What is Shadow Work?

[Blessed2]

Ever since I've been exploring spiritual videos and forums etc, I've been hearing about shadows and shadow work. It seems to be a very popular subject.

 

Yet I've never quite understood what any of it means.

 

If someone here is more familiar with it, I'd like to hear what this thing is about.

 

Like for example, where is shadow / shadow work coming from? Carl Jung?

 

 

[Blessed2]

8 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

The shadow is all the things in reality that the ego does not want to associate with or identify with.  Shadow work is the fun part.  What you do is trigger the ego and find out what that shadow is.  People get triggered because they have an ego.  This is just a model of thinking, it doesn't have to be literally true.  But it's a very useful model on the path in my opinion.  Some people never get into shadow work probably because they really don't want to deal with their ego.  How can you take responsibility for your ego if you don't think ego exists?  You won't.  At least not directly or as directly as you could.

 

What is the ego?

 

Why doesn't the ego want to associate or identify with certain things?

 

[Orb]

18 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

Ever since I've been exploring spiritual videos and forums etc, I've been hearing about shadows and shadow work. It seems to be a very popular subject.

 

Yet I've never quite understood what any of it means.

 

If someone here is more familiar with it, I'd like to hear what this thing is about.

 

Like for example, where is shadow / shadow work coming from? Carl Jung?

 

 

On the spiritual path the shadow is just the collection of all discordant beliefs and the reactive patterns they cause. 

 

Anything that feels like an incongruency is also the shadow. 

 

Doing the shadow work after spiritual awakening is basically acknowledging that you're still a rascal and letting go of beliefs and behaviors.

[Reena]

I did shadow work on the insistence of Martin in 2018/2019(not sure about the timeline) and I did it for a full week and then the conclusion I arrived at that I was suffering from PTSD associated with family based trauma.

It was very helpful since I was very repressed with my thoughts. I could not understand the nature of my suffering. The shadow work brought wounds to the surface. What I did as a part of the practice was to systematically ask myself deeper and deeper questions and then deeply self reflect and investigate whatever feelings came up. Then ask more and keep exploring my own mind. Finally I broke down as the inner shadows kept coming up. And it was like DAMN, THE WATER BROKE.

That was my first shadow work and I used the techniques given to me by Martin from Actualized who was an expert on shadow work and later he left Actualized after some disagreement with Leo.

 

[Blessed2]

I googled it and Psychology Today said:

 

"The shadow is the repressed parts of ourselves that we find unpleasant or cannot tolerate acknowledging.

 

Shadow work is the unification of who we consciously are with the parts of ourselves that we repress."

 

Hmmm

 

Maybe it's not the "repressed parts" that we find uncomfortable, but really what's going on is that self-referential thoughts feel like they do.

 

[Reena]

It has nothing to do with self referential thoughts. Repression is a way for the mind to avoid confronting something that is stressful.

[Serenity]

While Carl Jung undoubtedly contributed to the understanding and popularization of shadow work within modern psychology by theorizing and developing a model for it, solely attributing its origin to him would be reductive. It's important to recognize that the concept of shadow work existed before Jung's exploration and that there's a phenomenon of "columbusing" involved in claiming it as his discovery. However, it's worth noting that Jung coined the terminology of "the shadow," even though he didn't explicitly use the phrase "shadow work" to describe the process, as far as I am aware.
 

There are numerous cultures that have never been exposed to the teachings of Carl Jung yet possess a profound understanding of the shadow. This idea is evident in various cultural and religious texts, including the Bible. For instance, there's a passage that alludes to it: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" This line illustrates the phenomenon of shadow projection.
 

What I mean by that is, the shadow isn't something invented or created like a tangible device; rather, it's something discovered within oneself, as something that is already there existing. Just like the concept of the ego.

