When is the last time you forgave yourself?.

What about yourself don’t you like? Why not?.What traits do you have that are similar to your parents?.What traits do your parents have that you hope you don’t?.Have you ever felt embarrassed of who you are? What made you feel that way?.What would happen if you let yourself feel these negative emotions?.What negative emotions do you avoid? Why?.What aspects of your self do you wish to improve?.What are your parent’s values? How do your own values differ?.What trait in others do you wish you had?.

What was a time I felt unexpectedly triggered by another actions?.

When was a time in your life you opened up to someone and felt rejected?.

What personality traits in others do you consider pet peeves?.

26 Shadow Work Questions & Prompts for Beginners Journaling for shadow work requires you to take time for self- examination and put your thoughts on paper. There are plenty of different methods of shadow work you can use to get started! One of the most practical and accessible methods for beginners is through journaling. If you are worried about starting the process of shadow work, you can always do so alongside the help of a therapist. What’s actually more dangerous is to let your shadow side have a pervasive negative impact on your life when left unexamined. While shadow work can be an uncomfortable and emotional process, it is not dangerous. In fact, shadow work is essential to becoming your higher self. If you are a spiritual person, you may rely on your higher self to help you acknowledge and forgive your shadows. Think of the concept of your higher self, for instance. That said, shadow work can certainly be complimentary to spirituality. Anyone who perceives his shadow and his light simultaneously sees himself from two sides and thus gets in the middle.” Once one has experienced a few times what it is like to stand judgingly between the opposites, one begins to understand what is meant by the self. “To confront a person with his shadow is to show him his own light. Jung says that until you are able to examine your unconscious shadow side, you can release the control it has over your life. Shadow work was first coined and studied by Carl Jung. Shadow work actually has it’s roots in psychology rather than spirituality.

You’ll develop a more compassionate relationship with yourself that will allow you to reach levels of personal growth once inhibited by your shadow. Shadow work allows you to take back control by understanding yourself more holistically.

Simply put- your relationship with yourself and others will suffer if you fail to examine your shadow. Your shadow self can take hold of your life, causing irritability, sadness, and even depression and anxiety. In doing so, you’ll allow your toxic traits to grow and manifest is ways you may not even notice. Why Should I do Shadow Work?Įven though it can be scary to confront the shadow parts of ourselves, it’s much worse to further suppress these parts of ourselves. If you’re interested in learning more about shadow work before journaling, I have a whole post on what shadow work is, and some different ways you can get started. In doing so, you’ll build a more compassionate relationship with yourself and others. These traits can manifest in really ugly ways, even without you acknowledging you have them.īut with shadow work, the goal is not to further repress these traits but to acknowledge them, forgive yourself for their manifestations, and experience true growth. Shadow traits are typically ones that are seen as negative- things like envy, judgement, and stubbornness. You may not be able to place what formed your shadow right away, but introspection & shadow work prompts can help with this. Your shadow self is often formed from adverse childhood experiences, where you may have felt unloveable or rejected. Your shadow self is comprised of all of the traits you have that you tend to conceal from the personality you project into the world. Shadow work is a personal-growth practice based in identifying and accepting your shadow self.

Get The Most Out of These Shadow Work Prompts What is Shadow Work?.

100 Shadow Work Journal Prompts Digital Workbook.

26 Shadow Work Questions & Prompts for Beginners.

Free shadow work journal pdf