Bringing the Shadow Out of the Shadow

When I first encountered Debbie Ford’s book The Dark Side of the Light Chasers back in 1998, I had no idea how pivotal it would be for me. That book landed in my lap like a divine appointment. I finished it just before I made my first life-changing trip to Sedona in 1999. For the first time, I was introduced to the idea that what we push away, deny, or repress—the parts of ourselves we don’t want to acknowledge—are not just negative traits or shameful impulses. They are also our greatest teachers and doorways to healing. In her book, Debbie brought together the rigor of Jungian psychology with the expansiveness of spirituality, and gave us language to address something that had always been lurking just beneath the surface: the shadow.

But here’s the problem: everyone always seemed to speak about the shadow as if it were this mysterious, amorphous thing that couldn’t quite be seen. A kind of hidden specter. A psychological ghost.

That trip to Sedona in 1999 led me to completely change my life – I went back to Omaha, closed my law practice, and spent the next three years coming to Sedona to do my own personal healing work. In 2002, I started Sedona Soul Adventures. What I’ve found now, after over 20 years of working with individuals and couples,  is that calling it the shadow leaves it in that spooky space.

When I started doing the deep work with people here in Sedona, I realized something powerful: the shadow isn’t just an abstract concept. It’s something we feel, something sticky and dense that sits in the body, in the psyche, in the soul. It’s energetic. It clogs us. It weighs us down. And so, I began to call it something different: the gunk.

What is Gunk?

“Gunk” is what’s holding you back and causing all the trouble in your life. Gunk shows up in many forms, and I believe it’s synonymous with “the shadow”:

• Core Wounds: The deep emotional injuries from childhood or major life events that leave us believing things like “I’m not lovable,” “I’m not safe,” or “I’m not enough.”
• Traumas: Big or small events that shock the nervous system and leave residue in the body and psyche.
• Generational Patterns: Generational pain, beliefs, or unresolved emotions that are passed down through family lines.
• Karmic Patterns: Vows, agreements, or energetic imprints from past lives that follow us into this one.

All of which lead to the fears, the limiting beliefs, and the negative patterns that most people live with. When you start to see gunk this way—as something tangible and identifiable—it’s no longer hidden in the shadows. You can find it, face it, release it, and finally heal it.

Shadow and Gunk: Two Sides of the Same Coin

In essence, the shadow and the gunk are the same thing. The shadow is the Jungian word for the unconscious parts of ourselves—the anger we’ve suppressed, the grief we’ve buried, the fear we’ve denied, and even the brilliance we’ve been too afraid to shine. Gunk is my way of making this experience tangible. It’s the residue of old wounds, the energetic density of unprocessed emotions, and the unhealed traumas that we drag with us into every relationship and every choice.

When you think of gunk, you can feel it. It’s heavy. It’s sticky. It’s what blocks the flow of love, creativity, and connection. And most importantly, just like the shadow, it can be seen, felt, released, and healed. That’s the radical part. This isn’t some abstract, unknowable force. It’s right here, showing up in your reactions, in your judgments, in your projections, in your relationships.

Everyone Has Gunk (Yes, Everyone)

When Debbie Ford wrote that the shadow is made up of the parts of ourselves we hide, deny, or suppress, she was really saying what I’ve come to see over and over again in my work: everyone has gunk. There is no one who doesn’t carry old pain, unresolved wounds, or limiting beliefs. Some of the most impactful gunk comes from Core Wounds. The question is, how did it come in, and how is it showing up?

For one client, John, his Core Wound was the belief that he was unworthy of love. He grew up with a father who was emotionally distant and critical, and by the time he reached adulthood, John had internalized the idea that nothing he did was ever good enough. That gunk showed up in his marriage as constant self-sabotage—picking fights, shutting down emotionally, pushing away intimacy. When we worked through his Core Wound here in Sedona, releasing layer after layer of that unworthiness, what emerged was breathtaking. John began to feel, maybe for the first time, that he was lovable exactly as he was. His marriage transformed because he transformed.

Another client, Sarah, carried the gunk of abandonment. Her mother had left when she was only five years old, and even though her father did his best to raise her, that wound of “people leave me” lived inside her like a brand. As an adult, she found herself clinging to partners, constantly afraid they would disappear, or alternately, leaving them before they could leave her. The shadow of abandonment was running the show. When Sarah came here, we uncovered that gunk, that heavy grief of the little girl who just wanted her mother to stay. Through the deep processes we did, she was able to release the fear and begin to trust again. She reclaimed her sense of safety. And with that, she was able to open her heart in a whole new way.

Julia’s Abandonment

Let me tell you about Julia. She came to us for a retreat, saying she wanted to learn our process for bringing in the man of her dreams. She was gorgeous, successful, funny—looked great on the outside, but on the inside, she was totally unhappy and lonely.

She said, “I’ve got great self-esteem, I don’t have any Core Wounds. I just keep picking the wrong guys.”

But when we started digging, we discovered something powerful. When Julia was five, her father left and never came back. No explanation. No goodbye. Just gone. Her mother spiraled into bitterness, and Julia absorbed it all. Deep inside, she concluded, “If he left, it must mean I’m not lovable.”

