One-to-One Shadow Work Sessions

Embodied & Immersive Therapeutic Work

It is often the parts of ourselves that remain outside of awareness — the parts we have learned to suppress, reject, fear, or disconnect from — that quietly shape our emotional lives, relationships, behaviours, and sense of self.

These hidden or shadow aspects of the psyche can become the unconscious drivers behind repeating patterns, emotional overwhelm, shame, inner conflict, anxiety, compulsive behaviours, or a persistent sense that something within us feels stuck, fragmented, or difficult to understand.

Shadow work is a form of embodied depth psychotherapy that supports you to turn towards these hidden aspects of yourself with curiosity, compassion, and care.

These immersive 3–5 hour somatic shadow work sessions are for people seeking deep and lasting transformation. Through embodied parts work and deep therapeutic process, aspects of yourself and hidden internal dynamics that may previously have remained unconscious can begin to emerge safely into awareness, where they can be explored, understood, and worked with directly.

This work offers a relational, trauma-informed approach to healing and transformation in a carefully held space allowing for deep exploration, emotional integration and meaningful change, where you are always in control of the pace and direction of the work.

Book a free 20-minute consultation

What This Work Can Support

Long-form Shadow Work Sessions are for those people who want to move beyond purely cognitive approaches and are interested in an embodied or experiential therapy. When clients first approach, I often hear them say something like:

"I understand my patterns and know where they originate from, but understanding them doesn't shift them - they are still playing out..."

Long-form shadow work sessions offer the possibility for deep and lasting transformation.

These sessions may be useful if you are experiencing:

recurring emotional or relational patterns
anxiety, overwhelm, shutdown, or inner conflict
difficulty with boundaries or self-expression
shame, self-criticism, or low self-worth
attachment wounds or developmental trauma
compulsive or self-sabotaging behaviours
disconnection from yourself or others
unresolved grief, anger, or emotional pain
a loss of meaning, direction, or vitality

This work is not about fixing what is “wrong” with you. It is about understanding the deeper dynamics shaping your experience and developing a more compassionate and integrated relationship with yourself - this is how long lasting shifts are embodied.

How I Work

My approach is experiential, embodied, and relational.

In sessions, we work with the psyche through a parts-based framework, exploring the different inner aspects of yourself that emerge around the issues you are bringing.

This often involves:

embodied parts work
externalisation / mapping the inner world through symbolic representation
emotional and somatic exploration
process work and inner dialogue
relational reflection and integration

Rather than analysing your experience from a distance, you are invited to engage directly with it in a supported and grounded way.

This approach can allow access to emotional material, unconscious beliefs, and inner dynamics that are difficult to reach through conversation alone.

Embodied Parts Work

A central aspect of this work involves engaging experientially with the different “parts” of your psyche.

Instead of simply talking about a fearful, angry, ashamed, protective, or vulnerable part of yourself, you are invited to step into relationship with it directly — noticing its thoughts, emotions, impulses, beliefs, and physical sensations.

You will be supported to connect inside and allow the voice of this part to come through you, perhaps standing or sitting in different places in the room in order to separate out the different aspects of yourself as we explore - and you inhabit - different parts of yourself.

This process supports:

essential differentiation of different aspects of personality
unburdening of shame
contact with unconscious content
emotional processing and release
understanding of unconscious patterns
resolution of inner conflict
integration of disowned or fragmented aspects of self
greater self-awareness and increased self-compassion

There is no right or wrong way to do this work. In a way it is a new skill that you are learning in this embodiment, a way of being with yourself and exploring who you are which invites new relationships with those aspects of personality - known and unknown - that make up who you are.

The process is collaborative, flexible, and responsive to whatever you are needing.

Inner Transformation

By working directly and experientially with different aspects of yourself, unconscious thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and protective patterns can begin to emerge into awareness in a way that is often difficult to access through conversation alone.

Through embodied parts work, externalisation and symbolic representation, your inner world becomes more visible and understandable. As different parts of your psyche are externalised and explored within the room, it becomes possible to witness more clearly the inner dynamics, conflicts, and protective strategies that shape your emotional life, relationships, and patterns of behaviour. It also invites opportunities for process work, where deep healing can be embodied.

