Shadow Work & Sacred Space

Shadow Work & Sacred Spaces

By John DiMino, Ph. D.

Copyright 2019 John DiMino

Smashwords Edition

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Table of Contents

Foreword

Introduction: Entering Myth through Mimetic Play

Chapter One: Out of the Garden

Chapter Two: The Struggle for Individuation

Chapter Three: Intimacy and Isolation

Chapter Four: Initiation with the Wild Ones

Chapter Five: Secrets and Skeletons

Chapter Six: Abuse and Transformation

Chapter Seven: The Separation of Darkness from Light

Chapter Eight: Addiction and Imprisonment

Chapter Nine: Facing the Monster

Chapter Ten: Healing, Power, and Hubris

Chapter Eleven: Loss of the Savior and the Lasting Message

Chapter Twelve: Synchronicity and Mythic Consciousness

Acknowledgments

About the Author

References

Endnotes

Foreword

by Dr. Evelyn Rothchild-Laeuchli

While reading Shadow Work and Sacred Space I was deeply touched and grateful. I want to thank John and Liza for their work with Mimesis and John for writing this wonderful book. John has so beautifully and thoughtfully described the Mimesis process, a process that has been central to my life for almost 40 years. John comes from the tradition of storytellers. His depth understanding and love of folktales, fairytales, myths and biblical stories has joined with his extensive knowledge of therapeutic schools and theories, as well as years of clinical practice.

John is more than a capable and competent psychologist and group leader; he is an artist, with an artist’s sensitivity. Liza is a very talented poet. These talents are invaluable for work with myth and story.

John has done immensely creative work in developing Mimesis. He has found a balance between the power of experienced myth and a therapeutic practice that promotes understanding and healing. The use of myth, story and spontaneous play are central to Mimesis. The creation of a safe space, a space of non-judgment and trust, is a prerequisite. Holding the uncertainty and pain, being with what is, the group leader creates a sanctuary where change is possible. John and Liza have brought more than their skills as healers, they have brought a deep respect for the humanity of others.

It is very powerful to observe how John uses the power of myth to open and evoke and creates a space for reflection and therapeutic work. By working with so many in psychotherapy and other helping professions he is offering healing to healers.

Introduction: Entering Myth through Mimetic Play

I realized it was my task of tasks to find out what myth I was living

– C.G. Jung

It was only after this book was written that it became possible to clearly identify the streams of information and experience that led to my observations about how pervasively myth is expressed in our daily lives. I speak of information and experience to make clear from the beginning my belief that an in-depth understanding of this topic is reached through lived emotional experience, through participation, and then through reflection on that experience. Intellectual knowledge alone, though it may be interesting and compelling, is not sufficient to allow for a depth psychological experience of myth. It can be comforting to curl up with a book about the experiences of others including mythic characters, and to live vicariously through them for a while. In that realm you can always revert to the thought, This is only a story, it isn’t real or This happened so long ago, it could never happen now. Those who want to find out what myth they are living, however, to borrow Carl Jung’s phrase, and who are subsequently confronted with the raw feelings, desires, and impulses expressed in myth that emerge in their own lives, may be unceremoniously catapulted out of such a psychological defense.

The most prominent source of information presented in this book is a unique group process called Mimesis (pronounced my-ME-sis) that was intentionally designed to explore our relationship to myth. The Mimesis process provides a consistent unifying function for the book since its purpose, in a unique and creative way, is to help us pursue Jung’s task of tasks. Other sources of information presented in this book include personal life stories of friends and acquaintances (and a few of my own); the therapeutic journeys of clients I have worked with in my psychotherapy practice; and immersion in some of the culture and ceremonies of the Lakota Native American people. The connection of myth to lived experience, psychotherapy, and sacred ceremony emerged through the process of thinking and writing. I have included accounts of Mimesis plays in each chapter and these are accompanied by the other streams of knowledge to provide a confluence that at times meanders and at other times feels like a torrent. To play with the metaphor a bit more, you are invited to travel the resulting river’s calm side pools as well as its rapids in a way that suits your journey best. Each chapter’s mythic themes also represent core psychological issues we must navigate to keep moving along and therefore, at least in an impressionistic way, the chapters represent the developmental flow of a human life. They can be read in sequence or out depending on one’s need and interest.

