The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, and Dreams [Mass Market Paperback]

Debbie Ford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1999

Debbie Ford believes that we each hold within us a trace of every human characteristic that exists, the capacity for every human emotion. We are born with the ability to express this entire spectrum of characteristics. But, Ford points out, our families and our society send us strong messages about which ones are good and bad. So when certain impulses arise, we deny them instead of confronting them, giving them a healthy voice, then letting them go. It is to these feelings that Ford turns our attention, these parts of our selves that don't fit the personae we have created for the rest of the world. She shows us the effects of living in the dark, of keeping all our supposedly unsavory impulses under wraps. We find ourselves disproportionately frustrated and angry at the selfishness of friends, the laziness of colleagues, the arrogance of siblings. When we are unable to reconcile similar impulses in ourselves, Ford explains, we waste our own energy judging others instead of empathizing. But most important, we deny ourselves the power and freedom of living authentically. Through the stories and exercises in The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, Debbie Ford shows us not only how to recognize our hidden emotions, but also how to find the gifts they offer us. The very impulses we most fear may be the key to what is lacking in our lives.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

We know the shadow by many names: alter ego, lower self, the dark twin, repressed self, id. Carl Jung once said that the shadow "is the person you would rather not be." But even if you choose to hide your dark side, it will still cast a shadow, according to author Debbie Ford. Rather than reject the seemingly undesirable parts of ourselves, Ford offers advice on how to confront our shadows. Only by owning every aspect of yourself can you achieve harmony and "let your own light shine," she explains. "The purpose of doing shadow work, is to become whole. To end our suffering. To stop hiding ourselves from ourselves. Once we do this we can stop hiding ourselves from the rest of the world."

As threatening as shadow work may seem, it is often very effective in creating transformation. Ford's step-by-step guidebook is modeled on a highly successful course she developed about embracing the shadow. Ultimately, she helps readers illuminate the gifts and strengths that lie within the shadows. Although this works sound vague, clouded in dark metaphors, Ford manages to make it clear and specific. She has the writing gifts of a successful seminar leader--inspirational, trustworthy, and able to convey murky material with grace and ease. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

Everyone possesses the entire range of human traits and emotionsA"the saintly and the cynical, the divine and the diabolical, the courageous and the cowardly"Acontends Ford, a faculty member of California's Chopra Center for Well-Being. The problem, as Ford (and Freud) define it, is that in growing up, people suppress those behaviors, thoughts, feelings and characteristics that are unacceptable within their particular environments. But rather than daily sessions on the couch, Ford advocates re-imagining and reclaiming lost aspects of self, urging readers to "unconceal" and embrace those traits buried in their "shadow," in order to find their "gift." She offers exercises designed to bring such traits to the surface, including directed self-questioning; listing one's characteristics for closer examination of positives and negatives; and "discharging toxic emotions" physically. Her advice is often drawn from anecdotes of experiences with friends and in workshops that she has taught or attended, and from her own struggles with various aspects of her personality. What some will see as disarming simple methodology may seem shallow to those with a more analytical bent. But even those not looking for the "Resistant Rita," "Lovegirl Laurie," "My-way Marvin" or "Competent Ken" locked inside them may find him or her in spite of themselves.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade (June 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402828918
• ISBN-13: 978-1573227353
• ASIN: 1573227358
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (134 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #298,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Debbie Ford, #1 New York Times best-selling author, educator, founder of The Ford Institute for Transformational Training, and Executive Producer of The Shadow Effect, a cutting-edge transformational DVD, is an internationally recognized expert in the field of personal transformation. A pioneering force in incorporating the study and integration of the shadow into modern psychological and spiritual practices, Debbie has appeared on Oprah, Good Morning America, and is the featured expert on the forthcoming ABC TV show, The Ex-Wives Club. Debbie's eight groundbreaking books, including The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, Spiritual Divorce, and The Best Year of Your Life, have sold over 1 million copies, are translated into 32 languages, and are used in institutions of learning worldwide. For more information, visit www.debbieford.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

450 of 463 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Work, November 4, 2000

By 

beth miller (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, and Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

There is a story in Native American history of an Indian chief who one night talking to his tribe tells them there are two dogs inside his mind. One a white dog who is good and courageous, the other a black dog who is vengeful and spiteful.He tells the tribe the dogs are fighting to the death. A brave, not able to wait for the end of the story asks "Which one of them will win." The chief responds "The one I feed."

This book tells us how to feed the white dog. I loved the book. I would also highly recommend the book An Encounter With A Prophet.

205 of 209 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Use your power to stop being a victim, April 19, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, and Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

Our psychologists and many popular self-help movements have seem absolutely determined to make us permanent victims of our past. We are the way we are because of mom, dad, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, did so and so or did not do so and so, causing us to be the way we are today. This philosophy of blaming others for our own shortcomings has created a whole society of victims. And all of these victims have been going around "confronting" everyone they know for making them the way they are.

Thank God for a refreshing breath of common sense! We are the way we are because we get something out of being the way we are. If we want to change we need to first accept responsibility for being the way we are and then determine what we get out of being that way. This is Debbie Ford's message. Using Ford's techniques along with those suggested by Lewis in his book An Encounter With A Prophet, you will be able to stop being a victim of your past and your present. I strongly recommend both books for those wishing to attain some real lasting peace of mind.

148 of 154 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Welcoming our "Bad" Side, November 6, 2000

By 

Quaker Annie "reader" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Dark Side of the Light Chasers: Reclaiming Your Power, Creativity, Brilliance, and Dreams (Mass Market Paperback)

Here's an unpleasant thought, for those of us who try so hard to be nice, spiritual, kind -- we have a dark side, too. Holding on to (hiding) our dark side is what keeps us from moving forward and making significant changes in our lives. Can't: get rid of the excess weight, stop ruining good relationships, getting into bad ones? You just might want to take a look at this book, find that dark side and use it to set you free.

One way to spot the dark side, according to Debbie Ford, in her excellent book, is to pay attention to our over-reactions. If you find yourself getting all worked up when someone accuses you of being something you just KNOW you're not, Ford tells us that that reaction means you're right on top of some important information.

You could go into psychotherapy to try and work it out. Or you could just get this book, and start embracing the darker side. You won't fall apart -- read it, do the exercises. This is a book you can read and follow alone, but it's also an excellent book to work on, or discuss, with a good friend or two.

Don't pass this one by, unless you're perfect!