Below is a very basic look at what shadow work is and why it is important. There are so many different aspects to this and experiences differ greatly. It is a challenging but rewarding personal journey that can go as deep as you want it to. Further reading, books and articles will be added to a separate blog & updated periodically
This is the first in a short series. Below are the upcoming instalments:
Shadow Work: History
Shadow Work: What is a dark night of the soul?
Shadow Work: Meditation & Breath work
Shadow Work: Art & Language
Shadow Work: Further reading, Webinars & Prompt Sheets
What is shadow work?
Shadow work is a personal development tool where you look to uncover areas of your life experience and personality that you have considered traumatic or undesirable, the shadow is parts of you that you have subconsciously rejected. It is the traits we have that we hide away from others and our own conscious minds. We repress these parts of ourselves that we find triggering in an attempt to avoid reliving or thinking about them, but it is in this repression that the ‘shadow’ then manifests itself as our emotional reactions.
Where did shadow work come from?
Psychologist Carl Jung create the idea of the shadow self, or inner shadow. He defined the collective unconscious with eight different Jungian archetypes:
Self: The centre of the personality or psyche — your conscious awareness
Shadow: The dark and emotional aspect of your psyche
Anima: An image of an idealized woman that draws people into their feminine side
Animus: A part of you that has the capacity for reflection and self-knowledge
Persona: The mask you wear to show the world while you protect your inner self
Hero: A part of your psyche that can overcome evil and destruction
Wise old man: A personification of the self that contains your wisdom
Trickster: A childish part of your psyche that needs gratification
Why do Shadow Work?
Shadow work allows you to confront these feelings, assess why you feel this way and helps you begin to find clarity. It is integral in the process of integrating and accepting all parts of you, experiences, actions and reactions to the world around you.
Without shadow work we may begin to project these feelings onto others, this happens when you see things in other people that you subconsciously recognize within yourself. This can make you feel uncomfortable. Leading you to judge or punish those who show these traits.
There are many benefits to exploring shadow work, it can help work through the causes of stress, anxiety and depression, gain more confidence and self esteem, practise self acceptance and improve your overall wellness and compassion for others.
How to do shadow work?
First thing to mention here is that if you struggle with severe trauma you may need to speak to a licensed therapist before attempting to implement shadow work as part of your self care routine.
Anyone can start shadow work at any point, it’s a tool of self-reflection which can be implemented in a few different ways. The first step in this process is to become more aware of your triggers and why this is happening. For example, if you become irritated and upset when someone is consistently talking and you’re unable to join in the conversation, this may be because you have previously felt like you let yourself down by not speaking up when you wanted/needed to.
Another useful first step is to look back at your childhood and formative years, there are specific prompts you can use to start to delve into this area, I will share some throughout the winter as a starting point.
Shadow Journal: Keeping an uncensored journal using Shadow Work prompts is one of the most common ways to work through the process. It allows you to freely express and reflect on your answers.
Meditation: Identifying your triggers and meditating on the thought allows you to process the shadow self in an undisturbed space.
Art: If you express yourself through art in any medium from paint to music and everything in between, this can be a useful and deeply personal way to do your shadow work.. Similar to keeping a shadow journal, this again can be exceptionally helpful especially if you are working through shadow prompts.
Shadow work prompt examples
Below you can find 15 prompt examples, these will also be on the upcoming shadow work prompts on Instagram, feel free to work through these in whatever order suits you best, there is no right or wrong way to do this.
1. How do you believe people see you? How would they describe you to someone else? How does that make you feel?
2. What are the worst traits someone can have, according to you? When did you demonstrate these traits?
3. What tends to make you judgmental toward others?
4. Who do you envy, and why?
5. What frightens you the most? What are some ways you could safely expose yourself to this fear?
6. What emotions typically bring out the worst in you, and why do you think this happens?
7. When was the last time you self-sabotaged? How were you feeling at the time? What do you think triggered this behaviour?
8. What are some lies you’ve previously told yourself?
9. What is your worst memory from childhood? What is the worst character trait that you have because of this memory or other events from your childhood?
10. How do you define failure? How does failing make you feel? Are you afraid of failure? If so, why?
11. What makes you feel unsafe?
12. Whom do you currently have a grudge against? Why do you think you are not letting it go?
13. Describe a trait you see in other people that you wish you had yourself. Why do you not have this trait?
14. What are your personal core values? Why are those values important to you?
15. At what moments in your life have you been the hardest on yourself? Why?
Important to know
It is important to keep an open mind during shadow work, this is not a self-bashing exercise to make you feel worse. It is an exploration into who you are and accepting sides of you that you have avoided.
It is an exercise in self-compassion and should be included into your self-care routine as such, be patient with yourself and understand that some questions may be tougher to answer than others, some may appear easy to answer but on reflection be far more complicated. Be honest and give yourself adequate time to reflect on what has come up. If you are working with prompts it may be best to only take on 2-3 prompts per week so you can spend a decent amount of time reflecting and re-reflecting allowing you to really delve deep into their meanings.
Creating a routine around shadow work is necessary. Some topics can be hard to go through again and will almost definitely bring up some uncomfortable feelings. Always reassure yourself that in spite of what comes to the surface you deeply and profoundly love yourself. End your shadow work with something you find comforting or soothing, a bath or shower, cooking or enjoying a hobby. Make this process what you need it to be and look after yourself whilst doing it.
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