Embrace of the Daimon: Healing through the Subtle Energy Body/ Jungian Psychology & the Dark Feminine

Most of us want to be good and hold ourselves in that light. However, disturbing images can arise in the minds of even the very best people. When this happens, it can feel overwhelming, shocking, even terrifying. Sandra Lee Dennis's 8 years of research into this phenomena reveals insights from the leading psychologists, philosophers, and religions known today, as well as from her own experiences and those of her clients. These insights transform concepts of good and bad into opportunities, advantageous tools and understanding. For the many who are experiencing their most deeply buried wounds and disturbing emotions arising to the surface and need to find the tools and understanding to work skillfully with them, this is a must read.

Reading about these struggles with the imaginal shadow inspired me to lean more into my body and subtle body experiences. Striving to integrate in both mind and body the vessels that contain the imagery and sensations of our shadow life is crucial. I liked the way the author used her life to explore larger theoretical issues.

Visual artists and literary artists, and in fact the artist in everyone can benefit from this book as it looks into working from an internal place rather than the external. With references to Jung and Hillman and the forward by Thomas Moore, I naturally enjoyed the book. It was right up my alley.

Really must be in the field of Jungian Psychology to enjoy this book....what a gift that she gave it out for free thank-you so very much

Great piece of psychological work!i would recommend this to anyone wanting depth perspective on inner work. The daimon is our greatest source of energy, and our most dangerous adventure when ignored.Give value to understanding your daimon and read this work.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Embrace of the Daimon is an intensely good read for Jungian fellow travelers. If you practice some form of active imagination you will find this book inspiring.

Not only did I find the concepts intriguing, I was able to relate to them. Unfortunately, the book reads so much like a dry textbook, that it felt like a chore to read. The author has a lot of great things to say. If you don't mind this type of writing style, I'm sure you'll enjoy this book.

In "Embrace of the Daimon" Sandra Lee Dennis joins scholarship with personal storytelling to examine the integration of Soul with the body/mind. As an account of her own experience, there is much here to inform anyone who might venture onto a similar path. And as an astute study of the winding road of psychic transformation, the author fully explores topics readers would expect in a discussion of depth psychology: alchemy, the imaginal realm, the soul, the subtle body, and more. Unlike many such books, this one addresses itself to the layman as well as the professional, so that anyone with some background in archetypal psychology should be able to follow along.Dennis builds upon Carl Jung's prior work on the individuation process, that is, the process by which a person becomes fully herself, liberated from the conventional mindset built up by social constraint, ingrained habits, and personal fears. For Jung, the first step in this work was the union of the conscious mind with the unconscious parts of the personality, both dark and light. And although he described two further steps, he did not develop them. Dennis' book breaks new ground in that it describes the second step, which involves the union of the individuated spirit/soul with the body.This step is not for the faint of heart, as Dennis' personal story makes clear. This union is more like a rape than a happy wedding. There are two reasons for this. First, the structure of one's felt sense of body/mind must be dismantled so that a new structure can be built; to imagine this, think of inhabiting a house while it is being demolished and rebuilt. Second, this is also about "making room for the reemergence of nature's engulfing darkness as an active player in the psyche." Nature's darkness and the forces of instinct are, in our culture, seen as demonic rather than as sources of creative energy. Thus we are trained to fear and resist them. As new and unsettling content works its way into every nook and cranny of our being, physical symptoms and disruptive imagery are liable to manifest, sometimes with great force.Why should anyone want to go through this? Most people don't, I believe. And I would guess that most who do go through it are carried along by some larger current that they can't name. However, through this work a new consciousness emerges--one that can hold the tension of the opposites, one that can yoke spirit and matter, one that is ready for the third step described by Jung, which is the union of the new consciousness with the outer world, i.e., "enlightenment."As described by Dennis, the journey through the second phase closely resembles the crisis stage in shamanic initiation, which is also often accompanied by physical symptoms, visions, and temporary madness. In both cases, the journey resolves (hopefully) with the birth of a consciousness able to span many levels, from primal instinct to spirit. Thus Dennis' writing and experience is grounded in ancient tradition as well as in modern depth psychology. Her special gift is to provide a contemporary map of transformation in which the body is as important as the mind, a notion that has long been neglected in the modern West. Her book is a major contribution to ending Western mind-body dualism, as well as to furthering our understanding of how we grow.

An interesting perspective which reminds us of the shadow side and how to face it and work through it. Intriguing

I could not put Embrace of the Daimon down, and will read it again soon. Intelligent, accessible and wise, the book offers a fresh way to approach the strange contents that arise from the unconscious when given an opportunity: be with the images and allow them to work on you. Sandra Dennis’ description and rationale for her process is useful to me, both personally and clinically. Her writing brings together the head and the heart. A valuable contribution to the theoretical and practical psychology of the unconscious.