Synopses & Reviews
Beneath the social mask we wear every day, we have a hidden shadow side: an impulsive, wounded, sad, or isolated part that we generally try to ignore, but which can erupt in hurtful ways. As therapists Connie Zweig and Steve Wolf show in this landmark book, the shadow can actually be a source of emotional richness and vitality, and acknowledging it can be a pathway to healing and an authentic life. "Romancing the shadow" meeting your dark side, beginning to understand its unconscious messages, and learning to use its powerful energies in productive ways is the challenging and exciting soul work that Zweig and Wolf offer in this practical, rewarding guide.
Drawing on the timeless teachings of Carl Jung and compelling stories from their clinical practices, Zweig and Wolf reveal how the shadow guides your choices in love, sex, marriage, friendship, work, and family life. With their innovative method, you can uncover the unique patterns and purpose of your shadow and learn to defuse negative emotions; reclaim forbidden or lost feelings; achieve greater self-acceptance; heal betrayal; reimagine and re-create relationships; cultivate compassion for others; renew creative expressions; and find purpose in your suffering.
The shadow knows why good people sometimes do bad things. Romancing the shadow and learning to read the messages it encodes in daily life can deepen your consciousness, imagination, and soul.
Review
"Replacing murky psychological language with easily understood stories and characters, Jungian psychotherapists Wolf and Zweig offer myth-based modern parables for reconnecting with our 'dark' sides." Publishers Weekly
Review
"This book is a great help to anyone trying to tune in and listen to the voice of the soul. At last, a practical mysticism!" Coleman Barks, poet-translator of The Essential Rumi
Review
"A compelling, evocative book that brilliantly elucidates the shadow in straightforward language. Shadow-work is our greatest challenge to becoming a global village." Marion Woodman, author of Dancing in the Flames: The Dark Goddess in the Transforming Consciousness
Review
"A consummate and timely work....An exciting entry into the growing literature on the dark side of the soul. There is deep wisdom and nourishment here." New Age Journal
Review
"Romancing the Shadow enables you to peel away the layers of your soul and get in touch with the purity of Being that lies within you." Deepak Chopra, author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success and A Path to Love
Synopsis
Explains how to identify and accept the shadow and use its powerful energies in positive ways in all areas of life: love, sex, marriage, friendship, money, work, spirituality, and aging.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. 333-340) and index.
About the Author
Connie Zweig, Ph.D., is a Jungian psychotherapist who specializes in shadow-work, as well as creative and spiritual issues. The former executive editor of J. P. Tarcher, Inc., she has written for
Esquire,
Omni, the
Los Angeles Times, the
Christian Science Monitor,
Psychology Today, and
Spring: A Journal of Archetype and Culture. She is coeditor of the bestselling collected volume
Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature and founder of The Institute for Shadow-work and Spiritual Psychology in the Los Angeles area.
Steve Wolf, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, developed shadow-work as an integration of twenty-five years of experience with psychology, mysticism, martial arts, and storytelling. He has held trainings in corporations, schools, and prisons and offers ongoing workshops and individual and couples psychotherapy. He lives with his wife and son and maintains his therapy practice in Los Angeles.