What to Expect…
Working on Zoom
Working on Zoom has the advantage of remaining in the the privacy and comfort of your own home as well as the ease of not travelling to and from a session - potentially a long journey.
For many of my clients this creates an excellent starting point with the possibliity of moving to in person work if it suits. However, working on Zoom only can be ideal, sufficient and extraordinarily effective.
Sessions are usually longer than traditional talking therapies/counselling. One option is to book an initial 2 hour session where you can experience working with me, online, with the shadow work processes and facilitation tools that I use.
Following this there are various options - for example:
A series of weekly/fortnightly 60-90 minute zoom sessions.
Working with me over 2-3 days in slots of up to 3 hours each, to address deep seated issues.
You will need only a good internet connection for a Zoom call, and some privacy. Please get in touch to discuss working via Zoom further.
5 hour, in person, session
An in person, full length session can be up to 5 hours long (via Zoom we split this over 2-3 days - see above).
The timing and structure within this is guided by what you want to explore on the day and by your sense of what is safest and best for you throughout the time you are working with me.
I will start by giving you lots of time and space to speak at length about what you are bringing and to explore what you want to work on. During this part of the day we will discuss your family history and significant events in your life, so that I can facilitate your work more safely.
Every session is adapted to suit what is best and most appropriate for you on the day and I work with a number of Healing The Shadow processes and techniques to help you reach greater depths of healing and unerstanding about your inner world.
You may even choose to make use of the entirety of a 5 hour session to talk, tell your personal story and be deeply listened to.
Shadow work sessions are known for providing a shame free space for you to explore and work deeply.
Please click here for contact details to discuss this and other options further.
2-4hr, in person, session
Face to face sessions are longer than traditional counselling / talking therapies, to allow time for deep exploration and gradual integration.
One possibility is to book a 2 hour introductory session - adapted to suit what is best and most appropriate for you on the day - where you can experience this work, and me, and get a better sense of whether you would like to continue - or perhaps build up over time to a full length 5 hour session (see above). We will use the time to explore some of what is bringing you to shadow work, and I will introduce you to the archetypes that are represented in the practice room, and to what we mean by ‘carpet work’ (see below for more on this).
A session of this length will be valuable in itself, even if you do not choose to book follow up sessions.
Please click here for contact details to discuss this, and other session options, further.
Working with shadow parts of us
A fundamental premise in Healing The Shadow is that our psyche is made up of many different parts. These parts may be uncomfortable and pushed away by us, or in fact totally hidden from us - in shadow. The concept of the shadow was first coined by Carl Jung - he defined it as ‘that which we are unconscious of’.
We put parts of ourselves into shadow as we grow up - to keep ourselves safe. We hide certain sides of us to fit the requirements of our carers and social groups and also as a consequence of abuse and trauma. In adulthood, it may seem that we do not have access to certain qualities - for example - leadership, empathy, creativity, emotional intimacy, indepedence, personal power - to name a few.
We may also find aspects of our feelings unavailable to us when we need them, and yet at other times they may show up in our lives in destructive ways - they work ‘from the shadows’.
In our shadow work sessions, I will work alongside you to uncover and explore these often deeply suppressed and hidden parts. The work that you do in a session can lead to deep and lasting changes both in how you experience the world around you and also how you show up in that world.
Shadow work offers us the opportunity to show up more authentically and experience deeper connections with others.
A primary intention in Healing The Shadow is to discover and explore parts of us that we don’t feel comfortable with. You will be invited to step ‘into’ parts of you, and speak ‘from’ rather than ‘about’ them.
We do this by representing parts of you (and relevant people/institutions in your life) on an actual carpet. By doing this, we support getting stories and pictures and the inner world ‘out’ - so that you can start to see things from a more stepped back perspective and bring understanding and, potentially, transformation to how stories and life events live inside you.
The carpet is a large rug that will represent your inner world - or your psyche - for the duration of the shadow work session. In the practice room there is a variety of coloured cloths and props to be used to precisely place, represent, bring to life and distinguish different parts of you that you intend to find out more about.
We can also represent on the carpet - using whiteboards - the people/institutions/communities who are relevant for you. This may include parents, siblings, colleagues, friends, partners. Also wider communities such as schools, churches or countries. Also our teachers, quardians and carers may be important to your story and your work.
Carpet work
Healing & Transformation
By giving generous amounts of time and interest to different parts of you, we can start to bring them out of shadow and into your awareness. We can work together so that you can bring about changes in your inner world, and ultimately in to your relationships with the outer world.
The psyche, or unconscious, does not recognise the difference between the facilitated, symbolic work you will do in a shadow work session and ‘real’ life. This allows for deep exploration, healing and transformation to occur in a safe space where there are no real world consequences.
Summary
In deep process psychotherapy, or shadow work, we believe that some of our life force, power and energy is wrapped up, hidden, in parts that we are not conscious of.
These parts of us try to keep us safe and they show up in shadowy ways.
They can result in behaviours and responses that we would prefer to have more control over, and I have found for myself - and witnessed in my colleagues and clients - that shadow work can be an effective way of finding this control and choice.
Getting in touch
To discuss shadow work in more depth please click here to find my contact details.
There is no charge for an initial 45 minute call to discuss what you would like to explore, and to find out more about what I am offering.
Supervision, Ethics and Insurance
I am professionally insured and work within a strict code of ethics . I have regular professional and peer supported supervision.
I welcome you to my practice whatever your ethnicity or gender identity. I welcome LGBTQ+ people.
