The Shadow: Individuation, Wholeness, and Becoming Your True Self

Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Dr. Rick and Forrest explore one of the most interesting concepts in psychology: Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow. The shadow includes the “the things a person has no wish to be,” the uncomfortable aspects of ourselves that we deny or ignore. Facing those parts can be difficult, but becoming aware of the shadow, accepting it, and integrating it allows us to embrace all of who we are.

They start by explaining what the shadow is, where it comes from, and why it’s valuable. Rick shares some examples of shadow material, what we lose by leaving them behind, and how we can start reintegrating them. Forrest talks about modern approaches to shadow work, and viewing the shadow through a less dualistic lens. They then map out the “typical” path of what is usually a highly individualized process.

Hope you enjoy it!

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:50: Defining the shadow - things we leave out, or don’t care to know

4:30: Individuation

12:05: Some examples of shadow material

18:35: What do we lose by not incorporating the shadow?

23:10: Agency, creativity, authenticity, and unrecognized capabilities

26:50: Patience, knowing your why, inner refuge, and befriending parts

32:00: Acceptance, awareness of projection, and being in dialog with our shadow

38:10: Deliberate practice, stepping into the wild, and showing curiosity

46:25: The golden shadow, and accepting impulses vs. acting on them

55:30: Recap

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