As forms of energy, the disowned parts of us exert considerable influence. Shame-based people tend to be exhausted a lot of the time. They spend a lot of energy holding on to their false-self masks and hiding their disowned parts. I have compared it to holding a beach ball under water. Virginia Satir compares it to keeping guard over hungry dogs locked in the basement. The repressed parts exert lots of pressure by forcing us to keep their opposites going.
