'In a dark time, the eye begins to see'.
In this paper I discuss a patient whose shadow became his rival, or as Jung put it, 'The shadow is lived'. I describe the beginning of a process of the assimilation of shadow contents, whereby the rupture between ego and shadow can no longer be maintained. I also discuss how it is primarily through the mutual experience and analysis of archetypal images that the unconscious contents become more integrated. In my clinical illustrations I also explore the relationship between my patient's fight with his shadow and his experiences of childhood shame. I consider how fear expressed through a panic attack may open a royal door to the unconscious, and the way in which its mediation through empathy and analysis can lead to unconscious infantile contents becoming more accessible. In addition, I show how, once some of the fear had subsided, it became possible for play to enter into the analysis.
Haynes
J
J
D000328:Adult; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D004325:Dreams; D006801:Humans; D007602:Jungian Theory; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D011573:Psychoanalytic Interpretation; D011575:Psychoanalytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D012565:Schizophrenic Psychology; D012752:Shame; D014473:Unconscious, Psychology