"One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious." Carl G. Jung.
Descending into the unconscious or a space of darkness is a fundamental aspect of our journey towards healing and wholeness. This can seem counterintuitive as so many of us believe that healing, wholeness, enlightenment or psychospiritual growth involves ascending and reaching higher states or levels of consciousness. Yet, in alchemy and many other frameworks of psychospiritual transformation, the work starts with the descent into darkness - the night sea journey or the journey to the underworld. We are not taught to see the value in the movement towards the underworld - it's something many of us fear.
However, there is a profound purpose in this kind of descent, and many of us will experience it at some point in our lifetime; many perceive it as the place where we uncover and connect with the soul.
What is Soul?
Thomas Moore, a Jungian psychologist who is famous for his book Care of the Soul, wrote,
'The Soul is not a thing, but a quality or a dimension of experiencing life and ourselves. It has to do with depth, value, relatedness, heart, and personal substance'.
Soul exists and moves in non-linear and non-rational ways - it is abstract and ethereal - we cannot grasp onto it, and often, when we try to, our connection to it fades or weakens. The soul can be experienced as the part of us that remembers its source - there is often a longing and yearning for a deeper connection to something we cannot always put into words - a reconnection to source or something we remember in the depth of our soul.
Any sort of transcendence or psychospiritual development that doesn't include the soulful deeper, darker aspects of ourselves is problematic as without a connection to the soul and our shadow, many of the desires to ascent become delusional, based on egoic striving and grasping rather than from the deeper more meaning and purpose-driven aspects which are connected to our soul calling.
In the archetypal hero's journey, there is a descent into the underworld, which can be interpreted as a literal or metaphorical space of darkness, and it is a crucial component in the transformation process. It's important to recognise that descent isn't synonymous with regression but a necessary process in which we become familiar with death, grief and the aspects of life which we often don't want to turn towards. It's a movement towards all that we fear will bring us more suffering but which, counterintuitively, brings us into deeper intimacy with ourselves, others and the world. By becoming familiar with darkness, we develop the psychic and energetic strength to hold space for everything it contains while also cultivating the essential capacity to love fully.
The Ascent
Contemporary psychology and spirituality continue to emphasise the growth, ascension and progression of the psyche and imply this is synonymous with our individual and collective healing. Questions, such as, how do we maximise our potential? How do we continue to develop our egoic goals and also strive towards spiritual progression, enlightenment, buddha nature or nirvana? In line with this philosophy is a continuous expansion of the self-development industry. As a coach, I value self-development and the necessity of setting intentions and goals and helping individuals reach success and competency. Yet, what's crucial is ensuring these goals integrate and stem from the deeper and more soulful aspects of oneself and acknowledge that the spiritual and psychological process of reaching one's purpose is not linear.
Helping individuals connect and come into relationship with the depth of their soul nature becomes the foundation on which we can encourage questions such as, what is really important to you in life? What is your calling or vision? What do you want to bring into the world?
The Dangers of Spiritual Bypassing
There is also a steady inclination towards spiritual bypassing, whereby spiritual practices and concepts are used to negate or avoid the embodied human experience. Emphasis is placed on psychospiritual development to be liberated from the suffering of the human body and experience, with a focus on moving towards light. Positive psychology values working on attitudes of gratitude, compassion and forgiveness to improve overall psychological well-being. I also emphasise these qualities- cultivating compassion, gratitude, and forgiveness are important and necessary for our well-being. However, if we only place our attention on these more 'positive' qualities, it leads to a type of spiritual and psychological bypassing - it's an attempt to feel better, 'good', happy, and of course, that's something we all strive for. Ultimately, the joy, wonder and awe of experiencing the world through the full spectrum of our senses is an incredible gift of the human experience, and it's important to be fully conscious, alive and embodied. However, in order to experience the full experience of awe and aliveness, we need to be able to go into the depth of our suffering, too. An overemphasis on the 'light', ascension and movement away from suffering, pain and what exists in the shadow only creates a greater separation between what is light and dark. It creates fear of the shadow, which only fuels and escalates the power of the shadow. It avoids one of the most significant aspects of our psychospiritual journey: the ability to turn towards and navigate the shadow.
Why is this relevant to HSP?
As HSP we are sensitive to the emergence of unconscious material and to information that exists within the collective. We receive information through other ways of knowing, and unfortunately, many of us have learnt to dismiss or deny our intuitive visions and insights. We often experience vivid dreams, images, intuition, somatic sensations in the body, and a knowing of things that are usually difficult to articulate in words. This is because many Highly Sensitive People can access altered or expansive states of consciousness and connect with information beyond ordinary states of consciousness and awareness.
