A NEW WAY TO UNLEASH
THE POWER WITHIN
THE POWER WITHIN
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I am a practicing clinical and Jungian psychologist who specialises in helping people to ‘tap into’ their unconscious through stories and images. It is part of a teaching and counselling method I have developed over the past fourteen years called Story Image Therapy (SIT) and it’s practical application: SIT Shadow Work™. Every day, I do regular teaching and counselling in schools, medical centres, private organisations, businesses etc. What I love the most, though, is helping people to REALLY know and understand themselves better on an unconscious level. Uncovering the cause and effects of deep seated issues, understanding the responses in our daily life that we were not consciously aware of… for me, it’s like panning for gold. When you find a ‘nugget’ of truth or explanation, it really does feel like you’ve struck gold. It’s the most rewarding thing you can do, and I believe, the most important.
At what age did you realize your fascination with books? When did you start writing?
I know I’ve always been a writer because I have a diary that I started writing in when I was just nine years old… and I never really stopped. I’ve also always had a fascination with storytelling, I think, due to my father’s narratives as a child. He would tell me a story (about life, work or some other lesson) and then we’d discuss it. These vivid stories always contained a moral or message that I could relate to. He’d also read me stories as a child too, or we’d listen to audiobooks containing stories like The Hobbit. This was during a time when audiobooks weren’t really popular – certainly not like they are today. I loved the stories and particularly the bonding that happened between us due to the stories and accompanying images. It really is the best way to learn about life, ourselves, and the other person.
Who are your favorite authors to read? What is your favorite genre to read. Who Inspires you in your writings?
JRR Tolkein of course was one of my early favourites, Enid Blyton too, as well as more contemporary works. What I really love reading though is ancient quotes, like from the Stoic and Taoist philosophers as well as Dr Carl Jung’s quotes, and then thinking about how they can be applied to every day life. It’s deep, but old metaphors can easily be remembered, yet their effects can last a lifetime.
Tell us a little about your latest book?
The Rise of Jung in Me resulted from journalling during my own Story Image Therapy healing journey. Ironically, I’d been creating SIT as a form of therapy, and using it to heal others’ deep-seated issues for years, but I’d never really thought about using it on myself. That is, until my unconscious adolescent feelings of powerless, rejection and abandonment (we call them complexes in a person’s shadow in Jungian psychology) became triggered – first in my job at age 38, and then ten years later in my private life. I couldn’t ignore these old familiar feelings any more, and found I HAD to work on them. Healing my own adolescent shadow, (that’s issues in my unconscious that I’d suppressed since my teen years) and the subsequent creation of SIT Shadow Work™ to help others heal their inner ‘wounded adolescent’, regardless of age, is what the book is about. I also include six case studies of how I’ve used a combination of ancient and modern Science, Spirit and Story to help six amazing young people whose lives were transformed through SIT Shadow Work™.
About The Rise of Jung in Me:
The Rise of Jung in Me: A Transformational Journey
For over a decade, Dr Toula Gordillo grappled with a haunting question: “How can we help youth with their issues if we haven’t resolved our own?”
Managing only the most complex cases among six thousand students, and as a parent of three (then) teenagers, she witnessed profound suffering experienced by young people. This exposure triggered her own deeply buried issues of powerlessness, rejection and abandonment from her teenage years.
Finding modern cognitive methods inadequate for healing these deep-seated traumas, she became inspired by Dr Carl Jung’s concept of the ‘shadow self’. As a result of her research, she discovered that a holistic approach, based on ancestral wisdom, was necessary. Her quest to find the best healing practices for youth had evolved into a personal exploration of her adolescent shadow self.
Dr Toula began journaling in an attempt to put ‘the pieces of the puzzle’ together. What she now calls “the rise of Jung in me”, detailed in her scribbled notes, was later transformed into her recently-published second book with the same title. Here, she details the evolution of Story Image Therapy (SIT®) and its psychospiritual and philosophical adjunct, SIT Shadow Work™. This innovative method, grounded in Jungian psychology and Stoic/Taoist philosophy, has positively influenced the lives of thousands of youth and their adult caregivers across Australia, New Zealand, and India.
The Rise of Jung in Me unveils Dr Toula’s new, holistic teaching and counselling method that integrates the voices of young people and our own inner youth. Divided into three sections, the book details her Jungian action research method, addressing themes like:
• Carl Jung’s shadow self
• The wounded inner child/adolescent
• The power of youth voice
• The value of lived experience for healing
Through compelling storytelling and evocative black-and-white images, Dr Toula illustrates how she applied Jung’s teachings to heal her wounds and those of others. This true hero’s/heroine’s journey story features the latest research on youth psychology, philosophy, and spirituality. It also includes six transformative case studies of young people, and their adult carers, who benefited from Story Image Therapy’s practical application: SIT Shadow Work™.
Join Dr Toula on her extraordinary journey of self-discovery and learn how her innovative methods can bring healing and resilience to the next generation, their parents, caregivers, and ultimately, to you.
