In my experience as a transpersonal and bioenergetic therapist (and as a human), one of the most important, and sometimes challenging, concepts to address is the shadow. For many people, talking about the shadow can be uncomfortable because it involves confronting what we would rather not see, both in ourselves and in the world around us. However, working with the shadow is profoundly liberating because it allows us to integrate and heal those parts we have rejected or ignored. It also helps us become free from the forces that control our unconscious and automatic decisions.
From a transpersonal perspective, the shadow represents everything we have excluded from our consciousness. It is the collection of aspects of ourselves that we do not want to accept or recognize, and which we, therefore, relegate to the unconscious. It also includes aspects we are aware of but hide from others, making great efforts to wear masks and build armor that protect that insecurity and the lies we tell ourselves.
These aspects may be emotions, desires, fears, actions we’ve taken, behavior patterns, or even traumas. But what we don’t face or integrate inevitably projects itself into our lives, affecting our relationships, self-esteem, and how we interact with the world.
To me, the shadow is not just one thing. In fact, I see it divided into three main types, each with its own impact on our lives.
1. Personal Shadow
This is the type of shadow we are usually most familiar with. It refers to everything we don’t want to see in ourselves, which we mask with external projections.
These are the parts of our personality that we have judged as unacceptable or undesirable, the ones we learned to hide from an early age in order to be accepted or loved.
Sometimes the personal shadow manifests in simple things like repressed anger, sadness we refuse to acknowledge, or desires we consider inappropriate, along with actions we’ve hidden, lies we’ve worn. It can also include deep wounds we’ve silently carried, patterns of self-criticism, or even harmful behaviors. What we fail to understand is that by hiding these parts, we give them even more power. They manifest in distorted ways in our daily lives, affecting our decisions and relationships without us being fully aware.
Working with the personal shadow is a journey of self-acceptance and transformation. It’s about learning to view these aspects not with judgment, but with love and curiosity, allowing them to integrate healthily into our being.
I am passionate about helping shed light on these hidden corners of the unconscious cave, simply to see, recognize, love, and liberate.
2. Collective Shadow
The shadow isn’t just something individual; it also exists at the level of the collective unconscious. This is the energy that operates in the background of our society, with most people being unaware of it. These are patterns, beliefs, and dynamics that affect our energy field, shaping how we behave and perceive the world, often invisibly.
Think, for example, of the values imposed by our culture: success, competition, a certain idea of power, fear of scarcity. These are ideas that, although we don’t always consciously choose them, get implanted into our system and begin to steer our lives. We find ourselves trapped in a kind of collective hypnosis, not realizing that we are acting from the collective shadow, without being the authors of our own narrative.
It’s deep work to start waking up to this level of manipulation and recognizing how we’ve absorbed ideas that don’t belong to us. Liberation begins when we can see and break these patterns to align with a more authentic life.
3. Energetic Shadow and Dark Forces
This type of shadow is often avoided because it reminds us that not everything in this world is «light and love,» or simply because there is little understanding of how these forces work and operate in shaping our reality.
There are dark forces that also govern the earth, energies that operate on more subtle planes but undeniably influence our experience here, whether we are conscious of them or not.
This is not about falling into paranoia, but rather about understanding that not everything around us vibrates in harmony. There are forces that seek to keep us in states of fear, separation, and chaos. Part of the spiritual awakening process is recognizing that these energies also exist. We can’t pretend that only the «positive» is real while ignoring the dark side of the energetic reality in which we live.
This world is complex and sometimes confusing, but to stay aligned with the energies of the highest frequency, it is essential to also understand how the forces that feed on density and lower frequencies operate. These forces can be found both in the urban world and in the shadows of Mother Nature.
By acknowledging the existence of these dark forces, we don’t give them more power. Instead, we empower ourselves to choose how we want to vibrate and with which energies we want to align. The energetic shadow doesn’t have to be an obstacle but rather an opportunity to develop discernment, powerful intuition, and spiritual strength.
Working with the shadow is one of the most powerful paths to liberation, enlightenment, and personal empowerment.
It allows us to discover the parts of ourselves we have left in the dark so we can integrate them and live more fully and authentically. From the personal shadow to the broader shadows of the collective and dark energies, the process of bringing light to these areas is ultimately what allows us to connect with the power of the heart.
In my transpersonal therapy programs, we focus precisely on this: learning to cultivate a powerful, rich internal world, infinite in possibilities, where we connect with a greater wisdom and weave more authentic relationships based on truth, not illusions of power, money, or external success.
If you’re ready to delve into this process, I’m here to accompany you, with love and sometimes with honesty that may feel uncomfortable to the ego. It’s a path to freedom and to the deepest truth of who you are.
The process of enlightenment is bringing light to the shadow.
