Shadow Work

Shadow characteristics are mostly formed by shame.

Being so much a part of who we are, we are yet terrified of the shadow. We feel that it will pull us down back into our savage past, and our hard-won battle for the light of consciousness will have been for nothing. We make desperate attempts to deny the shadow, employing a whole range of ego-defenses for this purpose. Projection, splitting,... See more

Projection of a severe conscience[37] is another form of defense

the power of the shadow, its capacity to possess us (“He is not himself today”)

In victim blaming, the victim of someone else's actions or bad luck may be offered criticism, the theory being that the victim may be at fault for having attracted the other person's hostility. According to some theorists, in such cases, the psyche projects the experiences of weakness or vulnerability with the aim of ridding itself of the feelings... See more

There are four basic steps in Jungian Shadow Work

1. Accept the truth that our shadow traits cannot be repressed out of existence.


2. Introspect and accept the root of each shadow trait.


3. Work to bring aspects of shadow traits into the light.


4. Allow shadow traits to express themselves in healthy ways.

In a sense, shadow work serves as a confessional. In exchange for your innocence, you will be delivered catharsis, self-authenticity, and more compassion for others.

Projection

Reviewed by Psychology Today Staff

Projection is the process of displacing one’s feelings onto a different person, animal, or object. The term is most commonly used to describe defensive projection—attributing one’s own unacceptable urges to another.