Dialogue With A Shadow Aspect

In this guided shadow work experience, you will encounter an aspect of your subconscious mind in the form of a figure. Using a potent experience of yours as a portal into your psyche, Catherine will guide you into dialogue with that lost aspect of you that needs integrating in order to heal and reclaim your authentic self. You may well leave with invaluable insights and renewed feelings of wholeness.

Transcript

This is an encounter and dialogue with a shadow element.

So wherever you are,

Make sure that you feel safe or safe enough.

And comfortable where you can have the amount of privacy that you need.

And once you're there,

Close your eyes and begin to tune into your breath.

Notice the state of your breath.

Is it shallow or deeper right now?

And do what you can to gently start to slow and deepen your breath.

Noticing the feeling of breathing.

Now bring into your imagination a triggering event that happened to you.

That you think about,

Whether it's from your past or from your present.

This process will help you very deeply and subconsciously heal and integrate whatever shadow element is present in that experience.

In your imagination,

Feeling yourself,

For example,

Across from that triggering person.

Or in that difficult situation.

If the situation is quite triggering,

If it is a severe trauma,

Make sure to have compassion for yourself and know that it might not be the right time to go there right now.

So when you arrive at whatever circumstance or relationship you want to explore,

Start to breathe into whatever feeling you notice in you in this place.

And as you breathe,

Amplify that feeling.

Asking it to take up more space so we can see it clearly.

And once you've breathed into it as much as feels natural,

So that you see it clearly,

Give it a name.

What is that feeling,

Or perhaps it's a mixture of feelings.

As you name it,

Feel it all over your body as much as feels safe enough.

And now we're going to invite this feeling signature,

Either the single feeling you've named or the mixture of feelings to become a figure in your imagination.

It could show up however it intuitively and immediately does,

No matter how bizarre.

It could be a kind of person or a humanoid kind of individual,

An animal,

A blob with a face,

Whatever comes up.

And now imagine and feel yourself in your mind's eye as a sovereign queen or king,

Or perhaps as your higher self.

And feel yourself standing very tall,

Invincible across from this figure.

And feel your height and your power and also your deep compassion as if you were the most benevolent monarch.

And that this feeling,

This figure here in front of you,

Is simply a member of the kingdom that you rule.

There's no need to be afraid of it.

And you know beyond doubt that it can't hurt you or anybody else.

And as this divine,

Royal figure,

Hear yourself silently ask this feeling signature creature.

You are in my kingdom and you deserve to be here.

Now what do you have to say?

And simply hear what it says,

Or perhaps it does something.

Again,

Whatever you notice immediately and intuitively is perfect.

It is authentic to your subconscious.

And then when it is done saying that simply say what else?

Very neutrally.

And you might even pause this recording and continue asking it and saying what else?

If it feels like this figure has a lot it needs to say.

And the key to this experience is to completely allow whatever the figure has to say or do.

You might notice that this figure is becoming active,

That it's doing something.

Perhaps it's getting violent.

If so,

Your only job is to as much as possible allow it and then allow more.

Allowing this figure to get as violent as it could possibly ever want to get.

Knowing that it's not actually hurting anyone or anything.

Releasing any tension or resistance you might have to fully allowing whatever this figure needs to do.

And feeling yourself as the divine and royal being,

Standing very powerful and tall,

Unharmed.

No matter what.

And then simply say what else?

Completely opening to this figure.

Completely accepting.

And once the figure feels like it has completed what it needs to say and do for now,

Look at it with such compassion and say,

I accept you.

You belong to this kingdom.

You belong with me.

And as you say this as many times as feels,

No matter what,

You are not alone.

And as you say this as many times as feels needed,

Look at this figure and see if it changes.

It doesn't have to,

But notice if it does.

And then ask the figure,

What do you need?

With grace and compassion,

Waiting for whatever it says or demonstrates.

And then see,

Imagine yourself as this all powerful sovereign being providing for that need.

And as you say this as many times as feels,

No matter what,

You are not alone.

And then ask,

What else do you need?

And see yourself likewise providing that need and keep this process going as long as it feels necessary.

Now looking again at the figure,

Notice if it's changed,

If it's transformed,

Or if it's simply presenting in a different way without attachment to it being so.

And you can of course pause this recording and do any of the previous steps as much as you intuitively feel would help this figure to feel seen,

Accepted,

Supported by you.

