Self-Diagnosis on Scripps News

Self-diagnosing via social media is a big trend these days, especially on TikTok. As many more people seek a better understanding of their own mental health it’s important to be careful about the information you consume online. I recently talked with Kristin Krauss of Scripps News on the topic.

Take a look at the coverage below!

Shadow Work on the Black Moon Lilith Rising Podcast

Recently, I was able to join my friend Adama on her podcast, The Black Moon Lilith Rising Podcast. In our episode we were able to talk about shadow work and how Jung unifies the worlds of psychology, spirituality and astrology. I had a lot of fun in this episode and hope that you enjoy listening!Listen to the episode at the link below:

https://www.lilithastrology.com/podcasts/black-moon-lilith-rising/episodes/2147824170

You can also learn more about Lilith Astrology and Adama's work at LilithAstrology.com and on Instagram @lilithastrology.

What Shadow Work Means & What to Expect

Writing a book is hard work. Marketing a book that you wrote is a whole different beast! I was glad to work with the Simon & Schuster team to create this quick video that talks a bit more about shadow work and how it can help you embrace your inner self.

Check out the clip below!

Why I'm Writing a Book About Shadow Work

*This post contains an affiliate link, for which I may earn a small commission for any purchases. You will incur no additional costs at time of purchase.

I'll admit that even in the field of psychology shadow work isn't exactly a mainstream idea, so then why write about it? I think the key to better mental health, both within an individual and in the larger collective society, is about making the unconscious conscious.

What is shadow work?

In essence, making the unconscious conscious is at the root of shadow work. The shadow, as conceived by Carl Jung, represents the often hidden (and almost always undesired) parts of ourselves that we regularly have a hard time accessing. As we go about our daily lives, tending to our regular tasks, we all carry with us a shadow self.

Within in this shadow self are our deepest motivations, our hidden gifts, and our most profound traumas. If we work to cast a light on this shadow self, we can work towards true acknowledgement...and hopefully acceptance. Shadow work gives us a pathway towards this integration, ensuring that we learn to live alongside our shadow selves with a greater sense of awareness. With that awareness comes greater sense of personal ease and peace, as well as diminished likelihood that shadow self will run amok, working behind the scenes as it complicates our relationships, career and mental health.

Is the world changing...or are we, the people, changing?

In the past few years, we've seen a huge cultural shift in how greater society and politics shape our lives. This is true for the United States, but you may have noticed that white supremacy and white nationalism are up all around the world.

More broadly, there is an increase in violent rhetoric online and it's hard to escape the depth of pain that we're all experiencing on a day to day basis. It's clear to me that struggles for power, deep-seated feelings of envy and hatred, as well as self-loathing are more present than they have been in the past couple of decades.

As a therapist, and a healer, I believe this marks a cultural shift. There is an incredible amount of pain and grief in the world that we live in. I spend most of my days helping clients sift through that pain and make their way to fuller lives whether we're exploring career changes or relationship concerns. The context in which we live is challenging for many of us.

On top of that, the pandemic seems to have presented a reckoning for so many people. Some people began to realize just how unsatisfied they are with their lives. Others find it hard to be swayed by divisive beliefs on the corners of the internet.

As a young child, I was a fan of Greek mythology and it's almost as if Pandora opened the box herself in the past few years. Now, we're faced with an insurmountable amount of grief and loss collectively, all while navigating the challenges in our own personal corners of the world.

Eyes wide open

There is no doubt in my mind that the past few years have opened us all up in ways that we didn't anticipate. As all those darker sides of humanity (bigotry, violence, selfishness, etc.) find more ways to rear their ugly heads, I can't help but wonder how much better, or healthier, we could all be if we spent more time understanding ourselves in much deeper ways.

How might we be able to feel better, feel more connected, and more secure if we found ways to really BE with ourselves and accept ourselves...even the darker parts, more fully? How could the world look different if we all did our part to understand our rich, internal lives, so we didn't leak on others, or feel the impulse to project onto others our deepest insecurities and fears?

This is why I think shadow work is so important right now.

Healing comes through integration

While I don't claim to have all the answers (in fact, I think any wise person knows that they, in fact, know very little) I know through simple observation that as a collective, things really need to change in order for our world to sustain itself. Before we can really learn to take care of society's most vulnerable, before we can build families with a legacy of fulfillment and kindness we all have to do our part - our own internal work - to be the best versions of ourselves that we can be in this moment.

If you know that you are doing that - that you are embodying this best version of yourself right now, then I wholeheartedly commend you. As the world continues to spin, let us all make a concerted effort to create a world where we feel at peace internally - and have no problems in extending that peace outward. I think we desperately need it.

If you'd like to take the next step in your own exploration, you can order my book The Shadow Work Workbook.

Rethinking Coping Skills on the Mood Ring Podcast

Do you ever struggle with guilt after using a coping strategy? If so, you're not alone.

I was able to join host Anna Borges on her podcast, Mood Ring, to talk about out sh*tty coping mechanisms and offered some tips on managing guilt and coping in ways that work best for you.

Listen to the episode below!