Describing the Mimesis process was my original intention. Before sitting down to write I had been thinking for years about how to express the knowledge and experiences on my own journey that moved me so deeply that they served as touchstones in my life and formed a major portion of my identity. How does one describe something that is quite complex and multilayered, yet also elegant and beautiful? The Mimesis process as described herein is a method for understanding our individual stories and our collective ancestral mythology. It is a tool for entering myth which, broken down into its component parts, is a combination of storytelling, meditation, role play and discussion. When these are combined artfully, however, with compassion, emotional attunement, and a sense of timing, they often produce a profound experience for those in the circle of participants. A liminal space is created through the enactment of the myth that touches us on an emotional level and bridges the territory of psychotherapy and traditional healing practices. Although the term mimesis is most often associated with the French Literary theorist and anthropologist Rene Girardi, Mimesis as a group educational and therapeutic process as discussed in this book was developed by Drs. Samuel and Evelyn Laeuchliii, two extremely gifted and creative people, a scholar of religion and a clinical psychologist.

I was aware, during the time of learning and incubation prior to writing, that it would be very difficult to put the Mimesis process into words. In some traditions in which there is a powerful experiential component, there is a conscious decision not to talk much about what takes place. It is understood that the event, the gathering, is an experience for those who have endeavored to be there, who have taken the risk. The gift they receive is their own and to attempt to explain it to others may cheapen it or drain away its power. The wisdom is passed down slowly, to those who show up and carry it forward. In that regard, an analogy can be made to traditional ceremonial practices, or to the practice of group psychotherapy, where participants will see the advantage of keeping the events and conversations that take place confidential, not to be shared with others outside the group. This is done to focus and protect the group and free everyone to be fully present without fear of other motives interfering.

Alongside my reservations about trying to describe the Mimesis process, there was also the need to try to express what I had come to know. When several people who participated in Mimesis workshops that my wife Liza and I had offered over the years asked for teaching at approximately the same time I thought if I could bring them together I could start a class of sorts. A Mimesis study group became the focal point around which those years of experience and study coalesced and helped me to start writing as well. The result of that project includes interpersonal and transpersonal experiences that are sometimes quite dramatic, perhaps partly owing to my own design as facilitator, but often, seemingly, influenced by a much greater design. And although I am one of those people who believe that the most profound things can’t really be put into words very well, I now felt compelled to try. Some kind of crude map is needed, even though the terrain defies our attempts to represent it. Perhaps each person who writes about such a journey creates their own map, imperfect due to its human origins but good enough, and usable in this life. This book is such an offering.

Many writers such as Joseph Campbell have identified world mythology, our collective great stories, as a rich and extensive condensation of timeless wisdom.iii This book tells the story of a unique way to engage people to participate in this field of wisdom. It is hoped that what appears in these pages will encourage and facilitate an appreciation of mythic dimensions and resonances in our lives. My belief is that methods are needed to decipher the code of myth and story, to bridge differences between people, and to help us acknowledge and experience our shared humanity and sacredness. One conclusion that Mimesis leaders have come to is that entrance into the sacred can be achieved by looking at what is most frightening and therefore defended against, both in ourselves and in others. The title Shadow Work and Sacred Space refers to the observation that groups can create sacred space by doing their shadow work together. However, Jung’s shadow archetype is not easily embraced. Using the Mimesis method not only uncovers universal themes, but also leads us to personal issues that are not usually considered in conscious awareness and may represent shadow aspects of the self or psychic material relegated to the unconscious. When we do this shadow work and face what is unleashed we may create feelings of safety and community if group participants remain honest and compassionate with themselves and each other. When such a high level of relational intimacy is achieved this often leads to an experience of depth and sacredness. The stories and play highlighted in several chapters demonstrate this. The accounts presented serve to express the vital wisdom of the stories, as well as the truth that people live in and enact them every day and sometimes achieve a measure of healing through reflective participation in myth. In the Mimesis method the journey is taken in a group, and we find that the personal resonances that one discovers often overlap with the stories of others, and beyond that with the vast ocean of archetypal material that has been recorded throughout time.

