Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self - The Shadow Effect

I purchased The Shadow Effect because I saw the movie version on the OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) and it was fantastic. The CD can't touch it. I've listened to about 30 minutes of it and have not been moved to listen any more. A waste of money. Although I think Deepak's makes some good points, he puts me to sleep while driving and listening to him. I really enjoy CDs on spiritual growth, but I can't listen to The Shadow Effect long enough to enjoy the concepts.

The Shadow Effect, like the movie of the same name, is a game changer. Learn what it is inside of you (your thoughts, feelings, negative beliefs and old habits) that stops you from living the life of your dreams. This book is for anyone who wants more in their life - more happiness, success, love or vitality. The "shadow" isn't as scary as you think - I walked away with a great deal of freedom.

The Shadow Effect beautifuly written, warm, informative book that challenges you to not only look at your dark side but to learn to love, accept and intergrate your shadow. A great path to becoming whole!

I purchased "The Shadow Effect" and put it away to watch at another time. I forgot I had it until I came across it one day. I immediately put the movie on and watched it. I had such an emotional response to this movie. Even though this subject matter is not new to me, I was flooded with tears of release. This movie is inspiring and certainly a reminder to all of us. I bought copies for all my family members and it too has changed their lives.
Mahalo!
Julie

The Shadow Effect brings to light topics, feelings, and disparities we only think about in our internal dialogues but do not dare discuss with our loved ones. It illustrates the struggle we all share as both the collective and as an individual. This movie will propel you into uncovering that which limits you and connect you with the tools necessary to discover your power, creativity, and brilliance. This movie is one of a kind and the work that Debbie Ford offers is ground breaking as well as divinely inspired.
Give yourself the gift of awareness, light, hope, and possibility today!
If your feeling generous order a couple for your friends and family too because once you see this movie, you will want to talk about it with everyone around you.

The Shadow Effect makes you think about why you do/act/react the way you do...this video has taught me that i need to look, embrace and love my shadow. "there is gold to be mined in every experience" .

This is a must see. It may make you uncomfortable,it may make you squirm, but please stay with it -- watch it till the end! This is a message of hope and healing, acceptance and forgiveness. I know you will want to be the first to share it with the people you love.

This DVD was amazing!The Shadow Effect, a movie As I watched it, it all made perfect sense to me. I recommend this highly to anyone who has 'unfinished business' in their life (and lets face it, we all do...!)

Dealing with shadow is one of the most difficult things we will ever do, this video allows you to do that with minimal outside judgment, it places the responsibility for change squarely in your own lap. Drags a bit at times, but that may just be a projection of my own shadow. An excellent program well worth watching.

The worst book from Chopra. The other co-authors are very bad. Describe situations but no solutions. Chopra should select his partners better before place his name and reputation with some fellows. OL

the dvd was wonderful....if I could have seen the whole thing. It was defective, skipped parts and stopped in places. I didn't return it because of your return policy. By the time I paid s & h I would have been out MORE money...it would be cheaper to go buy another copy, locally.

The Shadow Effect takes us on a journey through the human psyche.

I’ll start by discussing Part I and II.
Eschewing the stark constructions if humanity, such as good and evil, you will learn about diving into your own soul and reclaiming everything that is quintessentially you.

If you feel lost, if you don’t understand why (as the Apostle Paul said) you do what you don’t want to do, this book will help you.

If you’re heavily tied to any major religion I only ask that you keep your mind open. I know the most religious of us might push this book aside after the first hundred words - but I implore you to continue. Truth is truth, no matter where it is found.

As for Part III, I find that Marianne went a much more religious route. Where as Deepak and Debbie speak of assimilating the shadow, Marianne speaks of destroying it. She is much more Western in thought, rather then a mix. For me this was the least interesting Part, though I still found useful information.

Part I and II get 5 Stars, Part III gets 3 stars, so I average them to 4 overall.

This is a must read for people trying to find answers!

Whilst this book as some enlightening gems hidden in there you have to trawl through a large number of dull anecdotes to find them. Whatever Deepak Chopra's credentials are he is not a good writer. Kind of like listening to that college lecturer that tries to be hip or listening to that smug uncle at the dinner table. I decided to skip the first part altogether. The remaining two parts are okay. Someone said it reads like an infomercial and I agree. Some books are sharp and to the point so much so that the pages practically turn themselves. This wasn't one of them. Definitely not a page-turner. However, it contains a good message with some examples about the importance about not being in denial about your true drives and nature, which is a good message for those living in the West- where the shadow is probably the largest and ugliest in the world.Another good book on the Shadow Self is one by that name written by Christine Breese. It's a lot more intimate, radical and delves into the metaphysical a bit deeper. If that's your cup of tea, it will definitely be more of an inspiring and intriguing read than this one.

