77 SHADOW WORK PROMPTS
- Rose @investholist.com
- Feb 21, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 15
Definition and journal prompt questions to explore one's shadow.
Let's begin with definitions.
WHAT DO WE DEFINE AS "SHADOW"?
From different official web sources we get:
Merriam-Webster: partial darkness or obscurity within a part of space from which rays from a source of light are cut off by an interposed opaque body. A reflected image. A shaded or darker portion of a picture. An imperfect and faint representation. A source of gloom or unhappiness. A state of ignominy or obscurity.
Britannica Dictionary: an area of darkness created when a source of light is blocked.
Cambridge Dictionary: an area of darkness, caused by light being blocked by something. The shadows [plural]: an area of darkness in which people and things cannot be seen.
Jung's Analytical Psychology: ego-dystonic complex, repressed id, shadow aspect, or shadow archetype. The blind spot of the psyche. An unconscious aspect of the personality that does not correspond with the ego ideal, the repression of one's id, everything that the subject refuses to acknowledge about themselves.
So in conclusion, we define it as the darkest, most repressed side of yourself.
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO DO SHADOW WORK?
Shadow work is the intensely personal, but deeply gratifying process of journeying within to meet the darkest, most repressed side of yourself.
It requires compassion, kindness, patience and a need to let go of any assumptions or expectations – not to mention letting go of always being in control.
Shadow work doesn’t work when you’re actively trying to hide and deny the feelings and thoughts that bubble up. You absolutely need to be comfortable with confronting the weirdest, most illogical, most terrifying, irrational parts of yourself – the parts of you that feel wounded and sad. The parts of you that feel anguish and despair. The parts of you that acknowledge you were treated unfairly and so want to scream about the injustice in the world. The parts of you that feel as if you’re living a life of ‘fakeness’.
Shadow work attempts to dig deep to understand what thoughts, feelings, memories and emotional processes were buried in an attempt to protect and preserve the conscious part of your reality. Anything that makes you feel uneasy or uncomfortable is likely a good place to start.
Fun fact: you can’t heal what you aren’t aware of.
If something has resonated with you so far and you feel inclined to pursue this work, here is a list of services I can assist you with.
