Introduction

Welcome to our first newsletter! We would like to introduce ourselves to you and pay attention to the success of our free online course 'From the shadow into the light'. Follow us on Instagram for more inspiration and applicable exercises.

Who are we?

We are Minne, Sander and Tijmen, three Jungian therapists with a clear and fresh view on self-development through therapy. For ourselves, the therapeutic process has been an enriching experience, a development towards more resilience, trust and compassion. We are now happy to share our acquired knowledge with others!

We have been guiding people in our (online and offline) practice Percival in one-on-one conversations for over a year and a half now. Together with you, we map out the unique path that you walk. What are your passions and how do you keep the fire burning instead of going out? What obstacles do you run into time and time again that keep you from doing what you actually have to do? What about your emotional maturity and where do you want to be in a year’s time? By gaining more clarity about these things for yourself, you are better able to determine your destiny instead of letting fate decide for you.

In addition to offering therapy conversations, we recently launched a free shadow work course that you can do by yourself. With the help of writing assignments and meditations, we let you connect with your 'dark side'. This dark side is not right or wrong, but simply arises as we as children have repressed certain things in overwhelming situations. As adults, we are now able to shed light on that which has been hidden in the shadows for years. We can consciously take responsibility for this part of ourselves and thereby relieve ourselves. We then find that what we have rejected all along gives us strength and wisdom. This is the gold in the shadow.

Discover the gold in you and sign up for the course for free here or read more about it below.

Minne

After a career as a lawyer, I chose a different life path. One that was more in line with what really interested and inspired me. The relationship between body and mind has fascinated me from an early age. Since I started meditating, I have discovered how these two worlds reinforce one another. The training at the Jung Academy gave me a lot of depth and was invaluable to me.

Since 2012 I have a practice for massage, body-oriented therapy and breath coaching. In winter I guide groups into the cold natural water through focus and breathing techniques. I love nature, like to do different sports and enjoy the journey of discovery in this life.

Sander

After a career in journalism, I really learned to listen to my intrinsic motivations instead of trying to live up to expectations from the outside world. Thanks to the training at the Jung Academy, I reconnected with repressed parts of myself and gradually became joyful again.

Working with people and passing on what I was taught by my teachers gives me a lot of inspiration. In my sessions I combine Jungian ideas with the ancient wisdom from the East (Bhagavad Gita, Advaita Vedanta). Both traditions speak of the importance of self-knowledge for living a meaningful life. A meaningful life is the biggest gift we can give ourselves if we are open to it.

Tijmen

At the age of 22, I discovered the hero’s journey and the legacy of Carl Jung. I read about individuation and enlightenment. A desire for psychological maturity and personal growth was ignited.

It took me about 8 years to really answer my call. Meanwhile, being in analysis for the past three years, I am confident Jungian Therapy is how I can help others on their journey. Unexamined parts carry a lot of potential. I discovered many parts of myself I had repressed like the joy I find in reading and writing, my creativity, the joy of connecting with other people, and exploring the psyche.

Therapy is a gift!

The success of shadow work course

Since we have launched our shadow work course, hundreds of people have signed up for it. Together we are exploring our own shadow in search of the gold that is hidden within all of us. Step by step we are able to come to terms with ourselves. This means that less energy is put in suppressing and more energy is available for living joyfully.

We like to thank everyone for contributing and taking time to do shadow work. And for letting us know how you did experience the course.

‘This course is very clarifying and especially helpful in this day and age’ - Rija

If you are new to shadow work and to our course, below you can read more about it. If you have more questions relating to the course, feel free to book a free introduction with us.

What is the shadow?

The shadow consists of the parts of ourselves that we do not want or cannot see directly. In our younger years, these parts were often unwelcome and we found a way to suppress them. They are not gone however, but live on in the unconscious. From the unconscious, the repressed parts come to the surface at unexpected moments and sabotage our goals, our relationships and our well-being. The shadow is characterized by primitive, childish and/or destructive behavior.

An example is the dear family man or woman who rarely expresses himself, but suddenly gets an outburst of anger or suffers from self-hatred. The anger is repressed, but sooner or later comes to the surface in an immature way. Each of us has our own shadow that manifests itself in different ways.

