Raffaello Manacorda, Lead ISTA Facilitator, shares how sex and the shadow (repressed parts of ourselves) are parts of life but are both hidden. To live and express ourselves fully, we need to dive into these parts with full transparency and radical honesty. Because of the cultural and societal nature of this repression, unravelling the hiddenness needs to be done in groups, not alone or with another therapist only…
In this episode, hear Raffaello discuss:
- Rape fantasies which exist at the intersection of sex and the shadow
- How bringing shadows into the light dissolves shame and restores joy and power
- The role of partners and close friends in identifying our shadows (and their limits for effective support)
- Why it’s essential to do shadow work in the contexts of dedicated groups
- How leaving your shadow hidden makes you susceptible to influence and being controlled
- Why the shadow is NOT a solely psychoanalytical beast — it has a physical, visceral nature
- The powerful role of sexual energy and relationships in shadow work