blind spot, noun 1 a: the small circular area at the back of the retina where the optic nerve enters the eyeball and which is devoid of rods and cones and is not sensitive to light b : a portion of a field that cannot be seen or inspected with available equipment 2 : an area in which one fails to exercise judgment or discrimination
A blind spot to our own issues is akin to our shadow side. If we can’t see it, it can direct our life, and we won’t know why. Like the famous quote by Carl Jung, “until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”
Have you tried seeing what your blind spot is? Why can we so clearly see our family and friends, what theirs are, but not our own?
The only way I’ve ever glimpsed mine is via feedback from a partner, a friend, or a therapist. My therapist gives the most unflinching view of it, but is also trained to handle my reaction, if my reaction is defended. I used to be incredibly defended to all perceived negative criticism, but that was childhood baggage which I’ve worked hard to reframe (a continuing work in progress). Seeing that baggage differently, has allowed me to be more open to seeing my whole self, shadow side included.
Also from my childhood, I have an authority issue (which is useful discerning rising authoritarian governments, too), so I’ll never take that kind of information in as The Word without making sure it’s accurate, while being open enough to the idea to look at it. Doing so walks hand-in-hand on a balance beam of ideas about who one thinks one is versus the full reality.
Did you ever watch the Larry David show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”? I recall watching it at first, thinking what a colossal jackass Larry was while judging him for it, too, then slowly realizing “we” are all that jackass. Mind blown. We’re all capable of that kind of less than stellar behavior, but ignoring it in ourselves, especially if it doesn’t fit with our own self-image of who we are.
What feeds our own blind spots? Oh, probably just all of the things we do not want to look at in light, that we’re too scared to see about ourself.
But, looking and seeing allows shifts in who we are, growth to a new way of being, to new possibilities for our life, while keeping ourselves in the dark gets more of the same: same-old, same-old.
I’m a hypnotist and a certified coach. If you’d like my help to advance in a part of your life, the first step is to have a 45 minute consult call to talk about what you want to change and to see if we are a good fit, too.
https://calendly.com/allison_evans/consult-call