# Episode 182 - Confronting Shadow — the Work of Self-Discovery  URL:: https://share.snipd.com/episode/b5f54c80-3d59-498d-bd71-90b37cecb7c0 Author:: This Jungian Life Podcast ## Highlights > Episode AI notes > 1. The shadow is the unconscious aspect of ourselves that remains hidden until it demands recognition. It is fueled by suppressed desires and needs that simmer beneath the surface. > 2. Integrating our shadow involves developing a friendlier relationship with it and realizing that it is often not as dark as we imagine. Primal instincts can be expressed through art and sports. > 3. The cultural shadow can shift, providing objectivity about our own righteousness. Things that were once outrageous can become ordinary within our own lives. > 4. The fascination with theatrical accounts of behavior that would not be allowed in society suggests a longing to explore all aspects of human behavior. > 5. Theater, fiction, and dreams can help us be introduced to the shadow in a friendly way, changing our attitudes towards it. Nightmares can represent unfamiliar aspects of ourselves, which can become ordinary through active imagination. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/episode-takeaways/356ef1a4-19a7-473b-afcd-987700c3cd69)) > The Paradox and Power of Unconscious Shadows > Key takeaways: > - Shadow is the unconscious aspect of ourselves that remains hidden until it demands recognition. > - When our desires or needs are suppressed or shamed, they can become more powerful over time. > - The primal desire for fulfillment eventually demands satisfaction and cannot be ignored. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > And that is the paradoxical and powerful essence of shadow, isn't it? Is that we are, we go along being unconscious of what we are unconscious of. And then when it emerges and stands right in front of us demanding to be recognized, it really takes us aback and powerfully felt ways. And it is so powerful when we have a desire or a need, whether it's to be admired or affirmed in any number of different ways. And for some reason that's been pushed under where we've been shamed out of thinking, some measure of that was inappropriate. It boils and heats underneath the surface. And then much like a volcano, it kind of comes up through a fissure in the ground and then it's twice as powerful as it might have been a couple of years earlier because the need, the primal Desire for it finally will not tolerate being set aside. And it demands some kind of a satisfaction. ([Time 0:08:56](https://share.snipd.com/snip/7f786327-cecd-4e9e-a0d5-2ad119d0bac3)) > Understanding the Stages of Dealing with the Shadow > Key takeaways: > - Our shadow is unconscious and often projected onto others > - Getting identified with our shadow can lead to being swept up in it > - The process of integrating our shadow can lead to a friendlier relationship with it > - Our shadows are often not as dark and awful as we imagine > - Primal instincts can be sublimated into art and sports > - The culture may not make space for highly aggressive and erotic feelings > - Sports can serve as a way of channeling war making aspects and physical intimacy > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > Where we start, all of us, is that our shadow is unconscious. You know, I really don't know about it. And then the next stage, and I think we typically see this in other people more readily than we can sometimes see it in ourselves, is that we project it. It's not me. It's my friend so and so who is always like this, this, this, this, and this. And James Hollis, one of our teachers, a young and analyst and author, always says that if you would really like to get acquainted with your own shadow, think of somebody in your life That you don't like who drives you crazy, who's just so irritating. That might be an introduction there to what you have projected onto the other person. And then the pitfall here is that we can get swept up in shadow. That everybody's going to this wild and crazy party that got totally out of control. Well, you know, we got swept up in something shadowy. > Speaker 2 > Yes, so you can get identified with it. > Speaker 1 > Identified. And then the last is this process that your friend obviously engaged in, of integrating it and getting to be, as Joseph said, on a friendly relationship with it. Like, so okay, who doesn't want to be admired? We all do. It's okay that when we can relate to it and turn a friendlier face to it, our shadows are often really not all that dark and awful as we initially imagine. And this was an important part of the early psychoanalytic frame that the most primal instincts that human beings can carry can be sublimated into art, into sports, into all kinds of Symbolic expressions where the energies are allowed to come forward, do have a place inside of us, but they're more damaging or more dangerous. And elements have somehow been softened by a kind of aesthetic context. So Freud's one of his substantial observations is that often people have highly aggressive and highly erotic feelings for each other that the culture does not make space for for any Number of reasons. And his supposition was that human beings developed sports as a way of funneling that kind of war making aspect, but also the intimacy of physically engaging and the eroticism of that. ([Time 0:13:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/0cff86db-2f2f-4b23-9bce-e3b21153e8a3)) > The Cultural Shadow Shifts > Key takeaways: > - What is in the cultural shadow can shift dramatically. > - This shift provides objectivity about our own righteousness. > - Things can go from being outrageous to being ordinary within