What is Shadow Work?
Shadow work is a type of psychotherapy that focuses on the “shadow self,” which is the parts of the psyche that people often keep hidden, such as trauma and resentment.
The psychoanalyst Carl Jung first developed the concept. Jung used the term “shadow self” to describe the things people repress or do not like to acknowledge. He theorized that it is a counterweight to the persona, which is the self that people present to others.
Although the shadow self can include negative impulses, such as anger and resentment, Jung believed that it also held the potential for positive impulses, such as creativity. He felt that the shadow self is integral to a person’s experience of the world and their relationships.
He also thought that a person could gain a better understanding of themselves and become more balanced by working with their shadow self.
Shadow work comes from the concept of the shadow self, which originates in Jungian psychology.
According to Jung, a personality includes the persona, which is the personality that people show to the public, and the shadow self, which remains private or hidden. Unlike the persona, the shadow self often includes traits that a person does not like to show.
However, Jung did not view the shadow as a negative or shameful part of a person’s personality. To him, it was an important part of their psyche.
The goal of shadow work is to assimilate the shadow and the persona so that a person can learn how to manage impulses they usually ignore, such as anger or greed.
Jung also believed that the collective unconscious influences the shadow. The collective unconscious is a Jungian idea that refers to the collective memories and impulses of society as a whole. As a result, systemic issues such as racism also fit into Jung’s idea of what the shadow self comprises.
Just as shadow work might help a person confront the parts of their personality that they usually avoid, Jung thought it might allow them to address prejudices and impulses resulting from broader social ills.
How the shadow self forms
The reason you reject these aspects of your personality goes back to your childhood.
When we're young, we depend on our parents or main caregivers for survival. As a result, we become very attached to them and their way of doing things. So, say a caretaker scolds you for being outspoken, there's a chance that you won't feel safe speaking your mind from that point on, even as an adult.
"Because what it means to you is, the person I need to love me to survive won't love me if I do this thing," Swart says. That message becomes internalized—buried within your subconscious—and can therefore become a trigger for you for seemingly no reason.
In this example, if one of your shadows is around speaking your truth, it might bother you to see other people doing so. Every time somebody is outspoken around you, it might bring up unexplainable feelings of anger and resentment since you have been programmed to believe that speaking up is not a safe thing for you to do.
Benefits of shadow work
As the shadow is a concept, it is not something that scientists can tangibly measure. It is also subjective and varies based on context. For example, something that is acceptable in one culture might be taboo in another, which affects whether it becomes part of the shadow self.
As a result, there is not much scientific research on the effectiveness of shadow work. Instead, most research on this approach emphasizes how a person might use it to solve specific challenges.
Shadow work say that it helps them with:
identifying and countering negative personal traits, as well as negative traits that society has instilled in them
learning to be more accepting of themselves
understanding the challenges other people face with their shadow selves
confronting trauma, grief, and other challenging emotions
understanding how society, childhood, and various relationships influence their lives and interactions
In some cases, components of the shadow self may motivate good acts. For example, a person may find that confronting their implicit biases, which they may not usually think about, can help them work to change them.
Similarly, being more aware of their anger may help a person channel that anger for good, such as by fighting for a just cause.
Shadow work is by no means easy, and offering compassion to those parts of ourselves that we have hidden away for so long is important.
A lot of people put off that work because they're afraid of what they'll find.There's so much shame associated with these factors, but often if you're mature enough or personally developed enough, doing shadow work can be a huge relief because you realize it's not as bad as you think.
Some of our greatest lessons will come from looking at the parts of ourselves we hide away. Because when we can bring our shadow to the surface, heal, and integrate those lessons into our lives, we evolve exponentially. After all, it was Jung who said, "There is no coming to consciousness without pain."
