Among healing and personal development circles, Shadow Work is a controversial topic.
Some find it ominous; shrouded in mystery and lore. And some consider it an essential part of healing. But rarely will you find someone apathetic to it.
Given the title of this blog you can probably infer which camp I fall under.
In my experience, Shadow Work is often misunderstood. Maybe because of the language used to label it. Or maybe because that primal fear that humans have of the unknown. Or maybe both.
Shadow Work is nothing more than bringing the subconscious into conscious awareness.
Ultimately, the focus of Shadow Work is to help you integrate the emotional experience that was repressed or suppressed and not fully processed. Often because the child version of you did not have the cognitive capability, safety, support and/or resources needed to be able to do it at the time.
It helps you process and resolve trauma in order to reach a deeper understanding of yourself and your motivations, so you can consciously break unhealthy patterns.
Having explained the basics of Shadow Work, here are some of the most common misconceptions that people have and the truth behind them.
Shadow Work is dangerous, bad and scary. I don't think I need to explain this any further than the paragraphs above.
Shadow Work will make me relive painful experiences and retraumatize me. You are going to the memory to heal. Yes you will experience the emotions, but you are doing so with tools, support and within a safe container. It is a very different experience. And there are a lot of ways that a practitioner can help you do that so it is a healing process for you and does not retraumatize you.
Shadow Work will only bring up wounds and trauma from my childhood. In reality Shadow Work can, and often does, bring up positive aspects such as gifts and authentic expression that were deemed unacceptable by caregivers. For example, a gifted dancer that was discouraged from pursuing the arts by her academic parents.
There are various modalities of Shadow Work that access different levels of depth within the subconscious mind. It is not a one-size-fits-all model. So if it is something you are interested in, but have been afraid to dive into, I suggest you do a bit more research. Then, find an experienced practitioner that you connect with and that can answer all your questions and facilitate for you.
If you feel called to work with me or consider me as a potential practitioner, you can learn more about my work by clicking on the button below.
Wishing you much healing!
Additional Resources:
The Completion Process by Teal Swan
Loving What Is by Byron Katie
When the Body Says No by Gabor Maté M.D.
I am a Spiritual Life Coach & Emotional Healer who came to this work as part of my own healing journey. I am a Certified Practitioner of Teal Swan's The Completion Process (CP), a Certified ARCH Healing® Practitioner (C-AHP) and a Certified Soul Realignment™ Practitioner. I completed Dr. Gabor Mate's Compassionate Inquiry Masterclass. And, I am also a co-author of the Amazon Bestselling book Woke: A-ha's, Awakenings, & Illuminations on the Path to Conscious Living & ENLIGHTENMENT and several other works.
.