We often hide everything that is considered ugly, bad, shameful, weird, taboo or socially unacceptable.
This in turn becomes a shadow, the part of us that contains the parts of us that have been shunned, denied, rejected or otherwise negatively condemned by our parents, family members, and different pockets of society growing up.
I realised as a neurodivergent, black woman from a British African background that I was masking as a form of protecting myself from the shame and pain of being me
Do you ever feel like you’re not quite sure who you are or what you want in life? If so, shadow work might be for you! Shadow work for beginners is a process of exploring the parts of yourself that you’ve hidden away or denied. It can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding. In this blog post, we will provide 50 shadow work prompts to help get you started. If you’re ready to find more clarity and self-awareness, then give these prompts a try!
As a trauma-informed coach, I often encourage my clients to do shadow work for healing.
Why? Because it is a powerful way to become more self-aware and to heal old wounds. If you’re not familiar with the term “shadow work,” it simply refers to the process of exploring the parts of yourself that you’ve hidden away or denied. This can be anything from your fears and doubts to your dark thoughts and secret desires.
In order to bring your whole self to work, you need to accept your whole self. This includes the light and the dark. The parts of you that you’re proud of and the parts of you that you’re not so proud of. We all have things about ourselves that we’d like to keep hidden away, but those are often the very things that need to be addressed in order for us to heal and move forward.
Whenever you are triggered by someone or something this is indicative of a shadow part of self that needs healing. It’s an opportunity to explore the wound that is being activated and to do the necessary work to heal it.
It’s important to remember that shadow work is not about getting rid of the parts of yourself that you don’t like. It’s about accepting all of who you are – the good, the bad, and the ugly. We all have aspects of ourselves that we’re not proud of, but that doesn’t mean we need to get rid of them. Shadow work is about learning to accept all parts of yourself so that you can move forward in life with more self-awareness and clarity.
If you’re interested in doing shadow work, then I encourage you to give these prompts a try. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to do shadow work. Just go with whatever feels right for you. And don’t forget to be gentle with yourself. This is a process of self-discovery and healing, so go easy on yourself if you stumble along the way.
What are some things you’ve been avoiding or denying about yourself?
What are some things you’d like to change or improve about yourself?
The Benefit of Shadow Work Exercises
You can’t heal what you don’t reveal.
As a trauma informed healer I know that
Shadow work is the practice of exploring everything that is buried within you – whether light or dark, positive or negative.
Through the simple (but often confronting) process of introspective journaling, you are taking a vital step
towards living a more harmonious, joyful, whole, and meaningful life.
The benefits of shadow work exercises include:
MATURITY
CLEARER PERCEPTION
IMPROVED RELATIONSHIPS
CREATIVITY
ENHANCED ENERGY AND PHSYICAL HEALTH
The downside to repressing parts of ourselves is that this part of ourself begins to fester and amplify, sabotaging our lives.
How do you practice shadow work?
The following shadow work prompts will help you to do the wholeness work, which is imperative if you want to finally stop self-sabotaging, if you haven’t seen my previous post on how to do shadow work then go check it out because it helps you create the container for real transformation.
What are some good shadow work prompts?
The prompts that are good ones are ones that make you really uncomfortable
The ones you actually explore
The ones you learn to create new stories from
The ones that you give yourself permission to feel
Think about it like this
If you can ask questions that you already “know” the answer to
But you are still living in a misaligned way that goes back into survival mode
Spend some time reflecting on these questions and see what comes up for you. Then, choose one or two of the shadow work prompts below to start with.
Shadow work can be challenging but also incredibly rewarding. It’s an opportunity to get to know yourself on a deeper level and to heal old wounds. If you’re ready to find more clarity and self-awareness, then give shadow work a try! Here are 50 shadow work prompts to get you started:
50 Shadow Work Questions To Help Integrate Your Wholeness
The following shadow work prompts will help you to regulate your emotions so that once you explore these they will no longer be the albatross around your neck, sabotaging you unconsciously
1. What things have triggered you this week? Consider where those irrational feelings stem from.
2. What don’t you want anyone to know about you? Think about where you may be masking in your life and how much energy you will claim back when you stop
3. How judged do you tend to feel ona daily basis? And if you were to explore these judgements how many of these would be self imposed?
4. Pinpoint something that’s really frustrating/upsetting you at the moment. Now think of your fav comedy and write from that perspective
5. How can you begin to give other people more space and acceptance to be themselves around you?
6. When you think of the people that have hurt you in your life, how has that changed how you show up? Write a letter to yourself claiming back your spotlight
7. Where in your life are you playing small? And what does like look, sound, feel or smell like when you are playing small (what are the indicators, so you can spot it in the future). Answering this question to help with expansion
8. What positive traits do people always say about you? And what do you have trouble accepting about these traits?
9. What causes you to get angry or defensive? And what is the earliest memory that this pattern derives from?
10. Where in your life do you tend to expect other people to agree with your beliefs? (And what is the energy you give off when others don’t agree with you?)
11. What’s the one thing you know you need to do but keep avoiding? Write it down. Then write a step-by-step description of actually doing it. Include every action which would need to be involved in order to get it done. At the end of the exercise, explore how you feel.
12. I feel like I’m not good enough.
13. I’m afraid of being rejected.
14. I’m afraid of being alone.
15. I’m afraid of not being good enough.
16. I feel like I’m not worthy of love or attention.
17. I feel like I have to be perfect.
18. I feel like I’m not doing enough.
19. I feel like I’m not good enough at _.
20. I struggle with _.
21. I have a hard time _.
22. I feel like I’m not enough _.
23. I feel like I need to be more _.
24. I feel like I should be further along in life by now.
25. I’m ashamed of _.
26. I’m embarrassed by _.
27. I hate _ about myself.
28. I’m disgusted by _.
29. I feel like a failure because _.
30. I feel like I’m not living up to my potential.
31. I feel like I’m not doing what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.
32. I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing with my life.
33. I feel lost and confused.
34. I feel like I’m just going through the motions and not really living.
35. I feel like life is passing me by.
36. I feel stuck.
37. I feel like I’m in a rut.
38. I feel like I’ve hit a wall.
39. I feel like I’m stuck in the same cycle of _.
40. I keep making the same mistakes over and over again.
41. I feel like I’m repeating the same pattern in my _.
42. I feel like something is missing from my life.
43. I have a sense that there’s more to life than this.
45. I feel like I’m searching for something but I don’t know what it is.
46. I feel like I’m missing out on something.
47. I want _ but I don’t know how to get it.
48. I want _ but I’m afraid of _
49. I want _ but I don’t know if I’m worthy of it.
50. I want _ but I don’t know if I deserve it.
Take some time to reflect on these shadow work prompts. What resonates with you? Choose one or two to focus on and start exploring your shadows. Remember, there is no right or wrong way to do this. Just go with whatever feels right for you. Be gentle with yourself and trust that you will find your way.
Start by simply becoming aware of the shadows in your life. What are you avoiding or denying? What do you judge about yourself? What do you feel ashamed of? Spend some time journaling about these things. Write down whatever comes to mind, no matter how dark or difficult it may be.
The goal is not to get rid of your shadows but to understand and accept them.
Do you want some help to shift even more?
Book a time to meet it’s time to transmute the energy into the light, now!
* Disclaimer* Healing & income statements made by this video are ONLY examples of what others have achieved. There is no guarantee that you see these results as they differ by individual. Some of the links mentioned are affiliate links, the product is at no extra cost to you but helps to keep this channel.
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