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Shadow Dance: Liberating the Power & Creativity of Your Dark Side Paperback – May 11, 1999

by David Richo (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 126 ratings
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Discover how to embrace the dark side of your personality—or the shadow self, as introduced by Carl Jung—to live a fuller, more authentic life

Our “shadow” is the collection of negative or undesirable traits we keep hidden—the things we don't like about ourselves or are afraid to admit: egotist, non-“PC” proclivities, forbidden sexual desires. But it also includes our positive, untapped potential—qualities we may admire in others but disavow in ourselves. Befriending the shadow makes fear an ally and enables us to live more authentically. It also automatically improves our interpersonal relationships, because we are freed from the need to project our own negativity onto others, and we become more acutely aware when theirs is projected onto us.

David Richo looks for where the shadow manifests in personal life, family interaction, religion, relationship, and the world around is. He shows how to use the gentle practice of mindfulness to work with our shadow side, and he provides numerous exercises for going deeper. He is remarkably skillful at making the shadow concept not only easy to understand, but supremely practical for enhancing the quality of our lives.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Shambhala
  4. Publication date
    May 11, 1999
  5. Dimensions
    5.51 x 0.94 x 8.46 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1570624445
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1570624445
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Our scared and arrogant ego has an enormous capacity not to know itself," says Esalen Institute psychotherapist David Richo. The shadow self, the dark side of the personality, is hidden in the psyche. Others often see it, but we do not. As Jung says, "The shadow is the negative side of the personality, the sum of all those unpleasant qualities we like to hide, together with the insufficiently developed functions and the contents of the personal unconscious....[The shadow] also displays a number of good qualities such as normal instincts, appropriate reactions, realistic insights, creative impulses, etc." Richo has written an enormously useful book in which he introduces the reader to the conscious persona and the subconscious shadow. Unlike other practitioners, he includes conscious but negatively perceived traits in his definition of the dark side, plus undiscovered or unused positive traits. By helping the reader to befriend the shadow self instead of projecting it onto others in dysfunctional or destructive ways, the author performs a profound service, freeing emotional and creative resources through which we can manifest brighter, healthier lives. --P. Randall Cohan

Review

"Deep and spiritually challenging."—Spirituality & Health

"David Richo has written a big book, much more than a book on the shadow and its context. Shadow Dance is a poem, a paean to the psychological life, written with a great sense of culture and depth. My world has been enlarged by reading it."—Jeremiah Abrams, author of The Shadow in America and coeditor of Meeting the Shadow



"As useful a self-help book as one is likely to find."—Huston Smith

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Shambhala; First Edition (May 11, 1999)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1570624445
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1570624445
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.06 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.51 x 0.94 x 8.46 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 126 ratings

About the authors

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  1. David Richo

    David Richo

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    David Richo, Ph.D., is a psychotherapist, writer, and workshop leader. He has taught at a variety of places including Esalen and Spirit Rock Buddhist Center. He shares his time between Santa Barbara and San Francisco, California. Dave combines psychological and spiritual perspectives in his work. His website is davericho.com.

    See more on the author's page
  2. David Richo

    David Richo

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    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    David Richo, PhD, is a therapist and author who leads popular workshops on personal and spiritual growth.

    He received his BA in psychology from Saint John's Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, in 1962, his MA in counseling psychology from Fairfield University in 1969, and his PhD in clinical psychology from Sierra University in 1984. Since 1976, Richo has been a licensed marriage, family, and child counselor in California. In addition to practicing psychotherapy, Richo teaches courses at Santa Barbara City College and the University of California Berkeley at Berkeley, and has taught at the Esalen Institute in Big Sur, Pacifica Graduate Institute, and Santa Barbara Graduate Institute. He is a clinical supervisor for the Community Counseling Center in Santa Barbara, California.

    Known for drawing on Buddhism, poetry, and Jungian perspectives in his work, Richo is the author of How to Be an Adult in Relationships: The Five Keys to Mindful Loving and The Five Things We Cannot Change: And the Happiness We Find in Embracing Them. He has also written When the Past Is Present: Healing the Emotional Wounds that Sabotage our Relationships, Shadow Dance: Liberating the Power and Creativity of Your Dark Side, The Power of Coincidence: How Life Shows Us What We Need to Know, and Being True to Life: Poetic Paths to Personal Growth.

    Richo lives in Santa Barbara and San Francisco.

