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How I Reluctantly Embraced My Shadow Journey Four Years Ago
Transformation requires a cocoon.
Burnout caused my career to crash and crumble. Then, I discovered narcissism in my birth family and began healing from decades of abuse. Then, my meditation-based community home turned out to be a cult.
Sprinkle that recipe with sexual abuse plus purity culture recovery, and you have one intense “Dark Nights of the Soul.” It’s a phrase traced back to the 16th century that mostly means a spiritual crisis. The life you knew has collapsed, and darkness results.
“What are you doing now?”
I’d written about leaving my successful UX career in 2021, and while most people resonated with my insights on the tech industry, a few asked that ugly question.
The question terrified me. I don’t know. Crying. Basically, that’s what I was doing. I didn’t know what was next. I just knew that my overwhelming tech job was not it.
Up to that point, I’d spent most of my life seeking and achieving various milestones. I got straight A’s, created an ideal resume, and built credibility in my field, for example.
I’d been a super-planner. Seriously. I not only knew my answer to, “Where do you see yourself in five years?” I’d created a blueprint. In a polished…
