Flipping shadow

When we don’t have the tools to include shadow somatically or to connect to archetypes somatically, there can be a lot of flipping between opposite energies. An example might be some inner battle between your yin and your yang. One is more active in the world, while the other is avoided. When we’re using a ‘healing’ framework there might be ‘self-improvement’ that creates more shadow. Or when our language is very attached to our cultural conditioning or to the dynamics which occur in the outside world, we might internalize that dynamic and language. For example our yin might be avoided while we’re possessed by the not mature yang. When this leads to a dead end, the not mature yin can suddenly come to the surface and we direct the blame, judgement, hatred to our yang. This flipping of sides and roles of which part is under attack is a good marker for not spending time in soma. When we work somatically we can include all the parts of the dynamic, even the tendency to flip. The flipping might point to unconscious beliefs, wrong conclusions and the source of the blame and the attack. Through witnessing the flip we can bring consciousness to it. Instead of flipping unconsciously we can grow in collaboration or even put a part of us ‘on pause’ while still attending to it internally. Long term it doesn’t work to cast parts out in order to ‘develop’ other parts.

What works is developing the tools to hold opposite energies together, so they can grow. No part of us has to go away in order for another to be here. Instead we want to include everything and nourish connection to each part of us. This is a path to wholeness, on a personal and collective level.