Trump as our Collective Shadow

Trump represents our collective shadow - the part of us that we’ve hidden away from our own scrutiny. The shadow holds our deep, scary, shameful truths that threaten our ego. Like other historical shadow figures such as Hitler, Stalin or even the Devil, Trump reveals to us the darker aspects of our collective psyche that we’ve repressed away from our awareness for some time. Trump provokes negative emotions in many of us and it's easy to see why. The problem is that we can't fight hate with hate. We can only defuse hate with love. The same principle applies to our shadow. We can only repress and condemn away our shadow for so long before our defence mechanisms start to slip away under the mounting stress. Rather, we must bravely face our shadow and see it as a natural part of ourselves. We must not displace it to “them” or “others”, nor project it all on to a famous villain such as Donald Trump. It is a side that exists in all of us in some form, and it triggers us most when it is unconscious and unhealed. Gone unexamined, this repressed side can greatly influence our behaviours as they are acted out without our awareness. However, once we uncover and learn to love even these seemingly unlovable pieces of ourselves, they no longer affect us in the same way. 

So if you find yourself especially triggered by Trump, then ask yourself this: ‘what about him specifically bothers me?’ Then look for that despised trait within yourself. You might be wondering ‘why on earth would I want to do that?’ The answer is because it’s there, whether we acknowledge it or not. Even when we look away, the shadow is still there, playing havoc in our lives from its secret hiding place in the unconscious. If we hate Trump with the same intensity that he hates his opponents, then are we any different from him? The content is different but the process is the same. Intolerance is intolerance even if it’s intolerance of hate. Instead, what if we loved the hate by transmuting our judgments into empathy and understanding? Then the hatred no longer has a grip on us. There is nothing left to resist when we accept all as a part of life and as a part of our human experience. Shine a light onto the shadow and bring the unconscious into the conscious. Acceptance will lead to love because love is our natural default state. 

There can be no light without dark. Everything has its counterpart. The great psychological work of our human lives is to integrate this duality within our psyche. Taking a broader view, it is also our collective duty now to reconcile the extremes of the current political climate into a cohesive, coherent narrative that is inclusive of all. And it is through love that we accomplish this important task. It’s the simplest thing in the world but certainly not the easiest. Nonetheless, we can all make a difference. When we heal our own wounds, we are contributing to healing the collective since everything is connected.

React with love - always and especially towards the most hateful parts of yourself and others. Even when you don’t, forgive yourself and react to that with love. Then watch the anger, resentment, disgust, shame, fear, guilt, disappointment, regret, jealousy and greed all melt away. 

Thank you Trump. We see you and we see us.