In today's episode of The Embodied Podcast we discussed the psychological shadow.
Psychological shadows are near and dear to my heart because I believe they are the most misunderstood part of our healing journey.
It is very hard to stay open and curious to the shadow, but if we can learn to dance with our shadows, we open ourselves to ALL of our being and start to access deeper and more authentic versions of ourselves.
Below I have listed a few of my favorite prompts to building a relationship with you shadow.
To listen to today's episode, click here.
When we start to ask questions about the shadow, we can start to understand:
-Its origin
-Its motivation
-Whether it has a connection to our self-image that we or others have created that we feel we must live up to
-Its effect on our feelings, thoughts, or actions
-Its roots in particular memories and experiences from our lives
Journaling Prompts
Because your shadow thrives on shame, think about the areas of shame in your life and stream of consciousness style journal on the following questions:
1. What private thoughts do you have that no one knows about that embarrass you to think about?
2. What traits in your self do you wish you could get rid of?
3. In what ways do you feel unacceptable, dirty, or shameful?
4. Whom do you hate or judge the most?
5. What group of people repulses you?
6. What can you not stand in your family members or friends?
7. What do you crave most deeply?
8. What desires do you limit because if you do not you will succumb to addiction?
9. What do you wish you could say, but cannot?
10. In what ways do you long to change?
Any time your inner critic, your inner victim, your inner self- saboteur /self-deprecating voice speaks up, ask it the following questions and then listen.
o How does it really, honestly, make me feel when I speak to myself like that?
o Why do I believe this thought is true?
o Do I have any underlying motivations here that I’m not facing?
o Do I deny this feeling often or projecting it onto others?
o Is this thought related to a way I would like to be or people have told me I “should” be?
o How does this thought-pattern affect how I behave, think, feel towards myself and others?
o How would I be without this thought?
If you found this work impactful and desire to dive deeper into shadow work, head over to our 1-1 Coaching page and
schedule your free discovery call with Danielle to see if it's a right fit.
Click here to listen to Episode 3: Dancing with the Shadow
