New edition of Journal of Holistic Healthcare: Shadow Work

The latest issue of the Journal of Holistic Healthcare is now out, dedicated entirely to the theme of Shadow Work. In this volume, Louise Younie writes about The Shadow Side of Flourishing, exploring what it means to name, engage with, and give voice to the parts of ourselves and our lives that are often difficult to face, yet essential to the journey of flourishing.

As Louise explains, flourishing is not simply about happiness, but about wholeness: bringing all aspects of our experience into meaningful and purposeful engagement. Her reflections invite us to consider how embracing our struggles and shadow aspects can deepen both personal growth and collective wellbeing.

This issue also features pieces of creative enquiry from medical students and highlights the importance of the student voice in the field.

An excerpt follows from Yael Berenblut, a first year medical student, reflecting on the tension between aspiration and reality:

“Before embarking on my degree, I could not distinguish what 2025 would truly look like for me and the financial challenges I would have to overcome. In the painting, the lines I can read spell out the phrase ‘Work to study to study to work...’. This was the ideal I visualised: I would work to earn my degree to become a doctor. Out of my visual acuity range, and in the metaphorical sense, beyond my own foresight, were the lines below the 20/25 label. These complete the phrase ‘...but I am working to study to work’. This is the jarring reality: I wish I could study deeply for my degree, but the time I spend working to afford it has ironically made that feel elusive.”

Read the full reflection and see the associated piece of work here.