Posted on October 30, 2025

Introduction

In September, we explored the healing power of stories, and in October we looked at the stories we tell ourselves.
Those posts invited us to notice how the narratives we’ve absorbed, from family, culture, and even our own inner voice shape our beliefs and behavior.
As we move into November and the days grow shorter, it feels natural to turn toward the darker, quieter places within.
This month’s post introduces the idea of shadow work a practice rooted in Jungian psychology that invites us to gently explore the parts of ourselves we tend to hide, ignore, or disown.

Shadow work is not about uncovering something “bad” and banishing it.
Carl Jung used the term shadow to describe the aspects of personality that we repress or dislike.
He believed that the shadow isn’t purely negative; it also contains creative impulses and gifts.
By integrating the shadow with our more public persona, we gain a fuller understanding of ourselves and can learn to manage impulses we might otherwise ignore.

Key idea: Every person has a shadow.
Embracing it honestly is a crucial step toward living authentically.

What Is Shadow Work?

Shadow work is a psychodynamic process that invites us to explore the parts of our psyche that remain hidden or uncomfortable – our fears, resentments, rejected emotions, and desires.
Exploring and integrating these repressed parts of ourselves fosters personal growth and healing.
Ignoring our shadow can lead to unresolved triggers and selfsabotage, while working with it encourages selfacceptance and authenticity.

The Shadow Self

Jung described the shadow as a counterweight to the persona – the mask we wear in public.
The shadow includes traits we’d rather not admit to: anger, jealousy, greed, vulnerability, or even positive qualities like creativity that were discouraged when we were young.
These aspects often lurk outside our conscious awareness but influence our choices and reactions.
Psychology Today summarizes it simply: shadow work means being honest about the unpleasant and unwanted parts of our personality.

Why Do Shadow Work?

Working with the shadow has several benefits:

Greater selfawareness and compassion.
By recognizing our unconscious traits, we stop projecting them onto others and start addressing them ourselves.
This awareness opens the door to more compassionate relationships and selfacceptance.
Access to hidden strengths.
Jung believed that the shadow holds positive impulses like creativity.
Many people discover dormant talents or passions once they make space for the parts of themselves, they’ve disowned.
Less selfsabotage.
When suppressed emotions or beliefs remain unconscious, they tend to show up as destructive habits, triggers, or shame.
Acknowledging the shadow reduces its grip on our lives.
Authentic living.
Embracing all parts of ourselves – pleasant and unpleasant – helps us show up more fully in our relationships and work.
As Jung wrote, “How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow?”.

Is Shadow Work Safe?

Shadow work is not a quick or easy fix.
It can be difficult and upsetting, especially for people with trauma or serious mental health concerns.
Beginners are encouraged to go slowly, practice selfcare, and seek support from a trained therapist if needed.
A compassionate professional can guide you through intense emotions and help you integrate the work with your overall healing.
If you’re currently dealing with trauma, depression, or anxiety, please talk to a mental health provider before doing deep shadow work.

Unearthing the Shadow

Shadow work begins with noticing.
Our unconscious traits reveal themselves through recurring patterns, emotional triggers, or the qualities in others that irritate us.
Psychology Today suggests a simple exercise:
Think of a person you dislike, list the traits you detest, then put your own name at the top – those traits are often reflections of your own shadow.
Similarly, you can explore prompts like: What are your biggest triggers and where do they come from? or What do your recent dreams tell you about your fears?.

Here are a few gentle ways to begin uncovering your shadow:

Notice your reactions. Pay attention to strong emotional responses (anger, envy, defensiveness). Ask yourself, What story am I telling about myself right now?
Track repeating patterns. Do you find yourself in the same kind of conflict or relationship over and over? Patterns are breadcrumbs leading to a hidden belief or unexpressed need.
Reflect on projections. What bothers you in other people? Often, the traits we judge in others mirror aspects of ourselves we haven’t accepted.
Use prompts and journaling. Shadow work prompts can help you explore fears, shame, negative selftalk, and hidden desires. Freewriting without judgment allows unconscious material to surface.
Pay attention to dreams. Jung valued dreams as doorways to the unconscious. Recording dreams and looking for repeated themes can reveal hidden emotions or unresolved conflicts.

Personal Reflection: Facing My Own Shadow

As you move through these practices, it may help to hear what shadow work has looked like in my own life. For years I tried to push away memories that made me cringe or feel shame. Those thoughts would resurface at the worst moments, and they reinforced a narrative of “I am bad” and “I am unworthy.” I felt trapped and unable to grow.

