Bishop, Beata (UK)
Talk:
DISARMING THE SHADOW
One source of conflict is the genuine otherness of the Other: a complex of fundamental differences that breeds hostility, most often based on fear. The other source is less obvious yet more dangerous. Its matrix is the Shadow, the sum total of our denied, repressed qualities, beliefs and drives, banished to the unconscious and conveniently forgotten in our conscious daily life. But the Shadow comes into its own when we project it – whole or in parts - onto a suitable recipient, whom we can then legitimately hate and attack.
It was Jung who emphasized the vital need to withdraw our projections and deal with our Shadow side. It was he who first noticed the striking similarities between some opposed groups, apparently separated by insurmountable differences. His insistence on first becoming conscious of our Shadow and then befriending it is more urgent than ever: it is the first step towards reconciliation, forgiveness and a new spirit. In James Hillman’s words, “The healing of the Shadow needs love”. So does the healing of our world.
Bio:
Beata Bishop is a writer, lecturer and psychotherapist working along Jungian and Transpersonal lines. She has been involved in Transpersonal Psychology since 1973, when Ian Gordon-Brown and Barbara Somers first introduced it in the United Kingdom, and has been one of the two British delegates to EUROTAS since 1990.
She teaches and runs workshops in several countries. Her interests include the psychosomatic connection in sickness and health, and holistic alternative approaches to chronic disease. She is in private practice in London.