The shadow and recovery

Much credit is deserved to Carl Jung. Not only was he beneficial in the world of psychology, he also had an influence in the development of AA.  His works in therapy are expansive and perhaps he is best known for his for the idea of the shadow. The part of ourselves that we hide, deny, and repress. What can quickly come to mind is the darker sides of ourselves. However, there are light shadows as well.

In several of the lives I have had the privilege of intersecting with, the addicted side seems to be the one we want to avoid, deny, and hide. In fact, this is what keeps the addiction alive and going. And yes, admittedly there are things about that part that acted in undesirable ways. However, they are still part of our story and parts of the recovery and healing journey.

What a gift recovey gives in identifying and working with these shadows. The very essence of recovery begins with admitting there is this side and coming to terms with its existence. Then comes the part, in various ways, of inventory work and looking at our part in it. It challenges us to name the shadow — the part where we say ‘I’m not like that at all’ or ‘Never in a million years would I’.  Of course these are just a couple sample phrases.

Then we sit with another and make it known. We tell it out loud to ourselves and another. Many have balked at this action and this is the work of the shadow not wanting to be exposed. But how can one come to accept and acknowledge this part of it’s never witnessed or heard by another?

The shadow is a tricky one as it will protect at any cost. Even buried in the inventory is a notion of looking at the unskillful actions. Yet, there is a path to the light shadow here too. We identify the skillful parts that we may overlooked or not given credit to. We come to realize there is light we have been hiding, denying, and repressing.

The shadow and recovery is a vast and deep concept. Exploration and processing is encouraged, perhaps even for a lifetime.