When I finally committed to shadow work, I unearthed all the hidden stories and feelings I’d been avoiding. It was painful at first. I often left a journaling session or therapy appointment feeling raw and ashamed. But there came a pivotal point when I realized that accepting, yes, I did or said or acted in those ways — and that was part of who I was at the time — did not mean I had to carry shame forever. Acknowledging my actions allowed me to start healing the trauma beneath them. As I wrote in my journal:

“I have spent most of my life pushing away thoughts about some of the things I have done that made me cringe or feel shame… these same thoughts and events popped up over and over, always when I was either busy or unprepared… then I started doing the shadow work… at first it was very difficult… then came a pivotal point where I realized that accepting yes I did or said or acted that way and that is part of who I was at the time however I am not that now and I do not have to spend the rest of my life beating myself up over it.”

This reframing helped me see the difference between shame and guilt. Shame says, “I am bad,” while guilt says, “I did a bad thing.” That distinction freed me to say: I am a caring person who has made mistakes. It shifted something inside. I began to feel calmer and more settled. The work continues — shadow work is never a onetime task — but accepting my past actions without letting them define me opened the door to deeper healing.

If you choose to include personal reflections in your own shadow work, remember that your experiences may look different. What matters is approaching them with honesty and compassion. There is no rush, and you can always return to lighter practices if it feels overwhelming.

Shadow Work as a Seasonal Practice

November’s longer nights and cooler weather offer a natural invitation to slow down. Many of us feel drawn inward, reflecting on the year’s lessons. Shadow work aligns beautifully with this season of darkness:

Darkness as teacher. Like the trees releasing leaves and resting their roots, we can let go of superficial expectations and turn toward deeper truths.
Creating rituals. You might light a candle, brew tea, or take a reflective walk at dusk before journaling or meditating on what surfaced that day.
Cultural connection. Many traditions around this time of year (like Samhain or Día de los Muertos) honor ancestors and the unseen world. You could incorporate a remembrance practice to connect with lineage and seek wisdom.

Remember: the shadow isn’t purely negative. In darkness, seeds germinate, and ideas incubate. Approached with compassion, shadow work can be a fertile ground for renewal.

Reflection Prompts for November ✍️

What am I most afraid others will discover about me?
When I feel shame or anger, what is the underlying story I tell myself?
Who triggers me, and what do those triggers reveal about my own shadow?
What creative or intuitive gifts might be hiding beneath my fear?
How can I practice patience and compassion toward the parts of myself I usually hide?

Take your time with these. You don’t have to answer all at once. Listen to what surfaces without judging or rushing to fix it. If the process feels overwhelming, consider working with a traumainformed therapist who can hold space for your exploration.

Final Thoughts

Shadow work asks us to sit with discomfort and explore aspects of ourselves that we learned to hide. It can feel scary, messy, and vulnerable. At the same time, it offers profound opportunities for healing, authenticity, and renewed creativity. As Jung observed, becoming whole involves embracing both light and dark.

Just like rewriting the stories we tell ourselves, shadow work is ongoing, not a oneanddone exercise. You may revisit the same belief many times as new layers of meaning emerge. Go slowly, rest when you need to, and be gentle with yourself. Integrate the insights that arise and then step away to let them settle. Your inner work deserves the same patience and care you would offer a dear friend.

Reminder: Please take care of yourself while doing this work. Seeking support if painful memories or feelings arise. It’s okay to take breaks and to move forward only when you feel ready. You are worthy of compassion in every season.

Citations

Medical News Today – Explanation of shadow work and Jung's theorymedicalnewstoday.com.
Medical News Today – Jung's view that the shadow holds positive impulsesmedicalnewstoday.com.
Medical News Today – Goal of integrating shadow and personamedicalnewstoday.com.
Psychology Today – Key idea that embracing your shadow is vital to authenticitypsychologytoday.com.
BetterUp – Benefits of shadow work and exploring your shadow selfbetterup.com.
BetterUp – Hidden traits, triggers, and selfsabotagebetterup.com.
BetterUp – The importance of self-awareness, support, and authenticitybetterup.com.
Medical News Today – Jung's shadow vs persona descriptionmedicalnewstoday.com.
BetterUp – Shadow includes hidden traits, both undesirable and creativebetterup.com.
Psychology Today – Shadow work definitionpsychologytoday.com.
BetterUp – Encouraging creativity and hidden strengthsmedicalnewstoday.com betterup.com.
BetterUp – Consequences of ignoring shadowbetterup.com.
Psychology Today – Shadow work leads to authentic livingpsychologytoday.com.
Psychology Today – Jung quote about light and shadowpsychologytoday.com.
Medical News Today – Shadow work can be difficult; go slowlymedicalnewstoday.com medicalnewstoday.com.
Psychology Today – Exercise to identify your shadowpsychologytoday.com.
Medical News Today – Prompts for exploring triggers and dreamsmedicalnewstoday.com medicalnewstoday.com.

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