1. "The things we were trying not to face had to be faced." With Julianne Eanniello

*Please note that in the first few moments of this episode Julianne mentions the sudden death of a child. If you'd prefer not to listen to this section, skip to 01.15.

Julianne’s dark night began with a tragedy, and spiralled when a mystery illness took hold. She lost her job and her home, and had brain fog so bad there were times she couldn’t work out how to feed herself. Previously focused on a successful banking career, she found herself with no choice but to turn inward. She began to explore the perfectionism that masked her sense of never being good enough, and over a number of years things started to change. Eventually, she stopped fighting life, found a doctor who accurately diagnosed her condition, and slowly emerged from the dark night.

Amongst other things, we talk about getting sick and not getting better, despite desperately trying to fix ourselves; the interplay of illness and trauma; and the big lies of enlightenment and spiritual perfection. We also touch on the subtleties involved in actually being present with ourselves; getting addicted to self-inquiry in order to get through the pain; and the relief of falling back into ourselves. As serious as all this sounds, we also laugh a lot, and both get a bit tearful when I ask what she’d like to say to people who are currently in the dark night.

Julianne Eanniello is a somatic inquiry facilitator, TRE® Provider and Certified Reflexologist. Having navigated her own dark night of the soul, Julianne brings deep empathy and insight to her work, guiding individuals on their journey toward holistic wellness. Her integrative approach addresses physical, emotional, and energetic imbalances, creating space for profound healing and transformation. Through her compassionate presence and skilled practices, Julianne empowers clients to reconnect with their innate capacity for balance, resilience, and wholeness.

Connect with Julianne

Fiona Robertson is the author of The Dark Night of the Soul: A Journey from Absence to Presence, and Eve Was a Realist: Poems for the Untamed Heart. She works one to one with people who are going through a dark night or spiritual emergency, accompanying them in this challenging terrain as they rediscover and deepen into their real selves. She also offers a monthly dark night gathering group, and occasional workshops and a reflective space for therapists and counsellors.

Connect with Fiona

Mentions

Julianne mentions the Enneagram of Personality: for an overview, see the Enneagram Institute.

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You’re welcome to contact The Dark Night of the Soul Unwrapped via email: darknightunwrapped@gmail.com

Music by James Waring / Design by Adam McKillop / Artwork by Stefan Armoneit.