Carl Jung

My novel was originally called ‘When the Shadow Calls’.  

I was drawn to Carl Jung’s core theory system, long before I had my diagnoses. It was during my counselling supervision training that I came across how to use his shadow work in a practical sense to help others. 

The core of Carl Jung’s theory system was the belief that the whole of the individual’s experience should be respected and included, rather than aspects being pathologized or disavowed; this included the individual’s unwanted ‘shadow’ aspects – such as, for example, their aggressive, envious, destructive qualities, as well as their spiritual longings and experiences. Jung’s was a vision that embraced the heights and depths of human experience.

In a group practice session, I took a black bin liner, and stuffed it with plastic bottles, cartons and other junk modelling pieces. Each piece was a designated part of my shadow. I began to drag the bag through the moving group, feeling it’s awkward presence and weight coming between us. I sat with this large bag on my lap and tried to converse. Others made shadow bags too and we moved around each other feeling the influence of our shadows. This was something I would offer my supervisees as creative work with their clients.

More on Jung to come