<p>This article proposes an integrative theoretical model in which the optical shadow is conceptualized not as equivalent to the Jungian shadow, but as an embodied perceptual phenomenon. Under specific therapeutic conditions, it is proposed to function as a structured perceptual interface through which aspects of experience not fully accessible to conscious awareness may become observable. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature from ecopsychology, embodied cognition, environmental psychology, somatic psychotherapy, and mindfulness research, the article reframes the shadow as a dynamic perceptual extension emerging through the interaction of body, movement, light, and natural environment. Within this framework, shadow perception is proposed to operate through a two-stage mechanism: first, as a perceptual anchor that may stabilize attention and embodied awareness; and second, under certain conditions, as a medium through which discrepancies between intended and observed movement, non-volitional bodily expressions, or experiences of self-alterity may become available for therapeutic observation and processing. Situated within an ecopsychological perspective, the model conceptualizes the natural environment not merely as a therapeutic setting but as an active relational field shaping perceptual and regulatory processes. The article differentiates between claims grounded in existing empirical literature and novel theoretical propositions, and outlines testable relationships, clinical implications, and directions for future empirical investigation.</p>