Our depth of processing and emotional responsivity means that the spectrum of our emotions are also more diverse - we experience awe, gratitude, appreciation and joy more profoundly. At the same time, we are also more likely to experience despair, depression, anxiety and grief. Some might pathologise this range of emotional experiences, and the inclination might be to try and reduce the intensity of these emotions so the highly sensitive individual doesn't experience the highs and lows so intensely. However, this is a disservice to the individual and limits our potential for psychospiritual growth. This is because the ability to tap into the depth of our shadow and difficult experiences is necessary and acts as a catalyst for our transformation.
If we only focus on the 'light' feelings or try to numb our ability to feel - we are limiting the scope of our capacity to transform. We must be able to tap into the full range of our emotions and know that the shadow side of our human experience, or the movements in darkness, are just as necessary and important as our ascension into the light. As HSP, we are driven very much by the workings of our soul, to stay connected to our soul we need to go deep, and to go deep means, from time to time, going into darkness. Our purpose as HSP is to hold the polarities of these opposing energies and draw them back together - to integrate. This is necessary for ourselves and for the wider collective as it leads to our ultimate healing. As HSP, we must learn how to traverse the dark and the light and enable communication between these two worlds.
The Common Barriers and Fears
Naturally, many individuals fear moving towards the shadow or the unconscious. There are usually concerns about remaining stuck there or the darkness consuming them. Many assume that a descent into the shadow will mean they'll continue on this trajectory forever with no ability to emerge or move into the light again. It can be a painful and overwhelming experience for an individual. It is often trauma, complex life events, or crises that result in the descent, and for some, there is a breaking open that results in the emergence of unconscious and shadow material. For some, it can be a terrifying, unsettling and ego-shattering experience; however, if we find ways to tap into shadow work in a more gradual and resourced way, we are preparing highly sensitive individuals to navigate this material without becoming consumed by it or stuck there.
A Shared Purpose of HSP
The majority of HSP are driven towards healing and finding solutions to their depression, anxiety and other forms of suffering. I propose that trying to find solutions, fixing ourselves or working towards positive outcomes is not always what's needed. I have had many experiences in which the person I am working with expressed frustration because they don't appear to be moving forward and feel stuck in this 'no man's land', where they don't have clarity on what's next or how to feel better. It can feel very counterintuitive, but there is a lot of wisdom in staying present in this liminal space - perhaps right now is not the time for solutions or clarity. Instead of trying to 'fix' or get out of this liminal and more chaotic space, we can try to be receptive and open to what might emerge. There are some beautiful expressions of this in nature, for example, the lotus flower, which grows out of the mud and also the many cycles of re-birth we engage in throughout life - the movement back and forth between the dark and light - is also just like the natural cycles of the seasons and the regeneration of woodlands or other ecosystems that naturally occur for their survival.
It can be uncomfortable to engage with the energies or parts of ourselves that we have denied or repressed. In the process, we can find ourselves uncovering emotions that we're afraid of or are overwhelmed by. However, as Carl Jung proposes,
'As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.'
By engaging in the descent and shadow work we're bringing to light our creativity, our power and our strength. We can then experience greater wholeness in ourselves and experience a deeper connection to that which we are all connected to.
Going Further...
I’m so excited, after a long journey of inner exploration, to now bring my passion for empowering HSP together with the deep importance of engaging in shadow and grief work out into the world. I will be offering an online 3-month course starting in January 2025 to engage in grief tending, shadow work and empowering highly sensitive people on their psych-spiritual journey. The course is titled “Shadow and Soul Work for Highly Sensitive People: Grief Tending and Engaging with the Sacred for Holistic Transformation." There are limited spaces on the course, and signing up for the course involves an application process which you can complete here.
About the Author
Jules De Vitto has a BSc in Psychology, MA in Education and MSc in Transpersonal Psychology, Consciousness and Spirituality and is an accredited transpersonal coach, trainer and experienced educator. She is the founder of the Highly Sensitive Human Academy - a central hub that offers courses, coaching, articles and a podcast for Highly Sensitive People. She helps those who identify with the traits of high sensitivity to navigate emotional overwhelm, step into their authentic power and align with their true purpose in life.
She is a published author and wrote one of a series of books on Resilience, Navigating Loss in a time of Crisis. Her research has also been published in the Transpersonal Coaching Psychology Journal and Journal of Consciousness, Spirituality, and Transpersonal Psychology.
In addition to her academic and coaching pursuits, Jules has spent years engaging in deep transformative healing work. She is a Reiki Master and Teacher and has completed Michael Harner’s Shamanic Practitioner Training through the Foundation of Shamanic Studies and a Grief Ritual Leadership Training with Francis Weller.
Jules is passionate about creating community for Highly Sensitive People and embracing the full spectrum of our emotional and sensory capacities rather than trying to ‘fix’ ourselves. Deepening the connection to our sensitivity enables us to open our hearts and form better relationships with ourselves, others and the world.
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