our own lives. > Transcript: > Speaker 2 > So what you're saying is what's in the cultural shadow can shift? > Speaker 1 > It does shift dramatically, which also should give us a certain objectivity about our own righteousness that lo and behold, even within the course of our own lives, we've seen things Go from being outrageous to being so ordinary that they're barely noticed anymore. ([Time 0:43:40](https://share.snipd.com/snip/4d1d71dc-51be-4eec-83e1-3086d5c1c079)) > The Influence of TV Characters on Cultural Perception > Key takeaways: > - There is a drive for people to lay claim to Shadow in the entertainment industry > - Americans show up at the movies to watch theatrical accounts of behavior that would never be permitted in the culture > - Something inside of us wants to brush against all dimensions of human behavior > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > And I think there is a drive for people to lay claim to Shadow. And we see that in the entertainment industry constantly, how Americans will show up at the movies to watch these theatrical accounts of all kinds of behavior that would never be permitted In the culture. But something inside of us wants to brush against all dimensions of human behavior. ([Time 0:49:07](https://share.snipd.com/snip/43f9c4c6-1c84-4209-927a-c4d2d7f30d82)) > The Power of Theater, Fiction, and Dreams in Changing Perspectives > Key takeaways: > - Through theater, fiction, and other vehicles, we can be introduced to shadow in a friendly way. > - Exposure to certain concepts or figures can change our attitudes towards them. > - Nightmares often involve unfamiliar or incongruent figures that we either fight or flee from. > - Conversations in active imagination can be surprisingly banal. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > So what your examples, Lisa and Joseph, show is that through theater, fiction, and many other vehicles, we can be introduced to shadow in a way that is friendly. So we are learning to turn a friendly face to that which like Tolstoy was initially anathema. And when we're exposed to it, like Will and Grace coming into the living room every week, it really changes how we feel toward it, doesn't it? That knowing something up close and kind of personal, even in perhaps especially in the imaginal realm changes our attitude. This is very similar when we have nightmares. There are figures who we are unfamiliar with or who represent contents of our own psyches that are so incongruent with how we want to see ourselves, that we either fight them or we flee From them or chasing after us, biting at our heels. These dreams can go on for months or years. And then when we finally stop in active imagination, turn and have a conversation, it is often shockingly banal. ([Time 0:53:58](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9aca660e-5313-4ad0-8ffe-20b64a1129b8)) --- Title: Episode 182 - Confronting Shadow — the Work of Self-Discovery Author: This Jungian Life Podcast Tags: readwise, podcasts date: 2024-01-30 --- # Episode 182 - Confronting Shadow — the Work of Self-Discovery  URL:: https://share.snipd.com/episode/b5f54c80-3d59-498d-bd71-90b37cecb7c0 Author:: This Jungian Life Podcast ## AI-Generated Summary None ## Highlights > Episode AI notes > 1. The shadow is the unconscious aspect of ourselves that remains hidden until it demands recognition. It is fueled by suppressed desires and needs that simmer beneath the surface. > 2. Integrating our shadow involves developing a friendlier relationship with it and realizing that it is often not as dark as we imagine. Primal instincts can be expressed through art and sports. > 3. The cultural shadow can shift, providing objectivity about our own righteousness. Things that were once outrageous can become ordinary within our own lives. > 4. The fascination with theatrical accounts of behavior that would not be allowed in society suggests a longing to explore all aspects of human behavior. > 5. Theater, fiction, and dreams can help us be introduced to the shadow in a friendly way, changing our attitudes towards it. Nightmares can represent unfamiliar aspects of ourselves, which can become ordinary through active imagination. ([Time 0:00:00](https://share.snipd.com/episode-takeaways/356ef1a4-19a7-473b-afcd-987700c3cd69)) > The Paradox and Power of Unconscious Shadows > Summary: > The paradoxical essence of the shadow is that we remain unaware of what we are unconscious of. However, when it emerges and demands recognition, it surprises and deeply affects us. Our desires and needs, which have been hidden or suppressed, simmer beneath the surface until they cannot be ignored. Like a volcano, they erupt with immense power, fueled by years of neglect, and demand fulfillment. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > And that is the paradoxical and powerful essence of shadow, isn't it? Is that we are, we go along being unconscious of what we are unconscious of. And then when it emerges and stands right in front of us demanding to be recognized, it really takes us aback and powerfully felt ways. And it is so powerful when we have a desire or a need, whether it's to be admired or affirmed in any number of different ways. And for some reason that's been pushed under where we've been shamed out of thinking, some measure of that was inappropriate. It boils and heats underneath the surface. And then much like a volcano, it kind of comes up through a fissure in the ground and then it's twice as powerful as it might have been a couple of years earlier because the need, the primal Desire for it finally will not tolerate being set aside. And it demands some kind of a satisfaction. ([Time 0:08:56](https://share.snipd.com/snip/7f786327-cecd-4e9e-a0d5-2ad119d0bac3)) > Understanding the Stages of Dealing with the Shadow > Summary: > Our shadow is unconscious and we project it onto others. To understand our own shadow, we can think of someone we dislike. The pitfall is getting swept up in it. We should integrate and be friendly with our shadow. Our shadows are often less dark than we imagine. Primal instincts can be expressed through art and sports. Freud observed that aggression and eroticism can be channeled through sports. