Shadow Work

I’ve mentioned shadow work a few times, so I will attempt to explain it as best I can. Please know I feel I’m still learning as I go.

Carl Jung was the psychologist who first introduced the concept of the shadow self. Jung believed that each of us has a shadow self that contains our trauma, bad habits, lost hopes and dreams, and negative thought patterns. He thought we could work on that shadow self and integrate it into ourselves so that it would no longer be detrimental to us. Of course, a person has to learn how to separate the shadow self from oneself initially because we must look at and acknowledge the darkest parts of ourselves to begin healing.

Now, I can explain how I do shadow work from this point. I’ve learned over the past year that shadow work looks different for everyone. While there are similarities, how we each approach it may differ.

Visualization is big for shadow work. It’s being able to visualize the shadow self to acknowledge and face it. You can’t heal what you don’t face head-on. I do most of my visualization during meditation. Meditation was hard for me in the beginning. I found listening to soft, meditative music helped the most. Once I was in a meditative state, I could more easily face my shadow self and all that bad encompassed in it. Not so that I can hate it but so that I can accept it. The shadow self isn’t inherently evil. It’s still a part of ourselves and makes us who we are. The point is not to look the other way anymore. How can you move forward when you have so much holding you back?

While meditating with my shadow self, I’ve often had conversations with it. How do they feel? What hurts the most? What affected us most during childhood? In the beginning, my shadow had a lot to say, but as time passed, they grew quieter.

Another process of doing shadow work is journaling. I love journaling, so this part was easy for me. If you’re confused about what you should journal, check out Google and Reddit. There is a sub on Reddit for people doing shadow work. A book I found helpful as a beginner was Shadow Work Journal and Workbook by Felix R. Buchwald. It touches on what shadow work is and many prompts for journaling. Some examples are journaling about your worst childhood hurts, deepest regrets, lost childhood dreams, and worst fears.

Journaling about these things can be challenging. It feels like you’re ripping open your chest and letting the poison ooze out, and it hurts. But as you go along, it becomes more accessible, and you feel lighter.

Please don’t go into shadow work thinking it’s a quick fix. I’ve been doing it for a year and am still on my journey. My shadow has gotten less substantial and has less to say, but it’s still there. So be patient. Please research so you don’t go into it blind and take a leap of faith. Your heart will thank you one day for it.