SHADOW WORK (A KATABASIS/ANABASIS GUIDED MEDITATION)

A guided "meditation" and shadow work training. Disclaimer (please read):

The first part of this episode is a framework for understanding what "shadow work" is in the context of the collapse of the tower and the broader K/A theory. The second half (roughly) is a guided meditation & a walkthrough of the technique itself. The goal of this episode is to lead you through the steps of this rapid-change framework, while also giving you the tools to walk yourself through this experience on your own. This meditation has been created mainly for those of you who are up to date with the K/A series, but may be helpful to anyone looking to break out of old patternings.

While the first part of this episode aims to be very explicit about what this work is, and is not, for, as well as what psychological mechanisms we are aiming to target... I feel it's important to summarize some of the main points here.

You should not use this technique as a substitute for clinical intervention in a mental health crisis. This technique is NOT "trauma-informed" and should not be used to heal traumatic or abusive experiences—this is a present-focused offering, and may be unsettling if you've never had previous shadow work experience, or attempt to apply it to "open wounds." Engagement with this practice is at the listener's discretion, and I encourage anyone curious about this work to ask themselves for consent before participating. The following technique can (although, not necessarily) bring up sensations of a sexual or erotic nature, and I encourage prospective listeners to check in with themselves about whether that is somewhere they are prepared to go. Most importantly—the main theme of this meditation is integrating the pleasure we may be getting out of an unideal or even painful situation. For a more thoughtful analysis of the ethics of this perspective, I encourage anyone listening to this to first revisit the final portion of Collapse of the Tower Part 4. This episode is not presented as the "ultimate way to do shadow work" and I do not mean to suggest that this particular technique is the only way out of depression. It is merely my best attempt at teaching something that has been immensely helpful to me, and that aligns with the theory we've been covering so far. The meditation is broken up into two parts, which can be completed together or separately (and I do encourage you to attempt them separately unless you're comfortable with long periods of intense focus). The first part is roughly 43 minutes long, while the second part is 37 minutes long.

The actual meditation begins at 1:06:30

The second part begins at 1:49:30

If you have any questions, please message me or drop them in the comments—this technique is experimental, and I am hoping to learn how to present it in the best and most helpful way possible. Your feedback is highly appreciated. More than anything, I hope that you'll approach this episode as a training and modify what I've presented here for your own particular circumstance... keeping or expanding upon what works and discarding anything that feels superfluous. Thank you so much for your support, and happy New Year!