What Does The Shadow Mean Exactly?

Let’s begin by defining Shadow Work to better understand who the “shadow self’ is. The “shadow” is a term coined by psychologist Carl Jung that refers to our deepest mental and emotional wounds and traumas. These wounds may cause us to believe that we are flawed, unlovable, undeserving people, and are often created by experiences that we have repressed. 

As a result, we frequently use these wounds to rationalize the way we treat ourselves and the people we connect with throughout our lives.

 Everyone has negative traits or bad tendencies that we consider undesirable, and that we don’t readily admit to ourselves or other people. These traits and tendencies also includes the unfavorable ways we think about ourselves, and the pessimistic thoughts we have about the world around us. This is called the shadow self.

Shadow work is intentionally focusing on these aspects of ourselves in the attempt to change them for the better. It’s acknowledging how our lives are negatively affected by these less desirable behaviors and learning to become accountable for ourselves and our actions. Shadow work is making sense of our destructive traits and habits, recognizing where we learned them and how they developed, and changing their impact on our way of life. 

Why Is Shadow Work Important?

Oftentimes instead of thinking about how we can actually change our shadow self, we would rather avoid its existence and ignore it altogether. This is a serious (but common) mistake, because our shadow self is the root cause for the daily stress and cycles of chaos that continuously repeat throughout our lives.

By taking the first steps in understanding your shadow, you will be able to better direct, control and integrate it. 

Your shadow should not be seen as your “bad” side. Instead, try to appreciate it. The habits and traits of the shadow are often created as survival and defense mechanisms from a very young age. Because of this, it’s very likely that you learned how to maneuver through some of your toughest life experiences thanks to our shadow self. It should be honored and respected for such reasons, instead of constantly being avoided and hidden.

As you grow along your shadow journey, you will slowly begin to evolve in your way of thinking and believing. You will gain awareness of your old habits and traits, as well as the natural desire to improve them. You’ll dissect these behaviors so you can understand them- try to do so honestly and without judgement. 

Be kind to yourself.

 You cannot judge your “un-evolved self” for the things you didn’t know, just as you cannot punish your inner child for the things you believed when you were young. Understand that every experience in life is an opportunity for you to acquire knowledge from it. With this knowledge you can create a healthy foundation for your new journey and begin living in alignment with who you’d like to become.

Shadow work is making the intentional effort to positively change your mindset, thought patterns, belief systems and behaviors- in order to live a more positive and fulfilling way of life. But before we can receive directions to begin this change, we must enter our current location first. This is why shadow work is so important along your spiritual and personal development journey.

 8 Steps To Understanding Your Shadow

Choose one shadow trait you’d like to focus on during this practice and follow the steps to begin outlining your shadow journey. Take your time as needed and come back to any answers you find difficulty answering now.

Step One: Acknowledge Your “Shadow” Aspect

Step Two: Discover The Source

Identify the source of this shadow trait and how it began.

Step Three: Evaluate Your Self-Esteem

Consider your self-esteem and its role in these habits.

Step Four: Understand Your Triggers

 Identify your triggers associated with these traits and how they came to be.

Step Five: Implement Alternative Beliefs

What alternative beliefs do you need to implement?

Step Six: Shift Your Mindset

List a negative thought pattern associated with the shadow trait. Write it down. Then re-write your negative thinking with a more positive thought.

Step Seven: Take Steps To Behavioral Change

List the changes that you’d like to make and break down small actionable steps.

Step Eight: Assess Growth & Make Necessary Changes

Evaluate the growth/changes you’ve experienced. What can you do, alter or implement to improve?