Very touching movie with a lot of useful spiritual information and some clunkers. Like when Depock Chopra says the way to deal with darkness is to turn on the light. Sounds more like a bad pun than something I can actually use. I did like the graphic visualizations. For example, I child wearing a "stupid" t-shirt, puts on others over it named, "charming, optimistic to cover up the inadequate feelings.

What I found limiting is when Debbie explained how holocaust survivors could deal with their shadows and move on, she couldn't explain why some people with early trauma couldn't get over it. There's a simple reason, early trauma happens while our identities are being formed and thus there isn't even an "I" that can make sense of it, let alone know how to process it. I don't like comparing traumas. "My trauma was more traumatic than yours." This comparing IS the shadow at work.

What I liked most was testimonies of shadow workshop participants, including Debbie's own revelations. There was an incredible image of two women hugging. One had described her horrific experiences in the concentration camps. It was interesting to hear how she dissociated in order to survive. The woman, who hugged her, described how she finally came to speak what she had vowed never to say. She was born in 1955 in Germany. She was so ashamed of the Nazi behaviors that she nearly gave up all human contact. To see these two women hugging in joy cannot be put into words.

Debbie Ford

p.128 self-neglect is a pattern of behavior you must confront. You show up for others, but have no idea how to show up for yourself. Your dreams have been put on hold... you ask, "What kind of person would go after her dreams and not be there for other people?" The answer you hear is "A selfish person." ...religion...bad to be selfish...so you made what you believed to be the right decision- that you would never be that... with that internal commitment, people pleasing became your pattern.

Open your heart to the selfish part of you. Freedom is being able to choose whoever+ whatever we want to be at any moment in our life. If we have to act in a particular way to avoid being something we don't like, we're trapped. We've limited our freedom + robbed ourselves of wholeness. If we can't be lazy or angry, we can't be free when we are reclaiming these parts of our selves... for our own magnificence.

Jung said, "I'd rather be whole than good."

p.130 give up illusion of safety net (of repetitive self sabotaging behavior) for a moment and be willing to feel what's underneath... by becoming intimate with the cast of characters that make up our own internal drama... make peace... if we fail to acknowledge the opposing forces that give rise to these characters... we lose sight of amazing opportunity.

p.131 your job is to bring its complex characters out from the shadow, use their power + potency as sacred fuel to become who you were meant to be in this lifetime. If the villain inside you is angry... exactly what you need to fight against... get back on track to creating an amazing life.

p.106 when we break out of the trance and are no longer preoccupied with fitting in, with what other people think of us or what we think about ourselves, we can open up and take advantage of opportunities that might just pass us by when we are trapped inside our story line or behind the mask we wear (repetitive archetypal expressions).

Chopra

p.58 Wholeness is always a gain, never a loss.

p.67 you will feel safe when you discover that you have a core self. It is stable + permanent therefore it has nothing to fear from change. The unknown is necessary for change. When you make peace with that fact, the world will transform itself from a place of constant risk to the playground of the unexpected. Once you feel safe, you know that you have a right to be here.

p.71 choiceless awareness: don't make a choice, give up taking sides. Shift allegiance away from ego to what Universe wants.
The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self

Very disappointing. I felt like I was reading a new age interpretation of Christian guilt - we're all born sinners and there's nothing we can do to change it. Except that they tear us into two parts and explain our shadow as our evil twin - the source of of everything that's wrong with our lives.

I would have liked to read something nice about us as human beings, but I'll have to read another book to find that I guess.

The book itself is a must, as other reviewers have pointed out. The concept of your inner shadow, why we do and act like we do due to this shadow, and the discussion of good and bad is fascinating and insightful. I couldn't get enough the first time I listened to this book. Like most of Deepak Chopra's work though there's so much good content you have to go back and listen/read over and over to get it all.

Just a note though if you purchase the audiobook as I did through Audible, the recording is terrible. I have more than a handful of audiobooks by Deepak Chopra and all are in great quality, this one though sounds very poorly made and pauses in awkward places. But the content is so good, you forget about it after a while.

So disappointed!! The same thoughts are repeated again and again for hours leaving the reader's mind numb and about as far from enlightened as you can be. Lost all respect for Williamson when she goes on a mini rampage against Wayne Dyers philosophies. She came off like an arrogant B***** who wasn't anywhere near 'love.' I lost money buying this book and lost respect for people who I thought were insightful teachers. Sad!!!

This book featuring Debbie Ford, Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson evolved out of the movie The Shadow Effect: Illuminating the Hidden Power of Your True Self that recently brought the three of them together. While the movie serves as an introduction to the concepts of the shadow and how it limits us as human beings, The Shadow Effect book is a deep exploration of that which most of us have hidden and tried to contain within ourselves. Of the three authors, Ford contributes the most clarity and definition to what the shadow is and how it shows up in our lives. But all share equally valuable information and insightes from their unique perspectives, offering a depth of experience and wisdom on this most vital of topics. Reading this book is both challenging and enlightening. It can be depressing as we learn the truth of who we are, yet hopeful as we discover the power that the comes from healing and integrating the Shadow. This is a must read for anyone committed to supporting a shift in consciousness on the planet.

