Shadow work is often both therapy and more spiritual, helping you see the different parts of yourself. Shadow work is, at heart, about developing self-awareness and ultimately, self-acceptance and compassion. Your shadow isn’t a flaw or a mistake - instead, it’s a natural part of who you are. However, consider seeking out a licensed therapist for treatment, especially if you struggle with severe trauma. This can include trauma or parts of your personality that you subconsciously consider undesirable.Īnyone can do shadow work on their own. Working with your unconscious mind to uncover the parts of yourself that you repress and hide from yourself. As a result, you can seek to judge or punish others who reflect those traits. Projection happens when you see things in others that you subconsciously recognize within yourself. When you reject your shadow, you may also start projecting onto others. Struggling to have healthy relationships with others.When you ignore it, your shadow will find ways to make you aware that it exists. Even if it was less dramatic, we don’t feel mentally and emotionally at our best when our shadow is not integrated into ourselves, which is to say - when the shadow and self are far apart. This is because it was ignored and possibly shamed throughout your life.

This part of yourself craves to be understood and explored. Your shadow side can have a negative impact on your well-being when you ignore or reject it. Often, these rejected parts of ourselves are the result of childhood experiences. We usually hear this come up as negative self-talk. What makes up your shadow depends on what you subconsciously reject within yourself. Anything that threatens the way you present yourself to the world (that is, brings your shadow self into the light) will be seen as a threat to your identity - and ultimately, your safety. It was the part of you that was emotionally invested in not being a chatterbox. Why? It wasn’t the comment, the presentation, or even whether or not there were too many words on the slide. Believing that you “talk too much,” you start retreating within, weighing every conversation to see if you “did it again.” One day, someone makes an innocuous comment while you’re preparing for a presentation: “Be careful not to put too many words on that slide” - and you’re furious. He also defined it as inferior or immoral, but this isn’t always the case.įor example, say that you were often teased for being talkative as a child. Jung defined the shadow archetype as the dark and emotional side of your personality or psyche.

Trickster: A childish part of your psyche that needs gratification.

Wise old man: A personification of the self that contains your wisdom.

Hero: A part of your psyche that can overcome evil and destruction.

Persona: The mask you wear to show the world while you protect your inner self.

Animus: A part of you that has the capacity for reflection and self-knowledge.

Anima: An image of an idealized woman that draws people into their feminine side.

Shadow: The dark and emotional aspect of your psyche.

Self: The center of the personality or psyche - your conscious awareness.

He defined the collective unconscious with eight different Jungian archetypes: The psychologist Carl Jung popularized the idea of the shadow self, or inner shadow. Your inner shadow is composed of parts of you that you subconsciously reject.

Let’s explore what shadow work means, how you can benefit from it, and how you can start practicing shadow work for yourself. Shadow work is designed to help you integrate and accept every single part of yourself so that you can live and thrive with more clarity and authenticity. It takes training, self-awareness, guidance, and courage to help you face your shadow self in a healthy way.

Most often, the shadow manifests as our triggers - emotional reactions that we haven’t fully dealt with, but bubble up to the surface under the right (wrong) circumstances. Even though the shadow still exists, it gets pushed back and forgotten.īut repressing your inner shadow can have dangerous consequences. Many people tend to repress those hidden parts of themselves to avoid having to confront that darker side. However, it’s not always easy to come to terms with our shadow selves. These parts make up your shadow self, and it longs to be heard. Some of these traits may trigger or embarrass us, so we hide them from public view.

We all have traits that we’re proud of, and traits that we don’t feel so confident about. 27 shadow work prompts to kickstart your healing journey

Shadow work journal prompts pdf