The Shadow Self

Shadow work is the most deep-rooted, root canal work a person can dive into emotionally and spiritually. It is when someone is brutally honest with themselves about who they are, where their personal issues and emotions stem from, the part of themselves they are trying to hide, suppress, and deny, and how they can step out of their shadow and into their light.

According to C.G. Jung, "The shadow is that hidden, repressed, for the most part, an inferior and guilt-laden personality whose ultimate ramifications reach back into the realm of our animal ancestors and so compromise the whole historical aspect of the unconscious." He also defines the shadow as parts of the personality rejected by the ego.

Diving into shadow work is not an easy task. I know for myself when I've done shadow work, panic attacks, anxiety, and loss of breath take over my whole body. I experience chills and sweat, and my hands tremble as if I am being attacked; attacked by my own shadow.

Having battled with depression, I embraced a self-discovery journey through deep inner work: this kind of healing work is both humiliating and liberating. The only way to heal from this kind of work is by speaking the truth: the truth to not only what's been bottled up inside of us, facing those who hurt us, but the truth to one's own decisions, choices and the truth to who we truly are.

Through my own inner work, I have discovered that I have a Quiet Mind. For most of my life, I wouldn't speak about my feelings or who I truly was within my soul; limited beliefs and the worrisome of what others may think kept me from stepping outside of my shadow. Through my own inner work and journaling, I have come to find the answers.

How does shadow work begin?

It begins by removing each layer of the shadow into the light. Embracing ourselves like a peeled onion that leaves us with tears. Our shadow, for the most part, is filled with many faces that include fear, anger, control, ego, criticism, and a feeling of shame and guilt. It's the shadow self that keeps beating us up, knocking us down and keeping us from moving forward.

What to know before and during shadow work:

• We're all human
• No one is perfect
• Everyone has their own shadow
• Everyone faces fear and life challenges
• People tend to hide their true emotions
• Many of us were raised with limited beliefs
• Everyone is on their own spiritual path
• We are all connected

According to the article Bringing Your Shadow Out of The Dark, Robert Augustus Masters states, "Deep shadow-work does not leave us intact; it is not some neat and tidy process but rather an inherently messy one, as vital and unpredictably alive as birth. The pain it brings up is the pain we've been fleeing or suppressing most of our life; the psychoemotional breakdowns it catalyzes are the precursors to hugely relevant breakthroughs; the doors it opens are portals that have shown up year after year in our dreams, awaiting our entry. Such shadow-work not only breaks us down but also breaks us open, turning frozen yesterday into fluid now."

Shadow work is when we hide our deepest most emotional scars. It is when we hide behind our *shadows* or in other words *our true broken selves.* It is putting pen to paper and cutting our veins so deep we draw emotional blood, sweat and tears. It is digging deep into our souls and admitting to why we are the way we are. It's when we are so brutally honest with ourselves that we feel like we are going to go into cardiac arrest. This is how I felt and still feel when doing my own shadow work.

Hiding behind our shadow leaves us catatonic. It keeps us in fear which then keeps us from moving forward in our personal lives, relationships and business. The truth is we are all human. As human beings and spiritual souls, we just want to be set free and allow our authentic selves to shine through.

Connecting to our shadow allows us to embrace who we really are. It allows us to break open our shell and be born again.