Self-welcoming vs. Self-examination

What is the difference between Self-Examination, Self-Welcoming, and Shadow Work—and how can this support healing and growth?

I'm so grateful to Rachel Isabela for hosting this conversation on her podcast. The episode was recorded in March, 2024 and will be published in June. She generously agreed for me to share it in advance here. It's a rich exploration of the difference between self-examination, self-welcoming, and shadow work--and how to skillfully being working with the wisdom of the body to release old patterns.

We explore:

The difference between self-examination, self-welcoming, and shadow work.
How language and labels for our challenges can either be a doorway in, or a barrier to actually working through our patterns.
The wisdom of the body that is always available and responsive to our loving and curious attention.
A demo of felt-sense work on an aspect of how anxiety shows up in Rachel’s life.

I hope this 30 minute conversation/demo helps you on your path of healing and self-discovery.

References:

The parts work referenced in this conversation draws deeply on Internal Family Systems (Richard Schwartz, PhD) and Tapas Fleming's Tapas Acupressure Technique (TAT).
Eugene Gendlin's focusing work is also explored in this conversation.
Here is a link to Rachel's podcast

CHARLOTTE WATSON

Huge shift in self-worth!

Emily is so supportive, compassionate and non-judgmental. Even if there’s something you’d be a little bit shy or embarrassed about sharing, she creates a truly safe space to feel into those and air them so they’re not hidden in the shadows anymore. And, with the energy psychology tools, It’s amazing work to be able to use the body and the subconscious mind to get to the heart of things rather than having to battle with the conscious mind. It’s so much easier and efficient.

I used to have issues with self-worth around being able to set boundaries and have my needs and desires met in relationships. This was a big pattern in my unhealthy marriage. Even after my marriage, relationships felt mediocre—like they needed more work than I would get out of them, so what was the point?

As a result of this work, my self-worth has deepened and grown and I now feel like, “Oh yeah—I’m worthy of a good relationship. I know my needs will be met with the right person. It just feels like a natural inevitability.”

Overall, I’m living more from a feeling of surrender and relaxation and am more anchored in my feminine nature. I now trust that the right things will come to me when I’m in this being and receiving zone rather than the masculine “work harder/try harder” mode that I was brought up with.

VALUES: As a wholehearted human, I know deep in my bones that we're all in this experience together and that the safety and wellbeing of each and every one of us matters. My work in this world is based on inclusion for people across all races, ages, colors, ethnicities, gender identities, sexual orientations, disability/abilities, and socioeconomic backgrounds. If money is a true hardship, please inquire about partial scholarship opportunities.