Doing shadow work can heal childhood trauma. Understandably, the name sounds dark, but it is rooted in the work of famed Swiss analytical psychologist, Carl Jung (1, 2).
Born in 1875, Carl was a follower of Sigmund Freud who was deeply interested in psychology. Freud and Jung worked closely for five years, but later parted ways due to differences in temperament and points of view.
After going their separate ways, Jung made a name for himself as he developed the concepts of the extroverted and the introverted personality, archetypes, and the collective unconscious. It is said that his work has been instrumental in psychiatry and in the study of religion, literature, and related fields.
Let’s look at his theory and how practicing shadow work can heal repressed feelings and childhood trauma.
According to the Swiss psychologist, there are four main archetypes. These archetypes are all innate, hereditary, and universal, and they organize how we experience things throughout our lives and also influence our personalities (3).
There’s no limit to how many archetypes exist, but there are four main ones that are shared by the entire human race as a part of our collective unconscious (4, 5):
Also known as a mask, this is the face that you show to the world. Think of it as a mask or role that you play in public and social circles that hides the real self. This archetype is said to develop during childhood as the child learns what to do and what not to do in order to fit in certain groups or act in a socially acceptable manner. The persona helps you adapt to the world and society you live in.
This is explained as the part of yourself that you may reject, disown, or simply do not recognize. The shadow is part of the unconscious and is made up of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings.
The shadow is usually in contrast to ‘the persona’ as it is said to be formed from your attempts to comply with cultural norms and expectations. This archetype often hides things that are unacceptable to society and to your own morality and values.
While the shadow may be seen as bad, some good can also come from it as it can be both destructive and creative. The shadow brings an important balance to the persona and it is advised not to ignore it.
This represents the unconscious feminine side in males and male tendencies in women. The unconscious feminine side in males is said to be characterized by feelings of empathy, trust, intuition, and emotional connections with others while male tendencies in women are said to allude to logical thinking, problem-solving, and emotional stability.
According to Jung, the animus represents the masculine aspect that is often suppressed in women while the anima represents the feminine aspect that is suppressed in men. The psychologist believed that both men and women should be allowed to explore their feminine and masculine sides as disregarding these parts of ourselves – as often encouraged by rigid cultural and gender norms – would undermine psychological development.
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Jung often represented the self as either a circle, a square, or a mandala. According to him, this archetype was a representation of a unified conscious and unconscious. The self only occurs when all other archetypes have been acknowledged, accommodated, and integrated within the individual. Jung believed that failure to do this would fail to achieve the self and lead to psychological problems.
As previously mentioned, while the above are the four main archetypes, there is no limit to how many archetypes can exist. Carl believed that archetypes can overlap and combine bringing forth many new and ever-growing archetypes. However, the four main ones can combine, giving rise to 12 archetypal images, namely:
Everyone has these archetypes within their collective consciousness (1). To get to know all these various parts of the self, you must consciously integrate the conscious and unconscious to find a balance, which leads to self-awareness and a whole and more authentic self.
Shadow integration – shadow work – is the process of acknowledging and incorporating the repressed or unconscious aspects of the self. This can help you live more authentically (6).
Let’s delve into how you can help these archetypes come to light with shadow work so you can possibly be yourself and thrive from the introspective nature of shadow work.
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When you perform shadow work, you use self-reflection to bring the shadows out of the collective unconscious and into the conscious light (1). You become friends with the parts of yourself that you’ve repressed. There’s nothing negative about it. However, some people should practice shadow work with a therapist. Here’s why.
In Carl Jung’s theory of analytical psychology, the archetypes exist within the collective unconscious mind and are transcultural – that is these patterns and emotional responses are seen in many cultures. Jung believed they were inherited and innate (1, 2). Within each person’s mind is a consciousness, an unconsciousness, a collective unconscious (which houses the archetypes), and an ego.
Within the collective unconscious lies the four main archetypes. The shadow self is the primary focus of shadow work. Carl Jung defined this archetype as the part of the mind that contains desires, memories, and habits that don’t fit societal norms.
Society sets limits on what is defined as normal and acceptable. Sociology research has found that society, the family, and the educational system have a profound impact on your beliefs, attitudes, and sense of belonging (7).
Research has also found that opinions are primarily formed through expert influence – i.e. a highly confident individual in the group – and the majority effect – i.e. a critical mass of laypeople sharing similar opinions (8).
Shadow work uses exercises, in therapy or at home, to enhance self-reflection and introspection and bring unconscious beliefs to the conscious mind. This allows you to integrate these disowned aspects of yourself, which is essential for the process of individuation and self-realization.
Your mom is an expert influence when you’re a child. You listen to her as she is confident and your main go-to person as a child. Anything she says becomes your truth as you grow up, whether good or bad. Your mother may tell you how well you do at school, which improves your self-confidence.
However, she may also yell at you or call you useless and stupid every time you make a mistake as a child. Therefore, you repress the ability to embrace mistakes later on as an adult.
You may miss opportunities at work because your fear of making a mistake overwhelms you. Indeed, shadow work can reveal positive desires and talents you hid because your mother called you stupid for making mistakes.
Also, schools play an important role in the above-mentioned majority effect (9, 8). Perhaps your teachers always scolded you for having opinions in class and you grew up believing you shouldn’t be outspoken or speak your mind, even if it could benefit you.
Carl Jung also believes creativity could be squashed by the shadow self (1). For example, your friends made fun of your poems as a child, often using taunting words such as “gay”, so today, you’ve settled for an office job when you could have been a great poet.
Psychology shows you can change your unconscious self by shining a conscious light on your shadow. Australian researchers found self-reflection to be enough to impact behavioral choices and decision-making in a social setting in a small study (10).
