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Marsha Hamby Savage's avatar

Clint, and the readers that commented, this is interesting to think about. I have never thought of having a shadow within my own self. I know there are opposing good and bad thoughts and what causes those. I am simplifying it probably way too much in my non-credentialed ideas on what you speak of and the replies here. But love reading it all and hearing the back and forth. I always wonder how we tap into "whatever" for the ideas, the creativeness, to come out in our paintings and writing. Probably none of that made any sense, but felt like I should try.

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Amy Phillips's avatar

As an artist, working counseling psychologist and former English professor, I have always found it interesting how both the artistic realm and the literary realm take psychological theories and kind of develop their own spin on it. Currently, earning my MFA in painting at SCAD, learning that “the shadow”, a part of Jungian theory, is a thing was kind of a surprise to me as a counseling psychologist. It’s the same in the literary world. In the counseling and psychology realm, Jung, like Freud, are not really thought of well…and in fact so old school. While the mind is a vast place, truly not fully unmapped, it’s is possible that the shadow has a place. In my work as a counseling psychologist, due to my formal training and experience, the shadow has no place, but the conscious (thinking mind) and unconscious (emotional mind) mind do. Sometimes, when I put on my counseling psychologist hat and read headlines like “Transmuting the Shadow”, I laugh and cringe at the same time. Then, I take off that hat and put on my artist hat and say, “All good”. Translating back and forth between the realms of art, literature and psychology can be difficult. I just wish the the art world and the literary world would catch up… Jung wasn’t all that, and neither was Freud. So many psychological theories and theorists have come after them that seem so much more on point as to what is going on with our vast minds.

Thanks for reading and considering.

Best,

Dr. Amy Phillips, EdD, LCPC, LMHC and artist

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