s own nature.” Some readers may be disappointed to find out that embracing the shadow does not rid oneself of undesirable traits. Actually, it begins the process of integration whereby conscious and mindful relationships are created between parts of oneself.

The shadow stands at the threshold of the unconscious. In order to fully understand oneself, it is imperative to confront it. Developing a relationship with the shadow may not be easy but doing so allows a person to move further into the depths of their unconscious life.

Jungian Psychotherapy

Carl Jung once remarked, “I’m glad to be Jung and not a Jungian.” While many might find Jung’s remark curious, upon closer inspection, it’s understandable why he would have made such a comment about his followers and the school of psychology named after him. Defining the practice of Jungian psychotherapy can be as complex as Jung himself. Jung was not concerned about teaching a particular technique; rather, he emphasized the role of the therapist’s person and her relationship with the patient in the therapeutic process. As a result, many would argue that there isn’t a single Jungian way because each practice is largely informed by the therapist themselves and the unique couple they create with each patient.

Jungian institutes are also a testament to the diversity of the Jungian way. Jungian institutes exist throughout the world and each possesses a unique history, character, and training model. There are some schools that emphasize Jung’s classical theories pertaining to the archetypes and some schools that seek to integrate Jung’s teachings with Freud’s psychoanalytic model. Despite these differences, many Jungians typically share certain beliefs in common. Here are a few of them:

1) The symptom points the way forward. Jungian psychotherapy tends to be non-pathologizing in its approach to mental illness. Unlike other theorists of his day, Jung did not believe that a person’s symptoms could be reduced to unconscious conflicts rooted in childhood. Jung believed that symptoms were self-regulating and produced in an attempt to restore wholeness and balance to the psyche. They were a communication from the unconscious that the ego (that is, who a person thinks she is) was out of alignment with the Self (that is, who a person really is). If followed methodically, the symptom had the potential to transform an individual into a more authentic being by creating a dialogue between their ego and Self. This is referred to as the process of “individuation.”

2) The therapeutic relationship is healing. Some people believe that Jung was the first relational therapist. He once reminding his followers, “never forget that the analysis of a patient analyses yourself, as you are just as much in it as he is.” Many Jungians believe that in order to help a patient access their unconscious and thus further the individuation process, they themselves must access their own depths when sitting with a patient. This entails being mindful of emotions, memories, symbols, and dreams that emerge when sitting with or thinking about a patient. This material will often illuminate something of the patient’s experience and the unique relationship created between therapist and patient. If formulated and spoken to in an appropriate way by the therapist, patients can benefit as they expand their understanding of themselves and their experience in relationship to another.

3) There is both a personal and collective unconscious. Many readers may be familiar with the idea of a personal unconscious. Loosely defined, the personal unconscious is a repository of thoughts and feelings acquired through personal experience that exists outside of our conscious awareness. Personal material is often unconscious because it is forgotten or repressed due to its difficult and/or unacceptable nature.

In addition to a personal unconscious, Jung also believed that each individual had access to the collective unconscious. The collective unconscious is made up of material that is impersonal and has never been conscious. This material is universal (existing in the psyches of all human beings) and consists of elementary “forms” or basic “motifs” which serve as the building blocks for all psychological experiences. These forms or motifs are referred to as “archetypes.” Throughout history, archetypes have consistently been observed in all cultures vis a vis the symbols and images found in art, myths, and fairy tales. Some common examples of archetypal images include the hero, the wise man, the trickster, and the mother.

While it may be difficult to grasp the theoretical nature of archetypes, one way to think about them in terms of human experiences is as a specific psychic impulse. As an archetype exerts its influence on an individual, a pattern of behavior or a set of thoughts and feelings may emerge. The exact nature of the individual’s response to the force of the archetype will largely depend on the personal experiences they have had in their life. If a therapist is skilled at identifying archetypal forces and the way that these forces interact with personal experiences, she can assist her client in better understanding the etiology of their desires, fears, and in some cases, relational style.

Jungian psychotherapy is a rich experience with many faces. However, the process of understanding Jung and his ideas can often times be a difficult one. In the monthly articles that follow, I will attempt to introduce some of the basic tenets of Jungian analysis and psychotherapy. Your comments, suggestions, and personal experiences are welcome.