 

I believe Phil isn't particularly fond of the concept of shadow work, and I suspect I understand why. Shadow work begins with a significant concession to Truth: it postulates that there is a distinct self, an ego, that has rejected another part of itself. This concession, however, keeps those who practice it within the framework or loop of the ego, which can be problematic, at least momentarily.
 

So, in a nutshell, shadow work is the process of expanding the ego to align one's self-concept more closely with the reality (actuality) of what someone truly is. This is why I theorize that gradually incorporating a non-dual perspective into shadow work represents a very legitimate gradual path toward enlightenment. Properly done shadow work should lead the ego to burst it's bubble.

The reason I prefer this approach over some more typical Advaita Vedanta/Neo-Advaita, which often focuses on 'Who Am I?', is that the shadow work route helps to avoid the pitfalls of Zen sickness and spiritual bypassing commonly associated with a more Divine Masculine leaning path. Moreover, it is rooted in integrating the non-dual perspective into emotions, the body, and earthly experiences rather than simply 'transcending' them. It is bit more of an ascending path than a descending path, and this suits me well.

 

Shadow work also could be defined as the gradual process of clearing repression stemming from the survival mechanisms within us. These mechanisms shield what seems to be a separate self from merging into the whole, which start to kick in during childhood development. As we navigate life, we find ourselves entangled in a pattern of choosing between survival and authenticity, frequently sacrificing the latter. This results in accumulating a 'repression debt' that necessitates acknowledgment and exploration to reconnect with our authentic selves. Eventually, this quest converges with the realization that our authentic self is indeed the Self.

Edited March 9 by Serenity

[Blessed2]

47 minutes ago, Reena said:

It has nothing to do with self referential thoughts. Repression is a way for the mind to avoid confronting something that is stressful.

 

"Stressful" really just means: feels discordant. Yes? It's a conceptualization of feeling which is present now. Stress isn't really an emotion.

 

Do things feel discordant, or do thoughts feel discordant? Like for example, there being lots of debt someone would call "stressful" or that it feels like worry. But when you sleep, do you experience stress or worry? I mean the debt is still there. But thoughts about debt isn't.

 

So it's obviously thoughts that feel discordant.

 

So in that light, you'd be saying:

 

"Repression is a way for the mind to avoid confronting thoughts that feel discordant."

 

 

How could a thought be confronted or avoided from being confronted?

 

Why is it that some thoughts feel discordant, while others don't, or at least not as discordant as others? Isn't that odd?

 

What would be the gain in not bypassing thoughts that feel discordant?

 

 

Truly, what is the point? If something is 'stressful for the mind', then why not just avoid it? Is the thing going to stop being stressful somehow? Or is the mind going to change so that it won't be stressing out anymore?

 

[Blessed2]

38 minutes ago, Serenity said:

While Carl Jung undoubtedly contributed to the understanding and popularization of shadow work within modern psychology by theorizing and developing a model for it, solely attributing its origin to him would be reductive. It's important to recognize that the concept of shadow work existed before Jung's exploration and that there's a phenomenon of "columbusing" involved in claiming it as his discovery. However, it's worth noting that Jung coined the terminology of "the shadow," even though he didn't explicitly use the phrase "shadow work" to describe the process, as far as I am aware.
 

There are numerous cultures that have never been exposed to the teachings of Carl Jung yet possess a profound understanding of the shadow. This idea is evident in various cultural and religious texts, including the Bible. For instance, there's a passage that alludes to it: "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?" This line illustrates the phenomenon of shadow projection.
 

What I mean by that is, the shadow isn't something invented or created like a tangible device; rather, it's something discovered within oneself, as something that is already there existing. Just like the concept of the ego.

 

I believe Phil isn't particularly fond of the concept of shadow work, and I suspect I understand why. Shadow work begins with a significant concession to Truth: it postulates that there is a distinct self, an ego, that has rejected another part of itself. This concession, however, keeps those who practice it within the framework or loop of the ego, which can be problematic, at least momentarily.
 

