Dating as Shadow Work:

Turning Emotional Triggers into Pathways of Growth

with Marie Thouin, PhD

a live and recorded online class from Wicked Grounds

9/10 6pm Pacific

Dating has a way of bringing uncomfortable feelings to the surface—fast. Few other arenas of life expose our tender spots like romance does. One moment, we are flying high and find ourselves pedestalizing hot strangers; the next, we’re swimming in insecurity, shame, devastation, or hopelessness.

Our shadow self represents the parts of us that we hide from our own sight—patterns and traits we would prefer not to feel, identify with, or be viewed as by others. However, what we resist persists: when repressed, our shadow often controls our lives from the sidelines, keeping authentic love and connection at arm’s length.

Integrating the shadow is about reclaiming disowned parts of ourselves in order to gain awareness, wholeness, and personal agency. In this class, we’ll explore dating as a spiritual and psychological practice—a living lab for shadow integration. Through guided reflection, dialogue, and practical tools, we’ll look at the emotions we most want to avoid: embarrassment, humiliation, abandonment, disappointment, shame, insecurity, grandiosity, and more. We will learn how to work with them skillfully. Rather than chasing validation or avoiding pain, we’ll reframe dating as a path of self-inquiry, expansion, and authenticity. With this framework, every experience, even “bad dates,” becomes material for growth, self-reclamation, and emotional liberation.

By shifting from a win/lose mindset to one of curiosity and evolution, participants will learn how to date from a place of truth in relationships—not from the shadow’s behind-the-scenes manipulation.

You’ll learn how to:

• Recognize and name shadow emotions and patterns that surface in your dating experiences
• Transform emotional triggers into insights for integration and healing
• Reclaim your psycho-emotional space from rejection loops and idealization
• Approach dating as a sacred practice of awareness, embodiment, and authenticity
• Date others from a place of wholeness and authenticity, paving the path to better relationships

Format:

Embodied meditation + interactive talk + guided reflection exercises + group dialogue

Who it’s for:

This class is for anyone who senses that dating can be more than just a search for “the one” and that it can be a profound mirror and teacher.

It’s especially for:

• Intellectually and spiritually curious humans who love psychological depth and meaning-making
• Relationship geeks and emotional explorers who want to understand their own patterns more deeply
• Queer, non-monogamous, kinky, or otherwise non-traditional daters seeking a growth-oriented framework that honors their complexity
• Free spirits who want to love and connect authentically, without giving away their power
• Anyone tired of repetitive loops who’s ready to use dating as a site of awakening rather than reenactment

No matter your gender, orientation, or relational style, this space invites honesty, courage, and curiosity about what dating stirs within you, and how every emotional trigger can become a doorway to greater freedom.

PRESENTER:

Marie Thouin, PhD is a Dating & Relationship Coach who supports and guides people of all backgrounds and relational orientations to create intentional and vibrant love lives. She is the author of "What is Compersion? Understanding Positive Empathy in Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships," the first-ever comprehensive scholarly book on compersion. She has been featured in several publications and podcasts, including ELLE, the Savage Lovecast, The Times of London, and HuffPost. Marie has also published seminal research studies, the first encyclopedia entry on compersion, and is the creator of www.WhatIsCompersion.com, a popular website that features her research, blogs, and resources on the topic of compersion. Find out more at MarieThouin.com or on Instagram at @drmariethouin.

ACCESS:

This will be a live, recorded online class offered through Zoom. To participate, you may need to download the free, basic version of the Zoom app before the class! This class will be recorded and distributed to those who registered.

Zoom now provides closed captioning, which will be available for this event.