Using Shadow Work to Mature Our Defenses

Mark Pirtle

December 1, 2025

Discover the evolving nature of defense mechanisms and their impact on personal growth. Explore the developmental changes in lying and regression as coping strategies, and learn how transitioning to healthier defenses fosters emotional maturity and fulfilling relationships.

The Rescuer's Reckoning

A coaching client who's spent her life giving to others has never learned how to prioritize herself. Shadow work is helping her uncover why saying no feels like abandonment.

Dec 17, 2025Read More →

Stress Resilience

Events That Change Us

After the collapse of his business and a divorce, Dr. Mark Pirtle found healing through extended retreats—first at a Tibetan Buddhist monastery, then through plant medicine.

Dec 17, 2025Read More →

Stress Resilience

Name It to Tame It: Using Third‑Person Self‑Talk to Build Self‑Compassion

Talking to yourself in the third person creates instant distance from swirling emotions. Mark shares how "Name It to Tame It" carried him through a rough divorce.

Dec 17, 2025Read More →

Using Shadow Work to Mature Our Defenses

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The Rescuer's Reckoning

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