So, in a nutshell, shadow work is the process of expanding the ego to align one's self-concept more closely with the reality (actuality) of what someone truly is. This is why I theorize that gradually incorporating a non-dual perspective into shadow work represents a very legitimate gradual path toward enlightenment. Properly done shadow work should lead the ego to burst it's bubble.

The reason I prefer this approach over some more typical Advaita Vedanta/Neo-Advaita, which often focuses on 'Who Am I?', is that the shadow work route helps to avoid the pitfalls of Zen sickness and spiritual bypassing commonly associated with a more Divine Masculine leaning path. Moreover, it is rooted in integrating the non-dual perspective into emotions, the body, and earthly experiences rather than simply 'transcending' them. It is bit more of an ascending path than a descending path, and this suits me well.

 

Shadow work also could be defined as the gradual process of clearing repression stemming from the inherent survival mechanisms within us. These mechanisms shield what seems to be a separate self from merging into the whole, often manifesting during childhood development. As we navigate life, we find ourselves entangled in a pattern of choosing between survival and authenticity, frequently sacrificing the latter. This results in accumulating a 'repression debt' that necessitates acknowledgment and exploration to reconnect with our authentic selves. Eventually, this quest converges with the realization that our authentic self is indeed the Self.

 

Interesting! Thanks.

 

[Reena]

17 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

 

"Stressful" really just means: feels discordant. Yes? It's a conceptualization of feeling which is present now. Stress isn't really an emotion.

 

Do things feel discordant, or do thoughts feel discordant? Like for example, there being lots of debt someone would call "stressful" or that it feels like worry. But when you sleep, do you experience stress or worry? I mean the debt is still there. But thoughts about debt isn't.

 

So it's obviously thoughts that feel discordant.

 

So in that light, you'd be saying:

 

"Repression is a way for the mind to avoid confronting thoughts that feel discordant."

 

 

How could a thought be confronted or avoided from being confronted?

 

Why is it that some thoughts feel discordant, while others don't, or at least not as discordant as others? Isn't that odd?

 

What would be the gain in not bypassing thoughts that feel discordant?

 

 

Truly, what is the point? If something is 'stressful for the mind', then why not just avoid it? Is the thing going to stop being stressful somehow? Or is the mind going to change so that it won't be stressing out anymore?

 

It's not the thoughts that's causes the stress. It's the stuff that caused the thought that is causing the stress.

Shadow is not so much about the present but the repressed past. If you are worried about a debt, then it's a current stressor. It's not shadow though. There are millions of thoughts that are discordant almost everyday. But they don't become our shadow necessarily. Those that are repressed ones are the shadows

And like Serenity said, they are repressed by survivalm  mechanism.

You're looking at superficial shadows. I'm talking about past shadows.

[Jonas Long]

Shadow is a byproduct of light.  There never won't be a shadow.  Except on rainy days.  And at night. 

[Serenity]

41 minutes ago, Blessed2 said:

 

Interesting! Thanks.

 

Thank you!
You are welcome.  😀

[Phil]

😳

 

Shadow work: Acknowledging emotional guidance & Aligning thought with feeling. 

Expediting Shadow Work: Dreamboard. 

 

Carl Jung did not frame shadow work in terms of a separate self, any concession to Truth, nor did he use the term "parts". Jung used terms like “unconscious”, claiming there are “mental processes that occur outside of consciousness”, without noticing that is a thought (consciousness is conscious of), which is a conceptualization of emotion, which is suppression. That overlooking is the belief loop which perpetuates self-judgement, resistance & avoidance of acknowledging emotions which is preventative to clarity, or, awakening. 

[Mandy]

43 minutes ago, Phil said:

 

Expediting Shadow Work: Dreamboard. 

To emphasize this, go directly to dreaming, creating, writing and allowing what you want, don't try to shore up or prove to yourself or your worthiness of it first. 

[Phil]

@Mandy

Amen! ♥️

 

 

Creator-Creating-Creation Contemplation. 

