WHAT IS SHADOW WORK?

Ever looked at your shadow side?

We see the term ‘Shadow Work’ thrown around the spiritual/woo woo sphere a lot these days, but what does it actually mean and should you even try it?

In a nutshell, shadow work is bringing your shadow side to the light. The parts of you that you hide away from everyone else, the parts you don't want others to see. You know, those parts that bring up shame, guilt, disgust...all the good stuff! But, things like confidence can be a shadow too - if you are shy, you could be hiding your confidence, so it's not always the 'negative' things. If you really want to go deep into personal growth and healing, shadow work is a place you could start.

IS SHADOW WORK DANGEROUS?

Well, it’s not for everyone. If you struggle with low self worth and self esteem, give it a hard pass for now. Start with building a self love practice and once you get to a place of more self esteem, you can begin to delve into shadow work. A good place to start is with daily mirror work, loving kindness meditations and self appreciation. Look into that mirror every single day and say a self-love affirmation out loud - something like ‘I love and accept all parts of you’. Grab your journal at the end of every day and show some appreciation for yourself, like so: ‘It was amazing the way that I worked so hard on that project today, even though I didn’t feel very good. Well done - this shows wonderful resilience and determination’. Are you cringing? Yes? Then you need to start this practice!

HOW DO I START?

Good old journaling is where shadow work starts. Below are some prompts that will get you thinking about your shadow, and how you can integrate it so that you can begin to heal. Please remember to not let this take up loads of your time - it can be brutal so have compassion for yourself while you do this work. It's not about beating yourself up for your shadow aspects, so be kind to yourself.

• What behaviours/patterns/reactions so I find triggering in my parents/siblings/partner?

• Do I have any of these behaviours myself?

• If yes, how can I practice compassion in myself?

• What kind of interactions with other people cause a super negative reaction in me, or are triggering?

• Is there some way I have a similar trait to the person who is triggering me, but is more supressed in myself and more obvious in them?

• How do these issues reflect my inner values possibly not being met?

• Which of my traits tend to show up when I’m stressed?

• What kind of self-destructive habits or behaviours do I exhibit?

Once you have some answers to these, you can begin to own those parts and accept them. When we stop trying to hide them and accept all parts of ourselves, we can live more authentically. Speaking of….

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF SHADOW WORK?

As well as living more authentically, this work has so many other benefits - feeling more whole as a person, improved relationships and interactions with others, learning how to meet your needs….the list goes on.

The above prompts are a good place to start, but if you want to go deeper, I highly recommend working with a Shadow Work practitioner. They will be able to hold the space for you and help you navigate the feelings that come up while you work on facing and integrating your shadow. It’s certainly not a love and light process, but deep healing never is.

Have you delved into Shadow work, or plan to? Let me know!