4 Quotes That Will Introduce You to Shadow Work

Over the past few years, almost every workshop I’ve led has involved, in one way or another, something called “shadow work.”

I’ve written a longer explainer on my own approach to shadow work and somatic shadow work, in particular, but here’s the gist of it using some of my favorite quotes from psychologists and practitioners.

What is the Shadow?

Carl Jung, the famous psychoanalyst who first began exploring the idea of internal shadows, wrote that the shadow is the “sum total of all the unpleasant qualities we like to hide.” He described it as the “dark side” of our personality, containing all the things we’d rather not acknowledge are present or real.

Breaking it down a bit, James Hollis says: “Expressed in its most functional way, the Shadow is composed of all those aspects of ourselves that have a tendency to make us uncomfortable with ourselves…it is what discomforts the sense of self we wish to have.”

My practical takeaway: we all have shadows – these are the aspects of ourselves we’d rather not deal with, that we’d rather reject or ignore, and that we certainly don’t want others to see.

(Note: some psychologists and practitioners refer to The Shadow as a singular part of us; others, including myself, use the plural to describe different shadows we hold.)

What is Somatic Shadow Work?

If we all have shadows, somatic shadow work is a process of learning to see them, sit with them, move with them, and notice their impact in our day-to-day: in our bodies, our inner narratives, our relationships, and our actions.

It isn’t about destroying these parts of ourselves, but rather, as Andrea Owen teaches, about “facing the parts of ourselves that we have been taught to reject or hide away.” And not just in a cognitive way – this inner work has to be engaged holistically as we find “the courage to acknowledge and integrate these parts so we can live more fully and authentically.”

It’s integration work, not annihilation work: a descent into a deeper awareness of our inherent dignity underneath the layers of protections we’ve crafted for ourselves.

Whether it’s done in a therapeutic manner with a mental health professional, a healing space with friends, or a workshop with a guide, Richard Rohr reminds us of the importance of this work: “We need to consciously acknowledge the shadow, especially in ourselves, and work to integrate it, or we will be at its mercy.”

Want to experience shadow work?

Check out my free 5-day email series helping people to quit running on autopilot and become more intentional in their lives. Over the course of five days you’ll be invited into doing your own shadow work at the personal, communal, and societal levels. Check it out here!