A Mimesis play can be as short as two hours or continue over several days. Whatever the length, the basic structure remains the same. Individuals may be said to be in a state of everyday consciousness prior to the play. As we see in all gatherings people bring their baggage to the event. They may have the residue of a stressful meeting clinging to them when they arrive, or maybe a fight with a partner or a persistent anxiety or depression has accompanied them. It is the task of the leaders to acknowledge that we bring these things with us and then, in effect, allow people to arrive again. Participants may be asked to share what they are carrying as a way of setting it down for a while and being more present. Then the invitation to enter the myth is presented. First the telling of the story works on us as we hear the narrative and our unconscious registers the deeper meanings and symbols. Next, we meditate on a central theme of the story and ask participants to consider their personal reaction and associations to it. After the meditation, all are invited to share what came up for them. Images, memories, dreams and experiences may be offered, and the leaders can facilitate an understanding of how participants’ comments might be related to each other and to the themes that the story offers. Then, the leaders invite some of the participants to voluntarily enter the play space inside the circle to enact a sequence of scenes from the story. These scenes, alternative and optional scenes, meditation questions, and even appropriate times to take breaks have been prepared in advance by the leaders, some of which may need to be discarded or changed when the action begins. The experience of getting into the middle by taking a role to enact is very different from any other part of the process. It is where the boundaries soften between that which is ancient and that which is new, between that which is archetypal and that which is personal. Ego concerns may recede or may be clung to more feverishly than ever. Ultimately some of the depth of the story and the participants will be revealed through the play.

After the risk-taking of the play, perhaps an equally important part of the process takes place, the discussion. It is during this time that participants may be asked to offer an account of what it was like to play the role they chose, and all participants may share their reactions to the various players. This processing proceeds multi-directionally. There is not an attempt to come up with the right interpretation, but an offering of experience and interpretation, observation and reflection. The play allows for spontaneity within the structure of the myth, and so we have many voices contributing to the action and the interpretations offered. Each story is explored, responded to, and may be incorporated as needed by the entire circle of participants. It is a claiming and construction of meaning by all of those who are present, who played a role or observed the enactment of the stories. As such it is sometimes surprising what aspects of the story are responded to or emphasized. Rather than a degradation or diffusion of meaning, though, many meanings are discovered and considered by the group.

A Mimesis play often involves entrance into a state of consciousness that is imbued with a feeling of timelessness and non-duality. It allows for a true communion between the participants who enact the story and may involve feelings that accompany the dropping away of all reference points save what is right here in the moment, in the words and actions of those who enter the play space. It is both experienced inwardly and represented outwardly in the way players engage each other verbally and inhabit the physical space. The sum of what is experienced internally for all the players may be much greater than what is enacted. However, by witnessing the struggle of other players, and by appreciating the universal elements in the story, group members can feel very connected to the play, even if they haven’t taken a role. The process often feels very real, with genuine emotions expressed, and participants may intuit the significance of a scene for an individual player while at the same time resonating with that significance for their own reasons. Through the group discussion that follows the play, individuals can choose to reveal more about themselves and how the various roles they played or observed are related to their real lives. This sharing, in turn, can lead to increased feelings of closeness and safety for all involved. With the proper balance of structure and flexibility the whole of a Mimesis play becomes more than the component parts and participants may even have an experience that transcends ordinary consciousness. Rather than try to describe something so personal and abstract though, I will rely on the numerous accounts of Mimesis plays described throughout the book. A portrayal of this process requires some good examples to make it come alive. Before proceeding to that it is also necessary to place this book in the context of other work.

I have borrowed from Clarissa Pinkola Estes, author of Women Who Run With the Wolves, in my approach to the notes that accompany this introduction and each chapter. That is, many of them become little stories in and of themselves, potentially leading to entire areas of exploration for the thorough reader. Psychoanalytic theory provides tools for understanding the relational and group dynamics of a Mimesis process as well as a lens for discerning the code of mythic texts.iv Writers on group psychotherapy provide an understanding of the therapeutic components of group process, such as universality.v We are connected to each other and mythic themes that have endured through time also bind us in a commonality of experience. The therapeutic potential of play has its antecedents in the work of those who have examined its function in the development of childrenvi, and also its function as a transitional space enabling transformation in adults.vii Great mythologists present brilliant analyses of the power of myth and stories to inform our lives and guide us on our journey. Jung’s theories of archetypes of the collective unconscious, and synchronicity, help us to talk about the spiritual or transpersonal aspects of the Mimesis process.viii There is an inclusion of both what is comprehensible through rational thought and that which defies rational comprehension.

