Shadow Work Therapy & Integration | Kingston, NY & Nearby Areas
Shadow Work Therapy & Integration
For those ready to stop performing healing and start becoming whole. Body-based, depth-oriented support for integrating the parts of you you were taught to hide.
What is shadow work therapy?
Shadow work isn’t about fixing yourself. It’s about reclaiming what was never wrong.
If you’re here, you’ve likely done the insight, the reflection, the self-awareness. You understand why you feel the way you do, and yet the same patterns keep showing up. The same reactions, the same relationship dynamics, the same inner critic.
Shadow work therapy invites you into a different kind of change: not by analyzing yourself harder, but by meeting what’s been pushed away with presence, safety, and respect.
This work focuses on integration rather than self-improvement, creating enough internal safety for disowned parts of you to emerge and be met, rather than managed or overridden.
Most common signs you might benefit from shadow work therapy
Many people come to shadow work feeling frustrated, not broken.
You might recognize yourself here:
- You keep repeating patterns you understand but can’t seem to shift
- You feel reactive, numb, or overwhelmed in specific situations
- Parts of you feel unacceptable, dangerous, or “too much”
- Your inner critic feels relentless, no matter how much work you’ve done
- You sense there’s more of you waiting to be lived, but you don’t know how to access it
These aren’t personal failures. They’re signs that
important parts of you learned they weren’t welcome, and went into hiding to keep you safe.
How do I know if I am ready for shadow work therapy?
You’re ready if insight alone isn’t creating the change you want.
You may already understand your patterns intellectually, but feel disconnected from them emotionally or somatically. You might notice that your reactions feel bigger than the present moment, or that certain situations consistently activate shame, fear, or self-attack.
Readiness for shadow work doesn’t mean feeling brave or prepared. It means having a willingness to slow down, notice what’s happening inside you, and meet it with curiosity rather than judgment.
Shadow work therapy specialists in Kingston, NY and nearby areas
Hi, I’m Cris Maria Fort Garcés.
A licensed psychotherapist and somatic practitioner with nearly two decades of experience supporting people through identity shifts, burnout, and deep inner transformation.
My work is grounded in Gestalt therapy, somatic psychotherapy, and spiritually attuned practices that honor both psychological safety and symbolic depth. As a first-generation Latinx person, I understand what it means to carry multiple worlds inside one body, and how much of ourselves we learn to hide in order to belong.
I don’t approach shadow work as something to conquer. I approach it as a
relationship, one built on curiosity, consent, and compassion.
What topics can we explore in shadow work therapy?
Shadow work therapy can support exploration of:
- Repeating emotional or relational patterns
- Shame, self-criticism, and internal conflict
- Identity shifts and unexpressed parts of self
- Boundaries, anger, grief, and unmet needs
- Anxiety, emotional overwhelm, or shutdown
- The parts of you that learned to hide in order to belong
Rather than fixing symptoms, we work with the underlying parts and patterns that shape how those symptoms show up.
How we approach shadow work therapy in Kingston, NY and nearby areas
My approach to shadow work is somatic, relational, and deeply respectful.
We don’t chase memories or provoke catharsis. We track what’s happening now, in your body, your emotions, and our interaction, because that’s where shadow patterns live and change.
Sessions may include:
- Somatic tracking of sensations, impulses, and emotional shifts
- Working with inner parts and protective strategies
- Gentle exploration of triggers and relational patterns
- Symbolic, imaginal, or creative processes when helpful
- Integration practices so insights actually land in your daily life
Everything moves at the pace of your nervous system. Nothing is forced. Nothing is bypassed.
Tips and resources for getting the most out of your shadow work therapy sessions
- Move at the pace of your nervous system, not your expectations
- Notice bodily sensations alongside thoughts and emotions
- Allow curiosity to replace self-judgment
- Remember that resistance is information, not failure
- Integration happens over time, not all at once
Shadow work unfolds through presence and patience, not pressure.
SERVICES:
TWO PORTALS, ONE PATH TO WHOLENESS
Deep Healing for Your Body, Spirit, and Story.
Creative Now Therapy & beyond offers two powerful pathways into this work, grounded in ritual, transformative tools, and methodologies designed to meet you wherever you are in your evolution.
Somatic Psychotherapy
Somatic, depth-oriented, and spiritually grounded therapy for sensitive souls, spiritual professionals, and space-holders in New York State. When your nervous system and spirit are asking for integration, not just more coping.
Energy Coaching: The Remembering
A sacred space for spiritual integration, combining ritual, energy work, and sacred tools to support deep transformation beyond talk therapy. For women, queer, & LatinX folks worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How to use shadow work therapy for healing?
Shadow work therapy supports healing by helping you meet disowned or hidden parts of yourself with awareness and safety. Rather than trying to eliminate these parts, the work focuses on understanding their role and integrating them so they no longer need to act out through anxiety, self-sabotage, or emotional overwhelm.
Is shadow work therapy safe to do on your own?
Some reflective practices can be helpful, but deeper shadow work is often best done with support. Working with a trained therapist helps ensure the process is paced, regulated, and integrated, especially when old wounds, trauma, or intense emotions arise.
Can shadow work therapy help with anxiety or depression?
Yes. While shadow work therapy doesn’t treat symptoms in a checklist-driven way, it often helps reduce anxiety and depressive patterns by addressing the underlying internal conflicts, shame, and suppressed emotional material that fuel them.
What are common shadow work therapy exercises for beginners?
In therapy, exercises may include somatic awareness, parts dialogue, tracking emotional responses in real time, or symbolic exploration. Rather than rigid techniques, the work is responsive to what’s emerging in your body and nervous system.
How long does it take to see results from shadow work therapy?
Some people notice shifts in awareness or self-compassion early on, while deeper integration unfolds over time. The pace depends on your history, nervous system capacity, and the depth of material being explored. This work values sustainable change over quick fixes.
Ready to turn your transit into transformation?
Shadow work isn’t about rushing toward change.
It’s about creating the conditions where change can happen naturally.
A free consultation is a low-pressure space to explore what’s showing up for you and whether this work feels like a fit.