- Shadow work can promote self-awareness by helping you get in touch with suppressed emotions.
- Exploring and acknowledging "shadow" traits that prompt discomfort can lead to self-acceptance.
- Explore shadow, or unconscious, traits through art, journaling, and paying attention to dreams.
- Visit Insider's Health Reference library for more advice.
Shadow work is a psychological approach to becoming more in tune with what Carl Jung, the method's founder, calls your shadow.
Your shadow is a hypothetical concept that represents repressed parts of your personality, says Sylvia Kalicinski-Don, PhD, a therapist in private practice.
For example, when you feel ashamed, you may suppress that emotion deep into your unconscious, which can make you less self-aware.
The point of shadow work is to bring suppressed emotions to the forefront to help you better understand yourself and how you approach the world around you.
The end result, according to limited research, could mean handling negative conflict more effectively as well as improvements in overall health.
What is shadow work?
Shadow work is a part of Jungian psychotherapy, a method for addressing mental health issues and life pain points through personal growth. A key focus of Jungian psychotherapy is reaching your full potential by bringing the unconscious, or unknown, parts of yourself together with the conscious, or known parts of yourself.
Shadow work centers around the unconscious parts of yourself — your shadow, in other words.
Your shadow can have both negative and positive aspects, says Nathan Brandon, PsyD, a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice.
A negative aspect would be traits or impulses that people generally disapprove of, like greed. Because openly negative traits are more likely to be met with disapproval from others — and so more likely to be repressed — they tend to play a bigger role in your shadow than positive traits.
A more positive aspect might be an underdeveloped or stifled trait. For example, a child frequently scolded by teachers for acting too quickly might grow up to believe that acting spontaneously will only bring negative attention from others. Over time, spontaneity becomes a repressed part of their personality, making it harder for them to act without worrying about what others think of them.
Shadow work and projection
Shadow work can help you connect with these traits by making you more conscious of them. One way it does this is by addressing the issue of projection.
People commonly deal with traits they don't like about themselves through projection, which plays a key role in how your shadow functions. Projection happens when you call out a specific trait or behavior in someone else, while ignoring how it plays out in your own life.
For example, maybe you often feel jealous when your partner spends time with friends. Not hearing from them for a while leaves you anxious and irritable, but you have a hard time acknowledging your jealousy. But when they ask a few questions about the time you spend with a close friend, you say, "What, are you jealous?"
Since projection causes us to attribute thoughts and feelings we recognize as "wrong" onto others, it follows that a person in your life who irritates you could represent your shadow, says Brandon. This is because your strong feelings about the person can be a sign they're actually reminding you of a part of yourself you don't like.
Shadow work, then, can help stop this cycle of projection by helping you become aware of these repressed parts.
How to do shadow work
There's no standard way to do shadow work, but Brandon says the following methods that encourage self-expression can help you get started on your own:
- List your shadow parts. Without judgement, list some of your potential shadow traits, such as aggression, selfishness, or cowardice. Consider how these traits inform your actions, reactions, and values. If you're having trouble identifying your shadow, thinking about which people or situations cause you to respond with strong emotions could offer some insight since this can be a sign you're projecting an unconscious trait onto that person.
- Journal. Keeping a journal of your emotional responses to different events could help you pinpoint some of your shadow traits by increasing your self-awareness. There's no set amount of time you need to journal in order to get results, but some research suggests journaling consistently even once a week can make a difference.
- Dream interpretation. Paying attention to your dreams — or even writing them down — could help you discover aspects of your unconscious to reconnect with.
- Create art. Carl Jung emphasized the importance of creativity in connecting with all the parts of your self, including your shadow. You can express yourself artistically in whatever way works best for you. Some research suggests creating mandalas is a helpful way to practice self-reflection through art.
When dipping into shadow work, Brandon says it's important to be willing to look at all the parts of yourself — especially the ones you're uncomfortable with.
"Remember that the shadow is a part of you, whether you like it or not. You may as well learn to accept it and deal with it in a healthy way," says Brandon.
According to Jungian psychology, acceptance is key to success because accepting your shadow traits allows you to control them, rather than the other way around. For example, becoming aware of repressed aggression might allow you to more effectively harness that energy in situations that require it, such as responding to a threat to your safety.
Still, it can be tricky to practice shadow work completely on your own.
"It can be helpful to have a therapist or trusted friend to help you navigate these waters. It is also important to be patient and gentle with yourself. Allow yourself time to process and integrate the material you uncover," says Brandon.
Benefits of shadow work
Shadow work is designed to lead to personal growth and development, but it may also benefit you in these additional ways:
1. Moving toward self-realization
Self-realization is a Jungian term that means achieving the best possible version of your personality. In fact, Jung suggested that becoming conscious of your shadow self is a key step toward reaching self-realization.
2. Growing your self-awareness
"Doing shadow work can help someone become more aware of their projections and judgements," says Kalicinski-Don.
When you're not aware of your shadow, it's more likely those traits will guide your thoughts and actions without your knowledge.
Gaining an understanding of your own inclinations, even unpleasant ones, will help you recognize when they're driving your actions, allowing you to make a change if you want to.
In fact, research from 2011 shows a strong connection between self-awareness and self-regulation, or self-control.
3. Empowering yourself
Since shadow work involves taking responsibility for parts of yourself you weren't previously aware of, it can also be empowering, says Brandon.
"It can stop people from seeing themselves as victims of other people and circumstances and help them to see the power they have to change their situation," says Brandon.
For example, your shadow work might reveal that while you tend to blame coworkers for projects you turn in late, you also have a tendency to procrastinate. Realizing and accepting this truth about yourself gives you the power to address your procrastination, allowing you to feel more control over your own workflow.
4. Becoming more well-rounded
Shadow work could help you become more well-rounded by allowing you to accept parts of yourself you're disconnected with, says Brandon.
Perhaps you're a great listener. Still, that positive quality often comes at the cost of staying quiet in situations where it would be more helpful to speak up. Shadow work could help bring out your assertive side, if you've repressed that part of yourself, so you feel comfortable both listening and speaking up.
5. Boosting compassion
Shadow work can decrease tendencies you might have to judge harshly and increase your compassion for others, says Kalicinski-Don.
One possible reason? When you're not aware of a part of your shadow, you might be more likely to become irritated with another person who displays that quality.
Shadow work can help reveal when getting upset at someone says more about your traits than theirs.
Self-reflection and introspection can both help make it possible to extend compassion to others. As a result of your new self-knowledge, then, you might have an easier time offering compassion instead of irritation — both to them and to yourself.
Insider's takeaway
Since shadow work involves uncovering parts of yourself you might not have even known existed, it can be a bumpy journey — but that doesn't mean it's not worthwhile.
Most experts suggest shadow work is a lifelong process. One reason for this is that Jungian psychology places more importance on continuing to seek growth throughout your lifetime rather than reaching perfection, or a point where no further growth is needed.
It's normal to get stuck every once in a while, but shadow work shouldn't become a burden. You might find, though, that you make more progress at certain points in your life than others.
"The shadow will continue to present itself throughout our lives if we pay attention and keep exploring. Be patient and let the process unfold in its own time," says Brandon.