What shadow work means to me

What is shadow work? (in my own words)

To face one's shadow is to face the side of yourself you want to hide from the world. To face the thoughts we pretend we don't think, the feelings we ignore, the part of us the world would reject.

In the philosophy and psychology world, there is a term that is used: the anti-self, otherwise known as the evil side of man.

The anti-self is the reason for every bad decision, every controversial thought. When you are selfish, it is because of the anti-self. When you think taboo things, such as killing (whether it be yourself or someone/thing else), it is the anti-self. It is everything that fights against the good within you.

Shadow work brings you face to face with the anti-self, the shadow, in order to better understand yourself and to liberate yourself from the chains you, society, family, everything places upon you. You take back control of yourself and your life by finding a way to walk with your shadow rather than against it.

It is only by accepting our shadow that we can control it.

What shadow work means to me

For what seems like my entire life now, I have had issues with mental illness (Depression, PTSD, Anxiety) that has seemed completely out of my control. I've gone through therapy, I've taken medications, I've been hospitalized. But I always seemed to be pulled back into it with no real way to pull myself back out.

This, with the aid of my trauma therapy, finally feels like a chance to gain control back. My brain will no longer be a prison because I can finally get the upper hand.

It means freedom.

Shadow Work

The term shadow was first coined by Carl Jung to describe the parts of us that we hide or try to ignore. It is made up of pieces of ourselves that we pushed down and denied in childhood as a coping strategy. These are all the parts we are ashamed of, that society rules as wrong or unacceptable, the pieces we don't want our friends or the world to see.

So, you must be wondering why we would want to find them then.

Let me quote The Work of the Soul:

"Through this work one is able to slowly deepen and include all of the many interior aspects and to be loving and kind to that which was previously rejected. This eventually allows us to be more compassionate to both ourselves and to others. It asks us to change our views, perspectives and beliefs. It asks us to invite the other in and to embrace our weaknesses and turn them into strengths. 

When we work with the shadow we begin to reclaim the projections we put on others. We turn inward and begin to gently listen and heal those aspects within ourselves instead."

In my own shadow work, I will be going through various books to help me find, face, and accept my shadows, and have decided to let you in on my journey in hopes it will help me learn and accept even more than I myself can see. 

Welcome to my shadow.