For those who are inclined to dismiss synchronicity or meaningful coincidences with scientific skepticism the examples offered here are likely to be unconvincing. For the devout scientist such events, like reports of extra sensory perception, are usually dismissed as anecdotal, this word indicating that, although they may feel meaningful to the people who experienced and reported them, they were not arrived at through scientific inquiry and are therefore suspect. However, the preeminent physicist Freeman Dyson, in a review of a book that debunked a range of paranormal phenomena, raised the possibility that science does not have the tools yet to measure these events. He also noticed that anecdotal reports of extra sensory perception indicated that it happens when people are experiencing intense stress and strong emotions. I believe that quality is a characteristic of extrasensory perception, synchronic events, and unexplainable events that occur in ceremonial spaces. To give a personal example, when my wife Liza was pregnant with our son, she was hospitalized due to a serious prenatal condition that could have put both of their lives in danger. As I received this news at home I felt overwhelmed and started crying. At that very moment my dear friend Evelyn Laeuchli called from Switzerland. She had never called in the years she lived in Switzerland since we used email to avoid international calling rates. The first words she said were, John, I’m not sure why, but I knew I had to call you. As always she was soothing and reassuring as I told her the story. As we spoke, another good friend came to the door with gifts for Liza and the baby. Obviously this is a highly emotional example for me and I don’t feel the need for scientific verification to determine its importance. Though I was trained in the scientific method and have published research that relies on it, this event, like synchronic events, and teachings received in ceremonial spaces require a different sensibility to appreciate.

One way that some have come to understand meaningful coincidences theoretically is that they are the manifestation of images and events from subtler levels of reality that we are not able to perceive due to the limitations of our senses and available technology, similar to the point made by Dyson. A growing number of scientists have embraced the implications of the holographic model to explain a great deal of previously unexplainable phenomena, including ESP and synchronicity.ix I greatly admire the very compelling and interesting explanations of synchronicity offered by some physicists. As a psychologist and an artist myself, I am apt to view synchronicities as aesthetically beautiful spiritual experiences which, though impossible to fully understand, are capable of adding depth and meaning to our lives. The skeptic may fear the incursion of religious thinking into this discussion. However, there are no doctrinal beliefs to be memorized here. The examples that are presented are included simply because they happened and were noticed. In making meaning out of synchronicity or mythic enactments described in this book, we may actively assign meaning, consider the interpretations of others, and ultimately decide what is useful to us.

When participants consider the meaning of a Mimesis play, they may see how the tragedies and triumphs of mythic characters are theirs as well, and that many if not all members of a given group are touched by a particular message. By enacting a myth, we feel this in our bones since we have gained an experiential awareness of what each story holds in addition to our intellectual understanding. We can then compare our personal mythic map with those of others. Insights gained connect us to each other and to antiquity and archetype. We may be struggling with the same issues today as people who lived thousands of years ago. The acceptance of the group and the leaders as well as the realization that the path is well travelled can open pathways to self-acceptance and healing. It is also important to attend to the interactions that occur among group participants at those in-between times, during breaks or during a shared meal once the play is over, completing the ritual. These interactions may be crucial to solidify learning and the bonds of connection that form.

Few writers who are also clinicians have truly understood the potential of myth and story as a tool of self-discovery and healing. Rollo May cogently pointed out in his book The Cry for Myth that the discussion of myth in the psychoanalytic community suffers from an omission of the integrative function that myth can offer.x May argues that this omission may lead to a literal or one-dimensional reading of myth, as with the example he gives of a reading of Oedipus Rex as a story of sex, patricide, guilt and punishment. Furthermore, he points out that although these themes are present, as in a strictly Freudian interpretation, Oedipus’ story continues in Oedipus at Colonus, written when Sophocles was 89 years old. Here we see struggle, facing the truth, and coming to terms with ourselves and others. May also understands the healing potential of myth; that it serves a progressive and integrative function by allowing us to work out issues by revealing new paths and possibilities. Mimesis is a tool that enables us to realize that potential.

Lewis Mehl-Madrona is a physician who has looked at story and the narratives that we create around health and illness in his book Coyote Wisdom. His dual paths of western medical training and traditional Native American healing practices give him a unique perspective. Coming to medicine and healing as a Native American, he is comfortable talking about the feeling of wholeness that stories can create and the effect that relationship and stories can have on our biological selves. In fact, he is aware that much of modern medicine, with its disdain for ancient healing practices, is at a distinct disadvantage.xi The value of this position was driven home to me when I had the opportunity over the course of ten years to directly participate in aspects of the Lakota Native American tradition. Comparisons between the Mimesis process, psychotherapy training, and ancient ceremonial practices became possible because of this immersion. These connections will be discussed as well.

Most directly relevant for the topic of this book is the work of Samuel and Evelyn Laeuchli, with whom I had the great fortune to study for several years and who became mentors and dear friends. Their two books, Magical Bridges, and Tracks: A Different Reality are available in German, and they also have several articles published in English that describe the Mimesis process. They discuss how psychologists and