Anxiety After Family Crisis

Mary came to me soon after a painful family crisis, that had revealed a wrongdoing that had lasted for years, and had led to her divorce, and tension between her and other family members. She complained to me about a continuous state of anxiety which she felt in her belly and chest, a cold, tight pressure that was constantly there since the family crisis emerged. 

Part of the work with Mary was an elegant and effective Shadow Integration exercise developed by Ken Wilber and the people at the Integral Institute. During this exercise, Mary faced the wrongdoer, talked to him, and became him. It was a challenging process for her to put herself in the shoes of the wrongdoer, but once she had accomplished that, the anxiety subsided, and last time I heard from Mary, it hadn’t returned.