An important distinction in All In forums and retreats is our incorporation of what we call shadow work.
We draw on the rich insights of Carl Jung and Robert Bly — along with the wisdom of other therapeutic traditions — to help men and women access, and see in a new way, their inner beings.
Our times together provide forum members with the extreme safety and support they need to bring more and more of their hidden selves into the light. It’s not a great mystery, just the truth we haven’t been seeing. Not surprisingly, what begins with emotions often reaches deeper. It’s what many call freedom.
Troy, a business owner, told his forum mates that he had grown up essentially as an orphan. Even after he married into a wonderful family, he still felt emotionally alone.
“My forum brothers gave me a platform to delve into my shadow,” he said. “Through their help, I’ve been able to make significant progress in the darkest area of my life.”
The surprise that Troy and others discover is that, in the middle of a loyal, like-minded community of men or women, a miracle occurs.
Instead of feeling more shame, we are relieved of it. Instead of confirming that we are uniquely awful, we discover we are perfectly human.
Gradually — even suddenly, the burden lifts — and we feel less alone. We discover that all those painful truths about our lives that we hoped to keep buried can become gifts that help us create strong, redemptive relationships.
Something else happens too.
We discover that when we take risks to be vulnerable, we invite others to do the same. By witnessing another man’s healing journey, we find strength to begin our own. And it doesn’t have to take long.
Once our wounds, confusions and sad stories are safely out in the open, we discover we can work with them, not be controlled by them any longer. We can see more clearly a path to resolving conflicts and making positive changes in our lives.
It has made an extraordinary and surprising change in my life. In the company of other humbled, authentic men or women, we begin to mend the broken places we have in our lives.