Why We Repeat Patterns We Know Are Hurting Us: Shadow Journaling, Self-Acceptance and the Reveal, Reclaim, Rewrite Method with Oliver Mann

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Why doesn't self-awareness lead to change? Shadow journaling coach Oliver Mann, author of Shadow Journaling: A Field Guide to Personal Alchemy, explains why self-acceptance is the missing step between knowing your patterns and changing them.

In his third conversation on Stories and Stanza, Oliver makes an uncomfortable point: awareness is only the first step, and on its own it can keep us more stuck than before. He and Abhra explore the hidden benefit in the patterns we say we want to lose, the difference between a contradiction and a paradox, and how every person we meet can act as a mirror.

In this episode:
- Why change is hard even when we know the root cause
- Victimhood, ego and the self-development trap
- Why acceptance isn't the same as liking it
- The Reveal, Reclaim, Rewrite process from Oliver's new book
- Exploring the emotions we're least comfortable with, including joy
- Why journaling doesn't have to be perfect, and why it's a non-performative act of rebellion

Oliver also reads a passage from the book on the courage it takes to say "yes, I am also that."

About Oliver Mann: Oliver is a journaling mentor and teacher with a passion for Shadow Journaling, co-founder of the Barcelona Journaling Festival, a council member of the International Association of Journal Writers, and a certified JTTS instructor.

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Part of the Fail With Me series on resilience, emotional intelligence and personal growth.

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