Many people experience this process as deeply shame-lifting. Rather than seeing yourself as “broken” or fundamentally flawed, a more compassionate understanding begins to emerge around why certain parts of you developed and how patterns have attempted to protect you.

This process often creates space for greater clarity, self-understanding, emotional release, and inner reorganisation.

Working directly with these inner dynamics may involve:

processing strong or destructive emotions and stuck feelings;
facilitating expressions of anger
processing self-sabotaging or reactive behaviours
working with protective or controlling patterns
exploring inner or outer conflict
setting or strengthening boundaries
processing grief, shame, or unresolved emotional pain
working with parts you find hard to accept
working with the inner child, traumatic experiences and attachment wounds

As unconscious patterns become more conscious and integrated, many people experience a greater sense of wholeness, emotional resilience, authenticity, and inner stability.

Long-Form Sessions

I specialise in immersive long-form shadow work sessions lasting between 3 and 5 hours.

The first session is typically a 5-hour in-person session, followed by a free integration call around a week later.

The extended format allows time for:

trust and safety to develop
unconscious dynamics to emerge naturally
deeper emotional exploration
nervous system settling and regulation
the potential to work at depth and facilitate long-lasting inner shifts

Many clients find that this longer format allows a depth of work and an experience of themselves that is difficult to access within conventional therapy structures.

Each shadow work session is structured around your intention, want, or desired outcome and at every step of the process you are in complete control of what happens or does not happen. This allows you to move towards the core of the issue in safety and at your own pace.

Sessions can stand alone or form part of a longer therapeutic process.

You can read a detailed overview of how long-form shadow work sessions unfold here:

→ What to Expect in Long-Form Sessions

Ways We Can Work Together

One-Off Deep Dive Sessions

A focused immersive session exploring a particular issue, pattern, relationship dynamic, or emotional difficulty.

Ongoing Shadow Work

Regular sessions spaced fortnightly or monthly to support your deep commitment to sustained therapeutic transformation and integration.

Longer-Term Containers

For clients seeking deeper ongoing work, six-month therapeutic containers are available. You can find more information about long-term containers here:

→ One-to-One Six-Month Containers

Interested in Exploring This Work?

A free 20-minute consultation offers space to ask questions, explore what you are looking for, and get a feel for whether this approach is right for you.

Book a free 20-minute consultation

Safety, Resistance, and Pacing

This work prioritises safety, consent, pacing, and collaboration.

Because we are working with the shadow there is naturally fear and risk close by. Fear tells us where our edges are and is the gateway to transformation. We collaborate and engage directly with any parts of you that present resistance, risk, defence or blocks as you move through the work or step towards certain parts of yourself.

Respecting and working alongside parts that protect us in this way is one of the cornerstones of this work. These parts are not treated as obstacles to be overcome, but as fundamental aspects of your personality that are there - and often developed - for a very good reason.

If fear, resistance, numbness, confusion, or overwhelm arise, we work with these experiences carefully and respectfully.

This approach means the work never gets stuck. In fact, working with stuck-ness is one of the most productive and transformational aspects of facilitated shadow work.

The work unfolds through collaboration and at a pace that feels safe and manageable for you, and you remain in control throughout the process.

My Therapeutic Approach

I work in an open and transparent way. I'll discuss theory and practical steps with you as appropriate and invite you to make your own informed decision as to how to proceed at each stage of the process.

Shadow work centres on moving towards and engaging with those parts of us that we ignore, repress or deny; those parts of us that we dislike or don’t trust, or that we fear might overwhelm us, harm us or harm other people.

We move towards and engage with these parts of us knowing that what we place in shadow does not simply go away, but drives our behaviour unconsciously. It is often the parts of us in shadow that are the unconscious drivers behind the unhelpful behaviours, overwhelming emotions, confusion, shame, or troubling patterns in our lives.

And we move towards and engage with these parts of us knowing that when the work is sufficiently held, it is healing to bring them into the light of awareness, attend to them and re-integrating them in a transformed way.

My work is grounded in:

Jungian depth psychology and archetypal theory
the Jungian concept of the shadow
shadow work theory, tools and practices
somatic process work and embodied approaches
trauma-informed psychotherapy and the polyvagal theory of nervous system activation
psychodynamic understanding
attachment theory
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
relational psychotherapy

At the heart of this work is the understanding that healing happens not through rejecting parts of ourselves, but through turning towards them with awareness, compassion, and support.