The importance of shadow work

Because we can't see our own suppressed parts, we unconsciously project the shadow onto other people. What we reject in ourselves we will fight, manipulate and condemn in the people who represent it. As a result, we create conflicts in ourselves and with others again and again.

Shadow work gets you out of victimhood. You get out of false dependency and don't have to put the blame for problems on others every time. By taking responsibility for your own shadow, you build a healthier relationship with yourself and others. Shadow work contributes to personal development and maturation. It brings you in touch with hidden talents and qualities and clears the blockages that keep you from living your true potential.

How do you get started with shadow work?

After subscribing you will during four weeks receive more information about shadow work. You learn to understand how the shadow came into existence and how the unconscious parts influence your life. By shedding light on the underlying needs, you take responsibility for this long-hidden and repressed side. The sabotaging nature of the shadow transforms into a helping force, one that gives more energy and direction to your life.

Through various exercises we guide you in meeting your shadow and in the process of transformation. The course offers insights and tools which you can use to relate to yourself and others in a different way. This time from a place of more clarity, autonomy and compassion.

Is shadow work beneficial for everyone?

Shadow work is a liberating, inspiring and empowering process. However, in some cases we advise not to start. For shadow work it is important that you are sufficiently 'grounded' in yourself. This includes having the ability to look at yourself more objectively, possessing a degree of emotional stability, and being able to feel compassion for what is being touched in you. When you have any doubts, feel welcome to contact us. If needed we are happy to guide you in the process. We support you in creating more balance and stability, so you can lay the foundation for a mature relationship with yourself.

Free counseling (60 minutes)

Would you like to experience how we work one-on-one as a result of the shadow work course? Or do you want to break through deeper and not helpful patterns in conversation and through exercises? Book a free introduction with one of us.

Follow us on social media

You can also find us on Instagram and Facebook. Last summer we posted a series of articles on Instagram about solving the contradiction in ourselves. Below you will find an example of this.

Uniting the opposites within us

How can we live more freely?

Understanding this helps; we are a bundle of contradictions but often think one-sided about ourselves. This causes confusion between who we are and who we think we are.

When we have (unknowingly) a rigid and one-sided image of ourselves, it creates an unfree feeling. This is so because we impose it on ourselves to behave within that framework/prison.

In order to live more freely it is important to see and accept the contradictions within ourselves.

Today we focus on two opposite poles: Arrogance and Overly Modest.

Arrogance means that we have a sense of superiority that is reflected in our behavior.

Overly Modest implies we do not think too highly about ourselves and act accordingly.

When our conscious attitude strongly identifies with one of the two opposites, either ‘I am just arrogant’ or ‘I am always modest’, we are prisoners of our own attitude.

What happens next: an arrogant personality rejects thoughts and feelings of inferiority in itself; an overly modest person does the same with thoughts and feelings of superiority.

These thoughts and feelings are thus banished to the unconscious where they live an invisible existence. In the case of an arrogant personality; inferiority becomes part of the unconscious.

This implies that we do not acknowledge our full being. We only see half of it. And what we do not see in ourselves, we project onto the outer world.

An arrogant personality will look at the world with a layer of inferiority superimposed on it. As one keeps superior feelings for oneself, one cannot enjoy the greatness of the creation. One does not only see oneself half but also the world is seen in a distorted way.

This is not a healthy way of going out into the world and not a healthy way of relating. The result is harm towards oneself and others.

The idea of Jungian therapy is to start a dialogue between the conscious mind and the unconscious. In other words; there is a dialogue between the story we tell ourselves consciously and an unknown story that is yearning for us to be told.

When the arrogant personality accepts in itself feelings of inferiority, the unhealthy projection onto the outside world will collapse accordingly and one’s mental fog will disappear.

In therapy we allow the unknown story of the unconscious to come to life.

Step by step and with respect for psychological laws; as it is the case with our physical bodies, also our psychological bodies need time and safe space to recover and adjust to a new reality.

Newsletter November 2021