-- that is one of the profound lessons from this deeply felt and powerfully expressed documentary. The personal stories are so moving and inspiring, and contrast perfectly with the science and spiritual lessons provided by Debbie Ford and an impressive, diverse body of thought leaders. My husband, grown son and I watched the movie together, and we each experienced a full range of emotions: from disgust and "that's not me" to compassion and forgiveness, as we began to recognize that all energies reside within each of us. The message that we must either use our shadow or be used by it felt like a wake-up call that was both sobering and inspiring. We were especially moved toward the end of the movie, when the stories came together and we felt the exhiliaration of wholeness - and of all that is possible when we embrace our shadow and our light. There is so much gold in the movie that I will definitely watch it again and again. Do not miss it!

I just finished watching this story of inspiration and motivation (again!). It was truly an experience. It really was more than just a DVD, it was a tête-à-tête about life. The Shadow Effect is extraordinary and I absolutely loved it - and it gets better each and every time you watch it! This is a MUST see for everyone who is interested in understanding the Law of Attraction. If you have seen the Secret, and still need a deeper understanding, this is the film for you.

I know and I recommend often! I keep it in my personal library because of the wisdom it dispenses - it is easy to understand and apply. It will change your life as no other movie before. I have given away so many copies, and often to strangers.
One other film that I would rank right up here with the Shadow Effect is Wattles' The Science of Getting Rich, The Movie.

The Science of Getting Rich: The Movie - 2 Disk Set

One set of books that may seem simple to some, but to me were just as powerful and fulfilling, are the works of Horatio Alger, I have given away just as many of his books as I have shown friends the Shadow Effect. Here are a few you may like too!
Young Captain Jack: The Son of a Soldier
The Young Bank Messenger: A Classic Rags to Riches Story!
Slow and Sure: The Story of Paul Hoffman the Young Street-Merchant
Randy of the River: The Adventures of a Young Deckhand
Phil the Fiddler: A Classic Rags to Riches Story!

Enjoy! This is a great movie!

This is an extraordinary movie that brings into the Light something each of us has, whether we realize it or not, our Shadow. The movie is powerfully gripping as it gives prime examples of the Shadow in everything from our personal life to national news to the world.

When I became willing to look at my darker aspects, the parts of myself that I did not like, I discovered the gifts that were waiting for me - freeing me up to live more fully.

And, now as an Integrative Coach doing this type of work, I have seen the benefits in many people who have done the same. This movie is a first of its' kind. I highly recommend seeing it. It is truly a gift to yourself.

I've had the privilege of watching The Shadow Effect movie multiple times now. I'm continually and pleasantly surprised to find that each time I do, I hear new things, or pick up new subtleties to the ideas presented. The shadow, projection, masks, personas, forgiveness - all of these concepts have complexities and layers that are brought to light through repeated exposure. Don't watch it once and think that you `get it'. View it over and over, then discuss it with friends, join a class, get trained in shadow work, hire a shadow coach or do something to help put the information to use in your life. As a student of shadow work for several years, and I can share that through studying, and changing my behaviors based on what I've learned, my life and relationships have transformed in ways that gratify and amaze me. The Shadow Effect movie is a great introduction that informs and educates, but the real gift that keeps on giving is the application of the principles of shadow work in your life.

In The Shadow Effect: Special Interactive Edition, Debbie Ford has created a profound, heartfelt, and thought-provoking movie. Through compelling stories and interviews with an impressive cast of leaders in the field of human transformation, the film educates us about an essential element of our humanity - the Shadow. This stirring film offers us practical, accessible, and even fun exercises to access and work with its tremendous power in order to create the life of our dreams. Eloquent, entertaining, challenging, and insightful, The Shadow Effect: Special Interactive Edition invites us to explore all that we are, the shadow as well as the light, and to embrace and love the magical, complex, powerful, and ultimately beautiful creatures that we are. As a teacher and writer, and as a man, I consider this film and the subject it explores to be among the most important I've encountered. A must-see film for anyone committed to becoming the highest expression of themselves. ~ Tom McLaughlin, Jr., MA

Every time I think I am finally starting to understand myself and how my shadows effect me and my world, Debbie writes another book that opens whole new realities for me in my journey to wholeness and transformation. The Shadow Effect is that and more. Having both Deepak and Marianne speak about this critical topic for the world today about its affect on us individually and as a collective gives now meaning to Jung's concept of "whole". This is a must read and allows the reader to experience three of the worlds foremost transformational leaders speak about the most critical topic facing everyone in the world today. Make sure reading this book is at the top of your priority list of things to do. I am reading it again so I don't miss a thing and giving to everyone I love.