Shadow work isn’t self-care in the bubble bath sense. It’s the kind of inner work that gets your hands dirty. It’s looking at the parts of yourself you’ve tried to hide, deny, or ignore—and learning not just to face them, but to understand them.

From a Jungian perspective, shadow work is essential if you want to become a whole, integrated person. It’s not about fixing yourself. It’s about meeting the parts you’ve disowned and seeing what they’re trying to tell you.

What Is the Shadow?

Carl Jung described the shadow as the unconscious part of your personality that your conscious ego doesn’t identify with. Simply put, it’s made up of the traits you’ve been taught to reject—anger, jealousy, selfishness, vulnerability, neediness—but it can also contain strengths you’ve repressed, like assertiveness or creativity.

You don’t get rid of your shadow. You get to know it. Because as Jung said, “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.”

Why Do Shadow Work?

When you ignore your shadow, it doesn’t disappear—it leaks out sideways. You project it onto others, sabotage your goals, or repeat patterns you don’t understand.

Shadow work:

• Increases self-awareness
• Reduces projection and emotional reactivity
• Helps break toxic cycles
• Builds inner strength and self-acceptance

How to Start Shadow Work (Jungian Style)

This isn’t a checklist you rush through. It’s a slow, often uncomfortable process. But here’s how to begin:

1. 

Watch Your Triggers

Your shadow shows up in your reactions. Ask yourself:

• What qualities in others drive me nuts?
• When do I overreact or shut down emotionally?
• What am I most ashamed of?

Those intense emotional spikes? That’s your shadow knocking.

2. 

Track Your Projections

Projection is when you attribute your own unacceptable traits or feelings to someone else. If you think everyone is selfish, manipulative, or fake, ask: Where does this show up in me? Even in a small, hidden way?

This isn’t about blame. It’s about taking ownership of your inner world.

3. 

Dialogue with the Shadow

Jung encouraged inner dialogue—talking to the parts of yourself that feel foreign or unwanted.

Try journaling from the perspective of your shadow:

• “What do you want from me?”
• “Why do you act out?”
• “What are you afraid of?”

Listen. Don’t judge. Your shadow isn’t evil—it’s exiled. It needs acknowledgment, not punishment.

4. 

Look at Your Persona

Your persona is the mask you wear in the world—your curated, acceptable self. If you’re always the “nice one,” your shadow might be angry or selfish. If you’re the “strong one,” your shadow might feel weak or needy.

Ask: What image do I try to protect?

Then: What might exist on the other side of that image?

5. 

Practice Self-Compassion

Shadow work isn’t about attacking yourself. You’re going to uncover things that are uncomfortable. That’s the point.

But the goal is integration, not shame. You’re not “bad” for having a shadow. You’re human.

This Isn’t Light Work

Shadow work can stir up trauma, buried memories, or emotional intensity. It’s okay to go slow. It’s also okay to seek therapy—especially Jungian or depth therapy—if you’re feeling overwhelmed. This work isn’t about becoming perfect. It’s about becoming real. The parts of you that you’ve buried are still alive. They’re acting out in your habits, your relationships.

Dr. Thomas Lindquist, Psy.D.

Licensed Psychologist

Contact: t.lindquist.psyd@gmail.com