What to Expect

If, after our 30-minute intro call, you decide that working together feels like a good fit, we’ll schedule the initial 2-3 hour session (usually via Zoom video conference, but it could be a phone call).

Two to three hours?! Yes. That initial session will cover a few things: the overall basics of Shadow Work®; we’ll talk about what you want to happen during the session; we may review the results of an optional Shadow Types survey; and we’ll actually “do” some Shadow Work. Because the work is experiential and is usually new for most folks, it often takes a bit of adjustment and can feel awkward. So, it makes sense to schedule three hours to allow the space to work through any clunkiness. (By the way, we might not use the full three hours, but it’s better to plan for more and use less!) Future sessions are usually 1-2 hours.

The Overall Process

A Shadow Work® process starts when I ask you something like, “What would you like to have happen?” (In a group setting, there are always at least two facilitators present, and in a coaching session, there might be one or two.) You can then explain what you want for yourself. And if you’re not sure what you want, we’ll keep exploring together and help you get clarity on what you want.

Generally, people want something that falls into one of these categories:

• To understand why they behave in a certain way;

• To get help or support for unfolding more of themselves;

• To work with feelings like fear, grief, or anger;

• To break through old patterns of behavior that are no longer working in a productive way.

Using the Shadow Work® tools, I’ll help by working with you to symbolically reconstruct your issue so that you can identify the shadow and view it objectively. I may offer perspectives about the shadow and can facilitate powerful techniques for re-integrating the energy that has been in shadow. I will ask for your choice at each step, so what you want guides the process. No one is ever pressured to go beyond their own comfort level. Ever.

In a group setting, Shadow Work® processes only begin after a strong sense of safety and trust has been built among group members through carefully designed group exercises. Exposing parts of your shadow can feel risky. To effectively work with your shadows, you need a place where you can feel safe and trust others. Shadow Work® provides you with such a place.

Because Shadow Work® is experiential—that is, you learn through experiencing it while having the guidance and support of a skilled facilitator—it is sometimes difficult for someone who has never experienced one to imagine what a Shadow Work® process could be like.