Practically Shameless, How Shadow Work Helped Me Find My Voice, My Path, and My Inner Gold

Practically Shameless is the first book to explain the compassionate psychology of Carl G. Jung through one person's intimate experiences of shadow, including a riveting first-person account of Shadow Work processes. Practically Shameless reveals for the first time the real buying power of archetypes in daily life for creative self-expression, building self-esteem, getting your power back, letting go of destructive behavior patterns, and overcoming depression and the belief that life holds no meaning.

Many books say they will change your life. Practically Shameless actually will, by explaining for the first time the inner mechanics of change and offering an approach that has worked for thousands of people since 1990. Change is hard because there's a part of the self whose job it is to resist change. It does so for the best of reasons -- to protect us from something it considers worse than the change we want to make. Most of us think of our resistance to change as a problem. Practically Shameless reveals for the first time that our resistance is a good guy, not a bad guy, in our inner drama. It demonstrates the surprising key to turning resistance into forward movement: befriending that resistance by honoring the role it's been playing in protecting us. Once honored, our resistance becomes willing to stand down and to take on, with its treasury of information on risks we've faced in the past, a new role as valued ally as we begin to move forward. An exercise in Chapter 19 invites the reader to step into this inner protector to be honored directly by the author and begin making lasting change.

An Appendix on the Shadow Work Model details the specific emotional wound underlying each of the 16 varieties of shadow, to help lift the shame enshrouding it and thus to help facilitate change. With a Foreword by Shadow Work founder Cliff Barry and illustrations by Cindy Kalman, formerly of PBS's McNeil-Lehrer News Hour. See excerpts, additional testimonials from authors and readers, study guides, excerpts from interviews with Alyce's father, and more, at the Practically Shameless Press website. Also available from Amazon in paperback (now in its third printing), and on audio CD, unabridged, with an illustrated booklet.

A compelling personal journey through courageous self-discovery and growth that was hard to put down. Alyce travels through her life, revealing her growing inner struggles to escape from her box. She hides nothing. Someone has finally written a book on the pervasive shame that shrouds everyday lives in America. -- Mary Walilko, small business owner

Alyce Barry allows us to see her shadow, and in the process we see more clearly our own. While doing so she gives us a down-to-earth understanding of Shadow Work. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is tired of living in a box. -- John Lee, author of The Flying Boy

Both a practical and experiential guide toward understanding the basic concepts of Jungian psychology. Alyce Barry gives us a first-hand account of how she experienced a major life transformation. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand how Jungian theory can be masterfully applied to everyday life. -- Jim Brooks, M.D., psychiatrist, acupuncturist, Shadow Work facilitator

Alyce takes us on her amazing journey a she reclaims her joy and her soul. So many heart-touching insights to show us that we can heal, and exactly how. -- Bill Kauth, ManKind Project co-founder

I can now look inside and feel a calm that I don't ever remember before." -- Jennifer Byrne, musician