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Shadow Work: Face Yourself

Unlock the darker parts of yourself to strengthen your light!

By The White FoxPublished 4 years ago 4 min read
2
Shadow Work: Face Yourself
Photo by Martino Pietropoli on Unsplash

If you haven't dipped your toes into spirituality, this may sound intimidating or frightening. Quell your fears, for this practice is the farthest thing from harmful. Shadow work is the practice of healing the spirit of oneself by learning to face our dark sides.

You will learn what the shadow is, how it forms, how to integrate it and heal yourself, and why it is important to start facing these parts of ourselves. By the end of this article, you will know how to tap into the parts of yourself that have long caused you suffering and how to accept them.

What is the Shadow?

By Rendiansyah Nugroho on Unsplash

Once you are able to comprehend negative concepts and attach them to your ego, you give birth to your shadow. Don't worry, everyone has one. We simply need to learn that these negative parts of ourselves are constructed by the people around us and we must learn to accept that these flaws do not define who we truly are.

The shadow is the parts of our personality that we have been taught are undesirable, negative, or repulsive. Usually, these parts of our shadow have formed due to abuse, neglect, trauma, etc.

The shadow, in most cases, becomes the dominant self because we are taught to repress rather than express these traits. It begins to consume you and become the forefront of your reality rather than your higher self.

Examples of traits that define the shadow self include:

  • Anger issues
  • Depressive personality
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Narcissism
  • Shame
  • Racism or bias against certain people
  • Judgemental outlook on others

If it is seen as a negative, destructive, or an undesirable personality trait, it is part of the shadow. However, there is a bright side (literally) to your shadow self. This bright side is referred to as the Light Shadow. I know, it sounds contradictory, but let me explain.

The Light Shadow

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That's right, you have two shadows! Your second shadow is called the Light Shadow. These are the repressed parts of your personality that are actually positive but have been either taught to be negative or that we have become shameful of through life experiences.

If you're still confused, allow me to present an example:

Johnny was always a sweet boy. He often picked flowers for his mother, hugged his sister, and pet his dog lovingly. Johhny was compassionate and affectionate. He loved making people smile!

However, Johnny grew up with a father who was very masculine and believed that men should be stoic and suppress their emotions. Being kind made a man "too soft" and men shouldn't show such "girlish" emotions. Therefore, he often punished Johnny for showing kindness.

Johnny, being young and impressionable, wanted the approval of his father, as any loving child does. He decided at that young age that to gain the approval of his father, he must become what he is not and put away his compassionate, loving personality and become tough. This pleased his father and gained his approval.

As Johnny aged, he grew attracted to women. However, every girl Johnny dated would leave him because he was emotionally unavailable. Johnny was upset at this, but could not help that this was the way he was. Because Johnny started this behavior in childhood and adopted this false self of a tough guy persona, he neglected his compassionate side and grew cold-hearted and emotionally distant.

What Johnny did was feed his ego, otherwise known as his false self. His compassion and affection, therefore, became a part of his shadow. Though they aren't negative or harmful traits, his burial of them caused them to become unavailable.

In this case, Johnny would begin shadow work to heal himself of his suffering.

How to Heal and Integrate the Shadows

By Aarón Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash

Healing the shadow selves can be a long and scary process. Many of us are so deep in our egos that we are scared that we will no longer know who we are if we try to change. Many of us are also too afraid or ashamed to face what we hate most about ourselves.

I guarantee you that this will be a life-changing experience. I implore you to begin your journey as soon as you are ready. It will eliminate your suffering, improve your quality of life, and lead you to become your true, higher self.

Here are ways you can work on integrating your shadows:

  • Forgive yourself
  • Embrace the parts of yourself that you dislike
  • Journal about your feelings
  • Identify triggers and learn how to react appropriately
  • Remember that these negative traits and experiences do not define who you truly are
  • Do shadow work prompts
  • Practice unlimited compassion, love, and forgiveness
  • Be kind to others and yourself every day

I wish you luck on your journey. With time, you will grow closer to your higher self and heal your spirit. Relationships will improve, quality of life will skyrocket, and your esteem will be raised. Embrace your shadow: it is a part of you.

If you learned something or just appreciate my work, feel free to leave a tip! I love helping others and sharing my knowledge and experiences. Much love.

self help
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About the Creator

The White Fox

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