Knowing that in doing so,

You've freed part of yourself from exile,

Welcomed at home into your own heart,

Loved yourself and become more whole.

So whenever this process feels complete,

Feel gratitude in your heart for this figure,

For these feelings.

And even if you feel like it,

For the situation that triggered you to bring this shadow element to your awareness so it could be healed.

And in that spirit of loving gratitude,

Began again to notice your body right here in the room.

Noticing the breath and compassionately allowing the scene in your imagination to fade.

As you open your eyes and come back right here.

Reviews

Wonderful, loved the leading into my own inner space, this provided an unexpected insight to a part of me that needs my time. Thank for the suggestions on how to tend to and listen to this part of me. Will journal on it. Very happy to have found you here. Feeling peace and hope. Will be back to this one. Thank you.

I was drawn to this meditation this morning and now see why. I live just outside Los Angeles. I hear sirens regularly, a reminder that ICE is terrorizing our city. The sounds, not to mention the videos of people being abducted, are horrific in themselves but also a constant trigger of growing up with an alcoholic father in an environment where I was powerless to stop the violence. The figure that came up was a small round blob, helpless without arms or legs. Towards the end of the meditation, it transformed into a teenage version of myself. My "powerful" self hugged it, but it couldn't say everything is all right because it's not. All I could do was acknowledge the suffering. And that seeing and compassion helped. I don't actually feel powerful but I feel more connected to myself and that feels soothing. Thank you for creating a way to connect with our most vulnerable selves.

Very helpful. I believe I will now nurture myself more deeply and fully.

Wow! Transported easily to the very hard moment in thr past... Wanted to avoid seeing my aggresor with compassion, but this empowered stance helped... very very difficult, but after coming back to the present, soaked in tears, I can see that I will go back again, and lose the terror eventually
Thank you
🙏🏼

Powerful visualizations that brought out so much that I had never accessed previously.

Absolutely stunning. I’ve been invested in Jung and in archetypes and if there are any meditations or sources for this subject in meditation I’d love to check them out.

Very helpful!! Interesting way to look at a shadow aspect of myself! Thank you!

Thanks, very helpful practice. Acknowledging the shadow is a great gate way to healing.

So very helpful. I will come back to this scene again as I need to for other healing. Thank you!

Amazing- just what I needed to connect with a part of myself and bring it compassion. Thank you for your wisdom ❤️🥰

One of the most revealing and powerful meditations I’ve experienced. Thank you for helping me with my healing journey.

I met a grossly disfigured child who felt suffocated, abandoned, silenced, and forgotten. Her eyes were so sad and downcast. She asked to be freed. She asked to be healed, to look like a beautiful child. She asked to be seen, remembered, and heard. And she asked to be forgiven. Finally, she asked for support, guidance, and love in her new body, energy, and role. I granted all of her requests. 🙏

I experienced a powerful interaction that helped me reframe responses of displaced anger shown towards me by two significant people in my life. The anger was a growling wolf. I realized he was protecting them. I asked what he needed, and he said, “To feel safe.” When I accepted him, he came and sat beside me and after asking him the question again,he put his head down on my leg. Thank you. This meditation was more powerful than I expected. 🌻☀️

So powerful thank you so much 🙏🏻🌸💕Catherine! I am on this journey of healing ❤️‍🩹 my inner self, my inner child and I appreciate so much, your guidance in these meditations

a powerful practice. so many interesting things happened to me in this meditation, most notably the recognition that my shadow aspect (codename: scarcity) had but one thing to say over and over, words from all the people in my life who’d conditioned me to limit my possibility through fear.

I came to that aspect in the form of a child, speaking with pure wisdom from the heart, and I was able to calm the shadow that I had conjured up through this practice.

looking forward to doing this again to reapproach aspects of myself that need more attention and care. grateful for this track 😌🙏🏾.

I had tears flowing 2 mins into it 💜 beautiful and powerful practice. Thank you Catherine

The figure I imagined was a very large humanoid of a dark gray color with wet dripping skin akin to wet clay sculpture. It was weeping. Before being directed to do so, I offered compassion and forgiveness.
Quite a cathartic practice.
Many thanx and many blessings.

Thank you SO much. They was a beautiful process and just what I needed. Our bigger triggers always seem link to our innner child we need to see, soothe and love

Very strong and emotive, brought up many tears. Thank you✨

That was amazingly powerful. Really well spaced with time to actually visualize and feel into the part. Thank you for this 🙏