Shadow work can also be defined as inner work that focuses on accepting and healing the darker parts of you that you believe society may not accept. This helps you accept yourself as a whole and can also lead to emotional and even spiritual well-being.
But how do you practically apply this in real life? Some practical techniques of shadow work you can do include:
This is a good way to keep track of your thoughts, feelings, and everyday situations, and it can also be a good way to take note of unconscious thoughts and desires. By journaling, you also allow yourself to start tracking patterns and themes in your life, thoughts, etc.
Research on mindfulness meditation has shown that the practice helps you become more aware of your body and can also help improve emotional processing (11, 12).
Mindfulness meditation with shadow work may help you become aware of your physical sensations, which may help you take note of any repressed emotions and may then help you observe said emotions without judgment and hopefully release them.
It isn’t easy to acknowledge the parts of yourself that you hide, dislike, and/or hate. Facing these parts could lead to negative emotions and make you judge yourself harshly. Fortunately, doing shadow work lets you see these parts and acknowledge them. As you do this, remember to be kind to yourself. You cannot achieve the self if you hate these parts and don’t forgive them.
Jung believed that our dreams are a reflection of the unconscious and the shadow self. Logging your dreams can help you take note of recurring themes, characters, or symbols that you may normally ignore or forget about. Analyzing these factors can give you better insight into your shadow self.
Shadow work may be dangerous for some individuals with serious childhood trauma. Rumination and possibly flashbacks to trauma could become your enemy if you don’t have the right tools to deal with severe childhood trauma during self-reflective exercises where you intend to discover your shadow self.
The American Psychological Association describes rumination as the obsessive repetition of negative thoughts (13). For example, you may discover repressed feelings related to painful trauma from your childhood, whether abusive or sexually explicit.
The American Psychiatric Association warns that rumination may lead to depression and anxiety, worsening all negative mental health symptoms (14). Please seek the help of a licensed therapist to practice shadow work under careful guidance if you have severe childhood trauma or painful repressed memories.
Doing shadow work with a licensed therapist is ideal if you have severe childhood trauma. You can use a therapist directory to find a therapist who does shadow work near you.
Pro tip: For the best results, look into organizations that are dedicated to Carl Jung’s work. These organizations can help connect you to a licensed therapist who does shadow work.
Doing shadow work with a licensed therapist could have benefits. A small Australian study found that trauma-focused therapy helped individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder by increasing both insight and self-empowerment (15).
Find a therapist who specializes in trauma-focused therapy to help you uncover your shadow self in a safe environment to avoid rumination, depression, and anxiety (14). You may find yourself able to do shadow work alone after dealing with the more challenging shadows with a qualified professional.
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As shadow work utilizes introspection and self-reflection exercises, it may be a good idea to avoid practicing it alone if you have severe trauma. However, these exercises, prompts, and questions can help you reflect on your shadow self.
Note that when you ignore your shadow self, you may end up projecting these ignored and disowned parts onto others. Shadow work starts when you self-reflect, which helps you be conscious of these parts and avoids projecting (16). Ask yourself these questions to self-reflect:
A huge benefit of shadow work is that it encourages awareness and the acceptance of negative emotions and research has shown that the acceptance of these factors without judgment can lead to psychological health (17).
While there may not be a lot of studies that have looked at shadow work and journaling, over the years it has been shown that reflective journaling can help an individual break through creative barriers (18), regulate their thoughts better (19), improve their practical skills, and more (20).
If we combine all these factors, we can see how journaling may be beneficial for emotional processing and shadow work. Harness the powers of self-reflection by journaling daily.
Reflect on what you write down the next day to give your mind some time to absorb the repressed information. Use the prompts below to dig into your mind with your daily journal exercise.
Running a never-ending rat race, shoving trauma further and further away, falling into self-harming thought patterns, living life that’s eclipsed by constant anxiety and fear – this is what an average person goes through every day. Not addressing it will only pull you deeper into a downward spiral. BetterMe: Meditation & Sleep app will help you gain a new perspective on life and help you regain that long-lost internal balance!
Shadow Work Prompts for Journaling
Journaling is an excellent exercise in shadow work, with multiple potential benefits (18, 19, 20). Use these prompts to start your shadow work journal:
All exercises that help you practice self-reflection are good for shadow work. Here are some ideas to practice shadow work at home:
For more mental health reading:
No place in the Bible specifically mentions shadow work. However, shadow work isn’t Biblical or recommended by Christian churches. Furthermore, Christians often avoid shadow work as it digs up painful traumas and can lead to psychological changes they’re not expecting. Shadow work is healthy for some and unhealthy for others. Self-reflection can help you identify behavioral choices and make different decisions (16). However, it may be unhealthy for someone with severe trauma who ruminates about past life experiences (13, 14). Some people avoid shadow work due to worries that it may be sinful. However, most people avoid shadow work for fear of dredging up painful or traumatic memories. Severe trauma can dysregulate emotional control and make it more difficult to practice shadow work without professional help (23). Shadow work never ends as the shadow self will always be a part of your collective unconsciousness, according to Carl Jung, the famous Swiss psychologist. Working on your shadow self is a lifelong commitment if you want to manage a permanent part of your inner psyche. Shadow work means bringing your unconscious shadow into the conscious light (1). The first step to shadowing is gaining awareness; the second step is observing your shadow; and the final step is changing how you respond to triggers by integrating the disowned parts of yourself.Frequently Asked Questions
Is shadow work a sin?
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Does shadow work ever end?
What are the 3 types of shadowing?
Shadow work refers to the inner work you do alone or with a therapist to discover the reasons behind your triggers, emotional trauma, and shortcomings. It’s an effective tool to help you become your ideal self, so start your exercises today or see a therapist for help.
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