Episode 293: Clinician's Corner | Shame, Shadow & the Parts We Don't Show

Molly and Clarissa sit down for another Clinician's Corner to dig into shadow work — what Carl Jung meant by it, why it's not just a "woo-woo" concept, and why it belongs in food addiction recovery. They talk about the parts of ourselves we learn to hide (anger, desire, ambition, even joy), how those exiled parts often drive the very behaviors we're trying to recover from, and how projection, envy, and even compliments can point us straight to what we've buried. This episode previews the Shadow Work module inside Liberation, Sweet Sobriety's brand-new 10-module program launching this fall. WHAT WE COVER Why Molly built a shadow work module into Liberation, and how it connects to the Shame module covered in a previous episode Carl Jung's quote — "Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate" and what it means in practice The iceberg metaphor: the curated 10% we show the world vs. the 90% underneath driving our behavior Where the shadow comes from (genetics loads the gun, environment pulls the trigger) and why this isn't about blaming parents How substance use, food behaviors, and other compulsive patterns often exist to manage and suppress shadow parts Recovery work doesn't make the shadow disappear — and why it can get louder, becoming a high-risk time for return to use Projection: how "accusations are often confessions," and why the people who irritate us most can be mirrors The Golden Shadow — the positive traits (confidence, joy, ambition) we also learn to suppress or deny Why receiving compliments can feel unbearable, and what that has to do with shadow work Envy and jealousy reframed as information rather than something shameful Individuation and integration — Jung's idea that the goal isn't to eliminate these parts, but to become a whole person who can hold all of them How return to use fits into this: not a moral failure, but sometimes a shadow part that hasn't been integrated A personal moment on privilege, shame, and how rejecting a part of ourselves can limit our ability to help others What to expect from the Shadow Work module inside Liberation LIBERATION — SWEET SOBRIETY'S NEW PROGRAM Liberation is the next step after Foundations — a deeper 10-module program covering shadow work, shame, anger, guilt, the inner critic, ADHD and the nervous system, trauma, highly sensitive people, and more. You do not need to have completed Foundations first. Modules release the week of September 21. Live sessions begin October 15 at 1:00–2:30 PM Eastern. Starting price: $400 USD for this first round (early participants help shape the program, same as the first Foundations cohort) Learn more and join us: https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-liberation RESOURCES & LINKS Catch our earlier episode on Shame: https://open.spotify.com/episode/44sTxYKeVv7r01wtSKkYtm?si=7557f537d5314ebd Sweet Sobriety Foundations Program: https://sweetsobriety.newzenler.com/courses/sweet-sobriety-foundations Sweet Sobriety website: https://www.sweetsobriety.ca/ Have a topic you want us to cover? Email us: foodjunkiespodcast@gmail.com POLAND 2027: https://fundacjabraciarodzen.pl/products/international-advanced-training-programme?variant=56860764078458 ABOUT FOOD JUNKIES PODCAST Food Junkies is hosted by Dr. Vera Tarman, Clarissa Kennedy, and Molly Painschab, exploring food addiction, ultra-processed food use disorder, and recovery from a clinical, compassionate, and lived-experience perspective. Subscribe for new episodes and hit the bell so you don't miss our Clinician's Corner series. Our show is for educational purposes only. It does not supplement or supersede your healthcare provider's professional relationship and direction. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified mental health providers with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition, substance use disorder, or mental health concern.