Shadow Work sounds scary and dark, but it isn’t
Shadow work is a tool you use to uncover hidden pain so you can heal and let it go. You can go as superficial or as deep as you are ready to go. I recommend starting with the pain that isn’t intense and working up to the scary stuff.
One of the major problems people run into when trying to heal past trauma is not knowing what to think or how they feel
It is a difficult thing to master!
Shadow Work helps you uncover those pains that need your attention
And it is something that you will never fully be done with.
There will always be something that you need to heal from and let go
It doesn’t have to be as terrible and childhood abuse
Even losing a job can turn into the trauma that needs to be addressed
Go into Shadow Work with an open mind and strive not to judge the feeling and emotions that you uncover
Judging yourself is not going to help
Give yourself compassion and then take steps to heal the wounds you find on your journey
What are conscious and subconscious trauma?
There are two kinds of trauma I want to discuss for Shadow Work:
- Conscious trauma
- Unconscious trauma
Conscious trauma is the trauma you are aware of and you know how it affects your life
You may even remember exactly why you have the trauma
An example could be fear of cars after a car crash
If you got into a terrible accident, you might develop anxiety when you are in a car
You know what happened, why you are anxious, how that trauma affects you, and why you feel uneasy in the car
These traumas are a little easier to start working through because you already have all the information you need to work on healing
Conscious trauma doesn’t really need shadow work unless you just want to get the feeling, emotions, and fear out of your body
Unconscious trauma is the trauma you don’t know or understand
These include beliefs that you are unaware of but they are still affecting your life
My perfectionism is an example of this
Whenever I made a mistake, I would freak out
I would start panicking and putting myself down
It didn’t matter if the mistake was bad or not, something in me triggered
Shadow Work is excellent for unconscious trauma because it helps you find the information you need to start healing
Most people have a mixture of conscious trauma and unconscious trauma, so don’t be surprised if you find out that you have both!
Does shadow work help you heal from trauma stuck in the body?
Unconscious trauma is stuck in your body because you don’t have any way to heal or let it go
It just keeps affecting you in ways that you may not fully understand or see
I thought my perfectionism was just in school and grades, but it affected literally every part of my life
Through Shadow Work, I was able to start seeing and turning that unconscious trauma into conscious trauma
Once it was a conscious trauma, then I could use methods and affirmations to start healing and letting that go
Shadow Work is not going to take away the pain or trauma, but it will help you learn about it and give you the tools you need to heal
An essential thing you need to know is that you should not start Shadow Work unless you are ready to uncover some painful things that start healing
The mind turns a lot of trauma into unconscious trauma in order to protect you
Your mind does not want you to be in pain, so it hides away things that may harm you
This happens to a lot of memories during the trauma
So do not start digging that stuff out until you are in a safe place and ready to go through a potentially painful healing process
It is worth it, in the end, to be healed, but it may not be a fun process for many people
How do you release trapped emotions?
Releasing trapped emotions and beliefs with Shadow Work is a process
You will not be done in a day or a week
There are different processes that people can go through, but journaling is what I prefer
This could be a written journal or a recording
I highly recommend having a record of your answers
Then I like to use journal prompts
I have a hard time writing what is on my mind without some help
You can find journal prompts on TikTok, Amazon, Pinterest, Facebook, and more
First I choose what prompt I will use for the day
Then I will read it and write it in my journal
Before I write anything else, I sit there and really think about it
I don’t judge my thoughts and just let them flow
Then I start writing when the thoughts and feelings start coming
I write down everything that I can
The more you do this, the more statements start popping up a lot
Those statements are the beliefs that you may not know are there
Trauma isn’t the feelings and emotions that you have on a bad day and then go away
Trauma is the feelings and emotions that appear over and over in your life
Allowing your brain to let it out without judgment, that is how trapped emotions start coming into the light
When to reach out for professional help
If you have intense trauma that is terrifying or even a danger to release, it may be a good idea to do your Shadow Work with a professional
They will be able to guide you, take care of you in that fragile state, and help you out of it
They will also be able to ask the questions that you need and maybe haven’t thought about
There is no shame in professional help!
I see a therapist
Just make sure that your therapist is on the same page as you
They should push things that you aren’t ok with
I had a therapist that insisted on medicine even though I didn’t want to be medicated
Nothing wrong with medicine, I just didn’t want to do it
Your therapist needs to be on your side, so many sure that they are on the same page with you before starting Shadow Work with them