What is Shadow Work?
- Julie Townsend
- May 2, 2022
- 4 min read

Shadow work is a term coined by the well-known Swiss psychologist Carl Jung. As he intensely studied the psyche, he came up with a model of the psyche that helped others understand it better.
Essentially, he taught that the psyche is made up of the consciousness and unconsciousness. The #ego is the conscious part, which is basically our personality. The unconscious, or subconscious, he called the shadow. This is the part he referred to when he talked about 'shadow work'. It is important to understand the concept before delving into discovery.
Likely as you travel your path, you have encountered plenty of situations that stir your emotions. Sometimes, it may be in positive ways, such as when your child comes home with thrilling news about a major accomplishment they achieved at school. Other times, negative emotions are triggered, such as when you hear bad news, get into an argument with a loved one, experience loss, and so on.
Learning how to identify and process emotions is important if you want to enjoy peace and joy along the way. A self or spiritual discovery is helpful to start learning about your emotions and work on becoming the best version of yourself.
What does it mean to do Shadow Work?
Since the #shadow is in the unconscious part of the psyche, we don't typically see it. It is hidden. Shadow work is essentially taking the time to begin an inner journey to shine light into the unconscious to see what is in there and what may be holding us back in life. Typically, the shadow is comprised of parts of ourselves that we #repressed or rejected since we were children.
For example, a traumatic experience at a young age lingers as we may not have been old enough to really process and integrate the scary emotions that arose during the event.
The ego will relegate those intense emotions to the shadow side.
This is the nature of the psyche when it doesn't know how or isn’t mature enough to understand how to process intense emotions. Other things you may find in the shadow are feelings of abandonment, fear, shame, unworthiness, rage, as well as some positive characteristics such as assertiveness or a particular talent.
We all have a shadow side.
Every human being creates a shadow side as they navigate life. It's simply the way the psyche works. Part of life’s journey is to take some time to delve inside and make the unconscious conscious so we can process, heal, and integrate what we find.
Have you had some struggles where you reacted strongly emotionally?
Do you feel stuck in life? Is it tough for you to even feel emotions?
Doing shadow work can help you begin to #recognize thoughts, emotions, and habits that could be holding you back or keeping you in emotional turmoil. Identifying parts of the shadow can bring relief by being aware of what has held you back. Things like insecurities, past pain, or fear, can help me locate specific positive talents that were relegated to the shadow years ago. It allows you to reconnect with yourself, intellectually and #spiritually.
How do you practice Shadow Work?
There are several ways you can begin doing shadow work. As you navigate your personal and spiritual development journey, it's important that you find your individual path that resonates with you. There are several ways that individuals embrace shadow work. You can try one or try them all and see what helps you the most when it comes to unearthing what may be holding you back.
Meditation
Daily #meditation is a wonderful practice for going within and getting to know your whole self on a deeper level. Start slow sitting in silence with your eyes closed will help you begin to shine light on what's hidden in your subconscious or shadow side.
Journaling
By far, #journaling is the most popular way to dive deep into the shadow and face and process what you find. Find an opportunity to be guided through the process of journaling and become an avid journalist. The unconscious mind loves to express itself through a pen, paper, and quiet setting.
Think of it as emptying out a heavy bag of bricks that you've been carrying through the years. The more shadows you contend with, the less heavy that bag is and the better you'll feel mentally and emotionally. Journaling can help you better understand who you are, who you're not, and who you want to become. It can also lead you to a deeper #connection with your spiritual self and your higher power. A service is offered in Quantum Connections on journaling not specific to shadow journaling, however, effective to condition the mind to 'loosen up' to allow creative #flow.

When doing Shadow Work, be kind to yourself and ask for support.
Shadow work is going to be difficult for most of us. After all, we are actively digging up and facing past issues that we may have stuffed down for a reason. As you explore your answers to these prompts, make sure to practice a lot of self-care and self awareness. Reach out for help from someone you trust when it gets challenging such as a family member, friend, loved one, a coach like myself, or even a therapist if you need extra guidance. This is not meant to scare you but rather show you how cleansing and freeing it can be.
This is about you #healing yourself. Take your time and be kind.
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