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
126 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on the Human Shadow!
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2023
Verified Purchase
Richo is such an excellent writer, and this book goes in depth in how to see, understand, work with, and embrace/transform our shadow (so that we don't project it out onto others). This book took me almost 5 years to finish, because he includes exercises to do your own internal work at the end of each chapter, and his insights are profound and challenging. As a psychologist, I highly recommend this book!!
3 people found this helpful
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Altars Everywhere
5.0 out of 5 stars expands and illuminates the shadow concept
Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2009
Verified Purchase
Okay, I admit when I learned of the author's Catholic past, Jungian perspective and Buddhist practice, I was all ready to love his writing from the start.
Richo did not disappoint. His style is scholarly, yet very warm and immanently readable! I had dipped into this subject of "befriending the shadow" years ago, with a great book called No Enemies Within by Donna Markova.
Richo's book takes it all further, providing exercises at the end of each chapter to help the reader contemplate and practice facing the personal shadow. He makes the cardinal point that all those neglected corners of ourselves, both positve and negative, have the power to make us more complete and compassionate humans. However, all the navel gazing in the world avails us of little, unless it enables us to become an active agent of good in the world.
I highly recommend this little gem of a book. Happy embracing and integration, brave and crazy fellow explorers of the Self!
20 people found this helpful
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cheryl mcalindon
5.0 out of 5 stars This is another great books by David Richo
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2016
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This is another great books by David Richo. I have learned so much from him. Every time I read one of his books, I feel I need to read it again and again because they are jammed back with helpful insights.
5 people found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
3.0 out of 5 stars the book was a good overview of the issues presented by a Jungian perspective ...
Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2016
Verified Purchase
I thought the text was long on metaphor and short on substance. It would have profited from more elaborate case studies. That being said, the book was a good overview of the issues presented by a Jungian perspective and has some good exercises for self-reflection.
2 people found this helpful
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Carmenita
5.0 out of 5 stars Fast delivery and like new
Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2022
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I like this book for the self help trusting content from a professional
One person found this helpful
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Heaven's Bliss
4.0 out of 5 stars Good book on shadow work
Reviewed in the United States on July 26, 2010
Verified Purchase
This is a good book on shadow work complete with fun activities that one can engage in for personal growth. If you want to find your own hidden talents or friendly demons then check this book out.
3 people found this helpful
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Karen R Baugher
5.0 out of 5 stars My heart sings
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2016
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This book gave me more tools to guide me on my journey to Self discovery. Written poetically it touched me deeply and confirmed many of my own experiences. I highly recommend it to those who are on the quest to grow psychologically and spiritually.
7 people found this helpful
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Lisa L. Young
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book for anyone pursuing personal growth and access to their creative side
Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
Not a quick read, but a book that helps you uncover your shadow! Definitely worth the work and recommended for anyone trying to uncover the creativity we have but don't know we have.
4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

KAILASH KOTIAN
5.0 out of 5 stars Shadow work simplified.
Reviewed in India on July 18, 2021
Verified Purchase
One of the best book for Shadow work.
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Gabriel
5.0 out of 5 stars I was searching for this
Reviewed in Canada on January 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is a wonderful book, I think everyone should know about shadow work, this is what let conflict exist in our life, adversities, and what makes us let it be hidden in ourselves. This book layed it out very well and made me clarify what's really happening. Of course, shadow work is still one of the hardest thing I believe, understanding will make it clear, but don't think that a book will do it for you, but I tell you also that it will be a very great help guiding you and clarifying you. You might even have opening just by reading (I know, I said a book will not do it for you... well...)

I consider that shadow work is not something to be focused on too much tho, I would recommend buying this book in pair with something uncorrelated, something you like, something that uplift you. Shadow work is getting heavy if we get too much in it, I say it by experience. I believe we should leave us space for other thing than digging into ourselves, this can depress us a lot, searching for ''the wounds''. What I say here is noting agains the book ,which is marvelous, just advice that you take as you wish.

Recommend it greatly. Life changing.
One person found this helpful
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Alex Lambden
5.0 out of 5 stars Bring your shadow into the light
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 19, 2018
Verified Purchase
This a must-have book for anyone interested in personal development, self-actualisation and even enlightenment. We all have aspects of our psyche that get repressed or operate subconsciously, still having a huge effect on our lives. This book is fantastic as it gives you practical exercises for discovering and making peace with these dark parts of your psyche along with positive parts of it too that may also have been repressed, like your innate creativity. The positive impact a book like this will have on your life can not be understated. It was recommended to me by a very experienced, enlightened guru.
3 people found this helpful
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Michèle Findlay
5.0 out of 5 stars Want to know yourself?
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 9, 2007
Verified Purchase
You need no other book than this one, if you want to discover who you really are.
The references to God that 'Angerboda' mentions in the review called 'Shame, shame' are not strictly Christian, more a universal spiritual power, sometimes called a higher power in some circles. Dr Richo makes references to many spiritual beliefs, sometimes as a positive force but at other times demonstrating the negative influence these cultural/spiritual beliefs have had on our early life. I am not a christian and I did not feel that he was preaching at all.
To my mind this is the best book I have read on self-knowledge, affirming our own road through life, learning how to strengthen our self esteem and be true to ourselves and honest with others.
I have read about some aspects of this path through life in other books, but this one is complete and compassionate.
8 people found this helpful
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Pat
5.0 out of 5 stars Wise counsel for the whole person.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 6, 2019
Verified Purchase
Great read,have read it twice. Plenty good ideas for finding and living at our best.
2 people found this helpful
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