[Someone here]

The shadow is the dark space that occurs when an object prevents the sunlight .

Shadow work is running after the shadow (at the day ) and trying to catch your own shadow .

 

[Serenity]

2 hours ago, Phil said:

😳

 

Shadow work: Acknowledging emotional guidance & Aligning thought with feeling. 

Expediting Shadow Work: Dreamboard. 

 

Carl Jung did not frame shadow work in terms of a separate self, any concession to Truth, nor did he use the term "parts". Jung used terms like “unconscious”, claiming there are “mental processes that occur outside of consciousness”, without noticing that is a thought (consciousness is conscious of), which is a conceptualization of emotion, which is suppression. That overlooking is the belief loop which perpetuates self-judgement, resistance & avoidance of acknowledging emotions which is preventative to clarity, or, awakening. 

 

I didn't state Jung framed shadow work (which is a terminology he didn't use) as a concession to Truth. I said that I am saying that any work assuming there is an ego is a concession to Truth. Which is also something that I am pretty sure I have seen you writing in another post, somewhere?

 

And yes, Jung did frame the shadow as a separate entity from the ego self, and had diverses theories revolving around diverses autonomous parts. Whether he used the word 'parts' himself or not I can't recall, but he definitely talked about conflicting agendas between different elements of the psyche, which is what matters. So I am sincerely confused about why you are saying all of this?

 

Quote

In analytical psychology, the shadow (also known as ego-dystonic complex, repressed id, shadow aspect, or shadow archetype) is an unconscious aspect of the personality that does not correspond with the ego ideal, leading the ego to resist and project the shadow, leading to a conflict with it. In short, the shadow is the self's emotional blind spot - the part the ego does not want to acknowledge - projected as archetypes—or, in a metaphorical sense-image complexes, personified within the collective unconscious; e.g., trickster.[1][2][3][4][5]

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_(psychology)

 

 

 

[Serenity]

3 hours ago, Phil said:

😳

 

Shadow work: Acknowledging emotional guidance & Aligning thought with feeling. 

Expediting Shadow Work: Dreamboard. 

If my Dreamboard include helping a maximum of person through a model they can understand, how am I suppose to do it with these technics when even I and most of the forum still have difficulties integrating your teachings?

 

I am not saying they are not qualitative, as I am benefiting a lot from your insights, but it's a bit of a 'to be conscious, you've got to be conscious' deal to me and I keep on seeing only parts of your points here and there. It also wouldn't be the first time you'll hear this, I am sure. 😕

 

 

 

 

 

[Phil]

2 minutes ago, Serenity said:

any work assuming there is an ego is a concession to Truth. Which is also something that I am pretty sure I have seen you writing in another post, somewhere?

A concession would be to the “ego”… the belief that there is / that one is a separate self. 

 

2 minutes ago, Serenity said:

 

And yes, Jung did frame the shadow as a separate entity from the ego self, and had diverses theories revolving around diverses autonomous parts. Whether he used the word 'parts' himself or not I can't recall, but he definitely talked about conflicting agendas between different elements of the psyche, which is what matters. So I am sincerely confused about why you are saying all of this?

 

Carl Jung did not frame the shadow as a separate entity with autonomous parts within the psyche.

[Phil]

7 minutes ago, Serenity said:

If my Dreamboard include helping a maximum of person through a model they can understand, how am I suppose to do it with these technics when even I and most of the forum still have difficulties integrating your teachings?

Hard to say without a specific reference. From the website, youtube videos and or forum comments, what is being referred to? 

 

7 minutes ago, Serenity said:

I am not saying they are not qualitative, as I am benefiting a lot from your insights, but it's a bit of a 'to be conscious, you've got to be conscious' deal to me and I keep on seeing only parts of your points here and there. It also wouldn't be the first time you'll hear this, I am sure. 😕

I don’t recall saying anything like ‘to be conscious, you’ve got to be conscious’.