One of the core principles is the belief that there are no bad parts - that all parts of you have value, are essentially ‘good’ and ultimately have your best interests at heart. So all parts of you are welcome to show up in the work, including any part of you that you may judge as difficult or dangerous, shameful, hurtful, or unappealing in some way.

You are invited to turn towards and explore those parts of your personality that you might struggle to be with, or find it hard to understand or accept – those aspects of yourself which may bring shame or confusion, or those aspects you fear may emotionally overwhelm or harm you or those around you.

We all have parts like this and they can be the source of much pain and suffering. A facilitated shadow work session is exactly the place where you are welcome to bring these aspects of yourself and give yourself the opportunity to explore these parts in a space that is accepting and where these challenging parts can be embodied, met and held. The more we try to ignore or hide these sides of ourselves the greater their capacity to disrupt our lives in uncontrolled ways.

New to Shadow Work?

If you would like a deeper understanding of the psychological concept of the shadow and why this work can be so transformative, you can read more here:

→ What Is the Shadow, and Why Work With It?

Is This Work for You?

This approach may resonate with people who:

are seeking deep and lasting transformation
feel stuck in repeating emotional or relational patterns
want to move beyond purely cognitive approaches to therapy
are interested in embodied or experiential psychotherapy
are drawn to shadow work, parts work, depth or archetypal psychology
wish to develop greater authenticity, self-leadership, and emotional integration

I work with adults of all genders, sexualities, relationship styles, religious backgrounds, and identities.

What Issues Can I Bring?

People come to this work for many different reasons.

You may be struggling with:

repeating patterns in relationships
anxiety, overwhelm, or emotional shutdown
shame, self-criticism, or low self-worth
difficulty with boundaries or self-expression
compulsive or self-sabotaging behaviours
grief or unresolved emotional pain
strong feelings of rage or issues with your anger
trauma related to childhood experiences, neglect, bullying, abuse, or attachment wounds
a sense of fragmentation, disconnection, or confusion about who you are
feeling stuck between different parts of yourself
loss of meaning, vitality, or direction in life

You do not need to arrive with everything clearly understood or articulated.

Many people simply come with the sense that something within them feels conflicted, painful, blocked, or difficult to carry alone.

Together, we create a space where these experiences can be explored safely, compassionately, and at depth.

What to Expect in a Session

Sessions involve a combination of conversation, embodied exploration, externalisation through symbolic representation, and therapeutic process work.

You can read a detailed overview of how shadow work sessions unfold here:

→ What to Expect in Shadow Work Sessions

“An amazing and beautiful experience... You created an atmosphere of care and compassion that allowed me to feel comfortable exploring some truly vulnerable parts of myself.”

— Rebecca, London

"You’ve really helped me understand how strong I am deep down and I feel a greater sense of peace, calmness, clarity and confidence."

— Naseem, Birmingham

“I would recommend Ali to anyone who is looking to bring to light the ways in which their hidden parts are influencing their lives, and integrate them harmoniously."

— Rachel, Brighton

Ready to Begin?

If this work resonates with you, you are welcome to book a free 20-minute consultation or:

Book an initial long-form session

Reach out to book an initial five-hour session

£350–£500 (sliding scale)

Further Links

→ Podcast: Shadow Work 101: Exploring Our Dark Side with Alasdair Kirk

→ What is the shadow and why work with it?

→ What is Depth Psychology?

→ Discovering ourselves: inquiry through the archetypes

Frequently Asked Questions

Long-Form Shadow Work Sessions

The problem with the unconscious is that it is unconscious and because of this we can't approach it directly, but we can track, engage and interpret its manifestations in our behavioural patterns, our thoughts and the pathology and sensations that manifest in our bodies.

This offers a gateway into a deeper understanding of what is going on for you and an avenue into a psyche that is actively seeking healing.

It is in this way that we can find the trailheads for our work together, what is at the core of the patterns you experience, and the pathways to your healing.

Podcast: Shadow Work 101: Exploring Our Dark Side with Alasdair Kirk

“Your task is not to seek for love, but to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

— Rumi

Individual shadow work sessions