That Core Wound was calling in men who would abandon her—ghosters, betrayers—and it was happening again and again until she could finally heal it. We cleared the energetic block, and then during her breathwork session, she connected with the part of herself who knew she was worthy of love. She saw her five-year-old self—radiant, whole, and finally free. We released and healed the gunk and connected her to that highest part of herself. She did all that in three days. And here’s the miracle: on her flight home, she sat next to Jason. They hit it off. They’re married now and very happy. She healed her own wounding, and the Universe responded. When you come out of your Pain Energy Body and move into your Love Energy Body, the Quantum Field reflects that frequency back to you in real time.

Clearing Karmic Gunk

And sometimes, it’s not trauma or Core Wounds. It can even be things like karma that you would never know about, but that still have a profound impact on your life and your relationships. I remember one particularly fascinating retreat where we worked with a couple who were deeply in love. Their connection was beautiful and authentic, but they had a problem that neither of them could explain. The physical side of their relationship just wasn’t working. He couldn’t get an erection. She didn’t feel desire. On the surface, this made no sense at all—both of them had enjoyed passionate, fulfilling sex lives before they met each other. The love was there, the chemistry was there, but intimacy was blocked.

At first, we thought it might be connected to Core Wounds, or perhaps a birth trauma that hadn’t been uncovered. We also considered whether it might be related to their Nurturing Needs not being met. But as we went deeper, none of those explanations fit. What we eventually discovered was something far beyond the usual suspects. It was karmic.

Through a Karmic Clearing, we uncovered a past life in which they had been together before. In that lifetime, he was a monk and she was a Mother Superior. They had fallen in love, but instead of breaking free to be with one another, they doubled down on their vows of celibacy. They chose duty over desire, denial over truth. And that choice, that vow, created an energetic imprint that followed them into this lifetime. Even though they no longer consciously remembered it, their souls still carried the vow. The gunk of that ancient commitment was interfering with their ability to connect sexually in the here and now.

Once we cleared it, they were released from that centuries-old bondage. The vows no longer bound them, and the gunk that had carried forward was finally dissolved. And the transformation was immediate. That night, they experienced the best sex of their lives! The energy that had been dammed up for so long finally flowed freely. Today, they are married, raising two children, and still laughing about the fact that once upon a time, they thought they would never be able to have a fulfilling sex life together.

This story illustrates an important truth: gunk can take many forms, and unless and until you identify it, release it, and heal it, you remain stuck in your Pain Energy Body. Whether it’s a Core Wound from childhood, a trauma from later in life, or even a karmic vow made hundreds of years ago, the result is the same. You’re blocked. You’re burdened. You’re not free. The work of this lifetime is to clear that gunk and move into your Love Energy Body—because that’s where true freedom, joy, intimacy, and fulfillment reside.

The Shadow is Not the Enemy

One of the things I loved most about Debbie Ford’s work was her insistence that the shadow is not the enemy. The parts of ourselves we’ve pushed away are not here to destroy us. They are here to guide us back to wholeness. The gunk isn’t a curse—it’s a signal. It’s showing us where we need to bring love, compassion, and healing.

When you’re triggered by something in your partner, when you judge someone harshly, or when you spiral into shame about your own behavior, that’s the shadow raising its hand. That’s the gunk saying, “Look at me. I need your attention. I need your care.” Instead of pushing it away, what if we leaned in? What if we actually allowed ourselves to see it, feel it, and release it? That’s where freedom lives.

Bringing the Shadow Into the Light

So, why call this article Bringing the Shadow Out of the Shadow? Because for too long, we’ve treated the shadow like something hidden in the dark corners of the psyche—something mysterious, scary, and untouchable. But it’s not. It’s here, in the open, waiting for us to see it. It shows up in our arguments, in our judgments, in our sabotaging behaviors. And once we recognize it as gunk—as something tangible that can be felt and released—it loses its power.

That’s the gift. The shadow doesn’t have to remain in the shadow. The gunk doesn’t have to stay stuck. We can see it, release it, and heal it. And when we do, everything changes. Relationships transform. Creativity flows. Love deepens. Joy becomes possible again.

From Shadow to Light, From Gunk to Freedom

So yes, the shadow and the gunk are virtually the same thing. The language is different, but the experience is the same. Both point to the hidden, heavy parts of ourselves that are longing to be seen, felt, and healed. And both remind us that this is not abstract or theoretical—it’s deeply practical. It’s the work of being human.

When we bring the shadow out of the shadow—when we look directly at the gunk and commit to clearing it—we find freedom. We find love. We find ourselves. That’s the journey I began with Debbie Ford’s words all those years ago, and it’s the journey I’ve had the honor of guiding others through ever since.

Because at the end of the day, this isn’t about getting rid of the shadow or denying the gunk. It’s about seeing it, embracing it, and letting it transform us. And when we do, the light that shines forth is nothing short of miraculous.

TAKE ACTION: Notice where “gunk” shows up in your life—old wounds, limiting beliefs, or repeating patterns—and see it as an invitation to heal. For deeper support in clearing gunk and creating soulful, lasting love, connect with Debra Stangl and Richard Kepple at SedonaSoulAdventures.com.