What is the shadow self and why is it so important to acknowledge?

 


What is the shadow self and why is it so important to acknowledge?

Our Shadow self is the part of us that we often prefer to keep hidden from others, it is the unconscious part of our character that represents what we feel is negative or unacceptable emotions, desires or impulses that we feel embarrassed to share or show for fear of judgement from others or a lack of understanding .
Every one of us have a shadow self which is often repressed due to social pressure or fear of judgement from others. The shadow self however is something that we need to embrace because if we don't we are unable to grow internally. Our Shadow selves can vary enormously from harbouring negative emotions including Anger and Rage to erotic desires or festishes.
If we have been brought up in an environment where we felt unable to voice an opinion or have experienced trauma of some kind it is only natural that we may feel many different pent up emotions that stem from pain and fear including Anger and Rage and if we are not able to release these emotions in a safe space then it will create long term internal damage to every aspect of our wellbeing.
There are many people that have numerous fetishes and other desires that they choose to keep hidden from loved ones and family because they fear the repercussions if they are honest about how they are really feeling which again leads to desires being suppressed out of fear which will then start to create mental and physical health concerns within the body if there is not an outlet through which they can be explored .
Career choices can also attract gossip or judgement which is often completely unfounded. As a Tantric massage therapist I have unfortunately experienced this first hand and for me this is the most painful because my work is my passion and joy and seeing lives transformed is why I continue to practice and yet malicious gossip and judgement from others has affected me over the years, but I choose to ignore it and I hide what I do from no one including my family and friends because I'm proud of who I am and the work I do.
We are all different and its only by embracing who we truly are that we can learn to accept others completely .

Elizabeth Lock      Holistic Therapist 
www.yourcuddletherapy.co.uk   heal@yourcuddletherapy.co.ukwww.yourinnerglow.co.uk         heal@yourinnerglow.co.ukwww.yourtantrictouch.co.uk      heal@yourtantrictouch.co.uk

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The 5 main types of massage movements and benefits

Image
There are a variety of different strokes used during a typical massage routine. This depends on the style of massage, the clients  requirements and how the therapist conducts her treatment.  When I am working on a client I personally like to use a variety of massage movements not only to enable the massage to be as effective as possible, but also so that I can tailor make the session to cater for each individuals needs as client satisfaction is extremely important to my practice. Below is a summary of the main massage movements used in swedish massage which is the most common style of massage practised,the reasons for each stroke and the benefits that are gained as a result. All the strokes are done in an upwards motion towards the heart. The strokes are described as I personally use them and in order for what I have found to be the most effective way of practicing but each therapist obviously has their own method of what works best for them and their treatment. ...
Read more

What are defence mechanisms and how can we recognise them in our self and others?

Image
What are defence mechanisms and how can we recognise them in our self and others? Everyone one of us if we choose to be completely honest with ourselves have at some time in our life used defence mechanisms as a way of protecting ourselves from feelings which arise as a result of our ego feeling threatened in some way and coming under attack. Defence mechanisms are not something we can always consciously control, they can often be non voluntaristic but can often lead to what others may perceive as unpleasant behaviour leading to inevitable judgement if they are not recognised for what they are. A huge reason why I am so passionate about tantra is that it encourages people to remove the mask and be free to be who they really are and yet so many of us continue to wear these masks to enable us to continue feeling confident in our everyday lives. Unfortunately, we are often our own harshest critic and for most people situations that bring uncertainty into our lives can often trig...
Read more

Why is following a diet designed for your individual blood type so important? Part 2

Image
  Why is following a diet designed for your individual blood type so important? Part 2 In a previous post I explored Dr Peter J. Adamo book “Eat right for your type” which suggested that following a diet specifically recommended for individual blood types diet could have a huge impact on health and wellbeing.   I decided to explore this issue of blood types further and uncovered other fascinating concepts that can be derived from blood type including the exercise recommended to allow the body to operate at an optimum level, personality characteristics and recommended careers which would be suitable. Some of the information stated below is taken directly from Dr Adamo’s book. Through my research I have shared below what I discovered about each of the blood types, of course as individuals this may differ from your own personal characteristics but perhaps see if you can relate in any way …In Japan blood type is particularly favoured in relating to compatibility in Love and jo...
Read more