#Shadow work journal free pdf pdf

“You’re upset because there’s been a part of you that’s been hiding out for a long time… and wants to come out.” “Think about the times when you feel something bubbling inside of you, and you’re wondering why you’re so upset,” Short says. Short likens shadow work to peeling back the layers of an onion. Keep a running log of when you have a strong emotion, what triggered it, and any accompanying sensations. “Being able to log what those emotions… and sensations are that you noticed can help you see patterns.” Getting started “The shadow is most apparent in strong emotions,” she says. She says signs include feeling like you had a “gut punch” or felt your chest tightening. Sweeton suggests people who are new to shadow work keep a running log of times they have a strong emotion and what triggered it. “Someone who’s been doing it for a long time is going to be more skilled at this.” “You’re going to have to be intentional about noticing your own reactions,” Sweeton says. It takes time, and beginners have to develop more awareness of emotions they might otherwise shrug off. What beginners should knowĪccording to Sweeton, patients don’t simply start doing shadow work. “When you’re hiding nothing from yourself and can see yourself fully, it’s a lot easier to be in control of yourself,” Sweeton says.īefore you begin shadow work, there are a few things to keep in mind. For instance, people who were taught that wanting to be close with someone was “clingy” may have trouble in future relationships and cheat on a partner.Įxploring one’s shadow can help people find more constructive habits. Sweeton says our shadow self can cause destructive behaviors. “It helps you look at your family structure and makes you think, ‘Is this something I want to continue with my family?’” Short says. “You’re always doing the work of healing yourself, healing your parents, and healing the lineage, especially when you start to address generational traumas within the shadow experience,” Short says.Īnd it can also help you think about your approach to caregiving, should you have children. Shadow work can heal wounds from childhood, often brought on by primary caregivers like a parent. “You may develop boundaries and learn to speak your truth ,” Short says. And you can use that introspection in relationships.įor example, perhaps you were told not to “talk back” during childhood, and you have trouble standing up for yourself as an adult. “When I do ‘parts’ work with clients, it’s to help them understand that they can become whole and always have been, but life experiences that made them feel disjointed.” It can help how you interact with othersĪs you gain more self-awareness, Short says you’ll learn to trust yourself more. “A lot of people talk about themselves in parts,” Short says. There isn’t peer-reviewed research on shadow work, but Short says it can give you a more holistic view of yourself. learning healthy ways to meet your needs.feeling whole or integrated as a person.

#Shadow work journal free pdf pdf

*** I have purposely made this into a downloadable document (hurrah!) Print out your PDF HERE. … And She is slippery, irrational (in all the best ways), and not entirely of his world. Journaling as a part of shadow work is a process of tapping into the unconscious

The reason for this, is that it activates your right brain – the part of your brain that is non-rational, non-linear, and connected to mythic times and places. Journaling like this, using these shadow work journal prompts needs to be done by hand. SIt down in the garden if it’s sunny, if not then smooch up into a comfortable place where you can both feel at ease and write comfortably. And lordy, pushing yourself into emotional spaces when you don’t actually need to isn’t what any of us want to be doing right now! So trying to find our way back to them, to create some kind of meeting point is not only counterintuitive but emotional. Let’s be honest: Shadow work can be uncomfortable.īy its very nature, it’s not an easy path – the shadow contains parts of ourselves that we pushed away. But the truth is that writing in response to shadow work journal prompts as a method for meeting your shadow can be uncomfortable. And I’d like to use that as an excuse for why I didn’t do this work for so long. But it’s kinda true 😉 I resisted journaling for a long, long time. Shadow work journal prompts are like the gateway drug for shadow work…