What is Shadow Work?
The Shadow forms because certain qualities do not fit the persona developed for our particular world. What is excluded does not dissolve — it waits. Over time, the unmet Shadow expresses itself through compulsive behaviour, through what we find intolerable in others, or through symptoms.
Shadow work is the Jungian practice of bringing unconscious, rejected, or undeveloped aspects of the self into conscious awareness. It is not about dwelling in darkness — it is about recovering wholeness.
Why the Shadow needs to be met
The Shadow forms because certain qualities do not fit the persona developed for our particular world. What is excluded does not dissolve — it waits. Over time, the unmet Shadow expresses itself through compulsive behaviour, through what we find intolerable in others, or through symptoms.
What shadow work involves
- Noticing what provokes disproportionate reactions in others — and asking what that reveals
- Sitting with feelings the persona has labelled unacceptable
- Working with dreams, which often carry Shadow material in symbolic form
- Exploring the gap between who we present ourselves as and who we actually experience ourselves as
The unexpected result
People often expect to find something shameful. What they frequently find is something they needed. The sensitivity pushed away as weakness turns out to be emotional intelligence.
“Often what annoyed you about them is a part of you within your shadow — a part you don’t want to see. Generally we project the shadow onto someone else and do character assassination, because it is a part of us we don’t like.” — Philippe Jacquet
Book a consultation with Philippe Jacquet — psychotherapist and Jungian analyst, London.