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > Where we start, all of us, is that our shadow is unconscious. You know, I really don't know about it. And then the next stage, and I think we typically see this in other people more readily than we can sometimes see it in ourselves, is that we project it. It's not me. It's my friend so and so who is always like this, this, this, this, and this. And James Hollis, one of our teachers, a young and analyst and author, always says that if you would really like to get acquainted with your own shadow, think of somebody in your life That you don't like who drives you crazy, who's just so irritating. That might be an introduction there to what you have projected onto the other person. And then the pitfall here is that we can get swept up in shadow. That everybody's going to this wild and crazy party that got totally out of control. Well, you know, we got swept up in something shadowy. > Speaker 2 > Yes, so you can get identified with it. > Speaker 1 > Identified. And then the last is this process that your friend obviously engaged in, of integrating it and getting to be, as Joseph said, on a friendly relationship with it. Like, so okay, who doesn't want to be admired? We all do. It's okay that when we can relate to it and turn a friendlier face to it, our shadows are often really not all that dark and awful as we initially imagine. And this was an important part of the early psychoanalytic frame that the most primal instincts that human beings can carry can be sublimated into art, into sports, into all kinds of Symbolic expressions where the energies are allowed to come forward, do have a place inside of us, but they're more damaging or more dangerous. And elements have somehow been softened by a kind of aesthetic context. So Freud's one of his substantial observations is that often people have highly aggressive and highly erotic feelings for each other that the culture does not make space for for any Number of reasons. And his supposition was that human beings developed sports as a way of funneling that kind of war making aspect, but also the intimacy of physically engaging and the eroticism of that. ([Time 0:13:21](https://share.snipd.com/snip/0cff86db-2f2f-4b23-9bce-e3b21153e8a3)) > The Cultural Shadow Shifts > Summary: > The cultural shadow can shift, which gives us objectivity about our own righteousness. Things that were once outrageous become so ordinary that they go unnoticed. > Transcript: > Speaker 2 > So what you're saying is what's in the cultural shadow can shift? > Speaker 1 > It does shift dramatically, which also should give us a certain objectivity about our own righteousness that lo and behold, even within the course of our own lives, we've seen things Go from being outrageous to being so ordinary that they're barely noticed anymore. ([Time 0:43:40](https://share.snipd.com/snip/4d1d71dc-51be-4eec-83e1-3086d5c1c079)) > The Influence of TV Characters on Cultural Perception > Summary: > Americans are fascinated by theatrical accounts of behavior that would never be allowed in society, suggesting a longing to explore all aspects of human behavior. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > And I think there is a drive for people to lay claim to Shadow. And we see that in the entertainment industry constantly, how Americans will show up at the movies to watch these theatrical accounts of all kinds of behavior that would never be permitted In the culture. But something inside of us wants to brush against all dimensions of human behavior. ([Time 0:49:07](https://share.snipd.com/snip/43f9c4c6-1c84-4209-927a-c4d2d7f30d82)) > The Power of Theater, Fiction, and Dreams in Changing Perspectives > Summary: > Through theater, fiction, and other vehicles, we can be introduced to the shadow in a friendly way. It's like getting to know a character from a TV show - it changes how we feel towards it. Nightmares are similar, as we often fight or flee from unfamiliar figures representing aspects of ourselves. But when we confront them in active imagination, it's often surprisingly ordinary. > Transcript: > Speaker 1 > So what your examples, Lisa and Joseph, show is that through theater, fiction, and many other vehicles, we can be introduced to shadow in a way that is friendly. So we are learning to turn a friendly face to that which like Tolstoy was initially anathema. And when we're exposed to it, like Will and Grace coming into the living room every week, it really changes how we feel toward it, doesn't it? That knowing something up close and kind of personal, even in perhaps especially in the imaginal realm changes our attitude. This is very similar when we have nightmares. There are figures who we are unfamiliar with or who represent contents of our own psyches that are so incongruent with how we want to see ourselves, that we either fight them or we flee From them or chasing after us, biting at our heels. These dreams can go on for months or years. And then when we finally stop in active imagination, turn and have a conversation, it is often shockingly banal. ([Time 0:53:58](https://share.snipd.com/snip/9aca660e-5313-4ad0-8ffe-20b64a1129b8))