We were shocked to hear of the death on February 17, 2013, of Debbie Ford, whose ground-breaking books brought the concept of the human shadow for the first time to many millions of people not previously familiar with the work of Carl G. Jung.
“Debbie Ford was a New York Times Best-Selling author and a powerful speaker who often shared the challenges she faced in accepting her own shadows. Her best-known book was The Dark Side of the Light Chasers (1998), which explained how necessary it is that we look at our own shadows. She was a spitfire, I heard her really challenging people to own their stuff. I am very sad for her death.” — Sally Bartolameolli, Shadow Work® facilitator and coach, Houston, Texas
Debbie Ford’s work was featured most famously on Oprah Winfrey’s show and through the author’s collaboration with Deepak Chopra. Since she became well known, Shadow Work® practitioners have heard her name mentioned by clients and workshop attenders as their first experience of “shadow work.”
Although Debbie Ford’s techniques differed significantly from the Shadow Work® we do, she popularized the core concepts in a way no one had done before. There is no question that many people have come to Shadow Work® after reading her books, seeing her programs on television or DVD or experiencing her Shadow Process workshops.
“I liked both the books I read. I found her idea interesting of watching people on the street and thinking, ‘I am also this person.’ It seems that many people do read her books, as they call me and ask if we do the same thing. And my answer is, No, not exactly, and then I explain how we work with the shadow. Some people decide then to come to us, so it is good for us that Debbie Ford’s books are on the market because people get to know the term ‘shadow work.'” — Marie-Françoise Rosat, Shadow Work® facilitator and coach, Munich, Germany
Debbie Ford was 57 years old and died from a rare form of sarcoma at her home in San Diego.
This article originally appeared in our free email newsletter in February 2013. To subscribe, visit our subscription page.
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