What We Misunderstand About Jung's Shadow |
For many gay men, shame is conscious — but worth, resilience, and capability often are not.
Minority stress and anti-LGBTQ legislation are reactivating familial homophobia in gay men across the country.
Shadow work includes acknowledging our inherent worth, resilience, and abilities.
Carl Jung described the shadow as the unconscious parts of ourselves — aspects we've repressed, denied, or didn't know existed.
For a long time, my understanding of the shadow, as it relates to gay men and shame, was pretty straightforward. I had always viewed it as internalized homophobia, believing something about me was fundamentally wrong, or aspects of my identity I'd learned to hide.
But a recent experience in therapy helped me see my understanding had been incomplete.
Many gay men know shame and are familiar with hiding. Most of my clients can tell me they've had a close and personal relationship with shame—so much so that it's created negative consequences in their lives, including their relationships, sex lives, and even their careers.
What is often less recognized in the shadow is something else entirely: that we're capable........