Maria Arpa
This week
The light behind the shadow
Plus…
Maria’s Midweek Mindfulness
and
The Wednesday Whisper
The real work
In the helping professions we often talk about working with the shadow. This is the dark side. It’s where we work against ourselves or even sabotage ourselves and our relationships. The shadow can present itself in many ways such as anger, violence, withdrawal, hostility and aggression. All too often we want to treat these behaviours without going deeper. The real work is getting to the light behind the shadow. The shadow simply a barrier to the heart.
Of course, where the outward displays threaten or cause injury, loss or harm we may take action to modify those behaviours in order to restore safety.
My proposition is that this is not the work, it is preparation for the work of finding the light. And that’s where the Dialogue Road Map comes into its own. The DRM prepares us for the work and then actually has a process for the work through to transformative change.
Maria’s Mindfulness Moment
I remember sitting with a man in prison who was serving a life sentence. His crimes were ugly. By seeking the light in him I was able to go back to the innocent child that wanted to flourish but instead could only barely survive. This glimpse of light within himself became a pivotal moment of change and of possibility. It resulted in him completely changing how he sees himself in relation to the world and becoming one our most competent DRM Facilitators in prison.
The Wednesday Whisper
Have you looked behind the shadow in yourself and in others?
New for 2022. Please read and share.
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