Playing In The Dark: Reclaiming Our Shadow Through Connection And Eros
We warmly invite you to join us in the Berkeley Hills for a playful, erotic and deep weekend of self-discovery. Together, we will alchemize the shame that has us playing small and develop the sense of self-trust and confidence that comes with getting to know all parts of ourselves.
What happens if we dare to embrace the shadow parts of us that we’ve been taught to reject, deny, and shame? Have you ever noticed how make-up sex is often so hot precisely because the feelings we normally resist are finally surfacing? When we give ourselves permission to play with supposedly “bad” feelings such as anger, jealousy, humiliation, domination, fear, or neediness, we can discover how to enjoy the arousal within them.
Our workshop offers a loving container to tap the erotic vitality of the parts of us that we’ve obscured or shut down. This is an invitation to use the pleasure of play and eros to bring our shadow parts out of exile and back into consciousness and connection.
Shadow play is not about fixing anyone, but it is profoundly transformative. We get to end the struggle against ourselves and relax into the vast natural wholeness that we are.
Exploring our shadows can be both exciting and scary. This retreat will support you to discover the safety that you need to really attune to yourself and others. Your choices will be honored and you won’t be pushed to do anything you’re not ready for.
What’s possible:
- Transform relational friction into juicy sex.
- Alchemize the shame that has you playing small.
- Release the fear, anxiety, and confusion that comes from avoiding your own shadows.
- Develop the sense of self-trust and confidence that comes with getting to know all parts of yourself.
- Access a wider range of the possibilities within you.
- Express and unleash the censored parts of you.
- Learn a new playful modality to get free and clear in the places you feel stuck and uncertain.
- Reconnect with deep sources of vitality and arousal that have been shut down.
- Take pleasure in the erotic heat of jealousy.
- Savor forbidden feelings of control, domination, and power.
- Discover the turn-on in humiliation and shyness.
- Deepen intimacy with yourself and others.
What to expect:
- A container that offers love and witnessing to all parts of you
- The development of a field saturated with love and presence
- Opportunities for structured embodied play and exploration by yourself, with partners, and in groups
- Support in identifying and playfully embodying the energy, movement, and words of your shadow parts
- Ongoing invitation to honor your desires, choices, and boundaries throughout the retreat
- An eros friendly space and opportunities for touch
The Container: - Taught by Adam Chacksfield
- Assisted by Veronica Funess and River Black
- Date: Saturday Aug 3rd and Sunday Aug 4th
- Time: 10:30am-6pm each day
- Venue: Forest Love, a beautiful light-filled home in the Berkeley Hills (exact address will be sent to attendees)
- Please bring: lunch, water bottle, chair/cushion/backjack/blanket or whatever you need to be comfortable, journal, comfy clothes, could be hot so bring layers
Adam Chacksfield:
Adam is devoted to empowering people to live inside consciousness, love, and desire rather than shame and fear. He leads transformative retreats and workshops in North America and Europe, and coaches individuals and couples. Adam facilitates with embodied authenticity, love, and clarity. His teaching has been deeply informed by his work with the Light Dark Institute, The Somatica Institute, and Jeannie Zandi. http://www.adamchacksfield.com/
