Pocket guide

🌑 Shadow Work & Inner Child Healing

Gently meeting the parts of you that went into hiding.

The idea of the shadow comes from psychologist Carl Jung. It's the part of us that holds everything we learned to hide: feelings we were shamed for, needs that weren't welcome, and even good qualities we never felt allowed to own.

Shadow work isn't about getting rid of those parts. It's about gently getting to know them, so they stop running things from behind the curtain. Go slowly. Be kind to whatever you find.

Where to begin

You don't need to dig for the shadow. It shows itself in everyday life. These are the doorways, and the gentle practices for walking through them.

TriggersWhen a reaction is bigger than the momentWhen something small sets off a huge reaction, that's often the shadow waving hello. Triggers are the most common doorway into shadow work.Read more →ProjectionThe mirror in other peopleThe traits that irritate us most in others are often ones we can't accept in ourselves. Projection turns other people into mirrors.Read more →The golden shadowThe gifts you haven't claimedThe shadow doesn't only hold difficult things. It also holds gifts: the qualities you admire so much in others that you never let yourself own.Read more →Repeating patternsWhen the same story keeps happeningSame kind of partner, same argument, same burnout, just a different setting. Patterns that repeat are the shadow asking to be seen.Read more →Your inner childThe younger you who's still in thereYour inner child holds your childhood joys and hurts. When you react with a child's intensity to an adult situation, that younger you is asking for…Read more →ReparentingGiving yourself what you needed thenReparenting means offering yourself the safety, comfort and permission you didn't get as a child. It can start with one sentence.Read more →Shadow work journal promptsQuestions to start withShadow work journal prompts to start gently, then go a little deeper when you're ready. One question at a time is plenty.Read more →

Doing it gently

Go slowly. One prompt or one insight is plenty for a day.
Close every session by grounding: feet on the floor, a few slow breaths, a glass of water, a walk.
The waning and dark moon are traditional times for shadow work, when the energy turns inward.
You're not broken. The shadow formed to protect you. Thank it, even as you get to know it.

When to get support

This is deep inner territory. If you find yourself in real distress, please reach out to a mental health professional alongside your spiritual practice; the two work beautifully together. In the US, you can call or text 988 any time.

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