Shadow Work Journal Prompts You NEED For Deep Inner Healing

We all have a secret shadow side that is impulsive, jealous, angry, deceitful, and lonely that we work to bury beneath the social mask we present to the world every day. Our shadow selves may appear briefly from time to time, but other times they may take complete control and completely upend our lives. Shadow work is an exercise in exploring one’s hidden “shadow.”

The following shadow work journal prompts will help you bring this shadow self to the surface so you can create a pathway to healing, self-awareness, self-acceptance, and compassion.

What is the “Shadow Self”?

The Shadow Self theory was originally coined and explored by Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, Carl Jung.

The shadow is the “dark side” of our personality because it consists chiefly of primitive, negative human emotions and impulses like rage, envy, greed, selfishness, jealousy, and the striving for power. This hidden place lurking within your unconscious mind contains all of your secrets, repressed feelings, and parts deemed “unacceptable,” shameful, “sinful” or even “evil” by society. All we deny in ourselves—whatever we perceive as inferior, evil, or unacceptable—become part of the shadow.

Of course, there is more to Carl Jung’s theories on the shadow side. To keep this article short and sweet, I’m not going to dive that deep into Jung’s work. If this is something you’d like to learn more about, make sure to read The Undiscovered Self, The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious, & The Red Book. These books encapsulate Jung’s theories on the collective unconscious & the categorization of personalities into 8 different archetypes. His work is mind-bending and transformative, but definitely not easy (or fun) to read. Reading Carl Jung triggered my spiritual awakening so definitely proceed with caution.

The Problem with NOT doing shadow work

Many of us go to great lengths to protect our self-image from anything unflattering or unfamiliar.

So what happens to all the parts of ourselves we sweep out of view?

These unexamined or disowned parts of our personalities hide in our subconscious, where they still influence us and express themselves, for example, through feelings of anger or jealousy.

When the human Shadow is shunned, it tends to undermine and sabotage our lives. It acts as the root cause of our behaviors we wouldn’t voluntarily do and later regret (if we catch it). We say things we wouldn’t say. Our facial reactions express emotions we don’t consciously feel. Addictions, low self-esteem, mental illness, chronic illnesses, and various neuroses are all attributed to the Shadow Self.

Remaining unconscious of the shadow hurts our relationships with our spouses, family, and friends, and it will impact our professional relationships and leadership abilities.

Projections are one of the most prevalent types of Shadow rejection. Seeing things in others that are genuinely within ourselves is referred to as projection. We frequently “see” these disowned qualities in the world around us and we tend to strive to punish that which makes us most uncomfortable about the aspect of ourselves that we have not accepted.

If we don’t change, we don’t grow. If we don’t grow, we are not really living. Growth demands a temporary surrender of security.
– Gail Sheehy

How to use your shadow to improve your life

All throughout the history of humanity, shadow work has played a powerful yet mysterious role in helping us discover what is at the root of our individual and collective mental illness, physical dis-ease, and even insanity resulting in crimes of all kinds.

Owning your shadow will allow you to observe your default programming, understand how your thoughts and emotions influence your behavior, rewire cognitive biases, and change ingrained habits. When you acquire a deeper understanding of your triggers, you will no longer respond irrationally in tough situations.

You could heal generational trauma. Childhood trauma, frequently caused by primary caregivers like parents, can be healed through the use of shadow work. Taking a deeper look into your parents’ behaviors and flaws can help you gain clarity on what type of generational trauma perpetuates in your family. If you are planning to have children in the future, shadow work helps you look at your family structure and makes you think, ‘Is this something I want to continue with my family?

Shadow work isn’t for everyone. You shouldn’t do these shadow work journal prompts if you struggle with severe trauma or low self-esteem. Shadow work journal prompts should only be undertaken by those who have healthy and stable self-worth and a friendly relationship with themselves. Consider seeing a licensed therapist to explore your shadow self safely. Exploring your demons may spiral into self-hatred (especially if you’re going through the Dark Night of the Soul).

Are you ready?

Today I put together a series of questions that will help you explore your shadow side a little more.

Free up some time within your schedule to do these shadow work journal prompts – it’s important to be by yourself and remain uninterrupted for at least an hour. I personally free up an entire day so that I can really understand and process my feelings. Do whatever you like to make this feel like a ritual: Make some tea, light some incense, take a few deep breaths. Get comfy, and when you feel ready, grab a pen and paper.

I guarantee that you’re not going to like how some of these questions make you feel but use this uneasiness as a guide that shows you that there is work that needs to be done.

Search for what triggers you (what are you not seeing), patterns (how does this manifest in the daily), and projections (how do you present these patterns to the world?), in the experiences that keep repeating in your life. Follow the pain to find the answers.

What do you do after answering these shadow work journal prompts?

One of my favorite practices after answering these questions and writing my shadow a letter is setting the paper on fire after.

What do you do after the realization that the one person who annoys you most in the world…is actually yourself?

Reflect. Cry. Process. Forgive. Heal.

Let’s dive in, shall we?

Past

What is something your younger self needed but never received? How can you give this to your inner child?

What were you like as a child? Is there any aspect of your childlike self that you’ve lost touch with that you miss? What caused you to lose touch with that part of yourself?

What(or who) made you start doubting yourself as a kid?

What is your first memory of an adult you trusted betraying your trust? How did you react? What were they dealing with personally at the time that might have been wrongfully projected onto you? How has that affected how you trust people?

Pinpoint the time you lost your innocence as a child. How have you treated yourself since?

What are your parents’ worst and best personality traits? Do you see any of them in yourself?

What is something your parents did that damaged your idea of relationships with others? i.e: in your platonic and romantic relationships

Write a letter to your parents with everything you want to say to them.

Who hurt you the most in life and what would you say to them now? How does the resentment towards this person manifest in your daily life today? In what ways has the unwillingness to forget this experience still create problems in your life today? How can you forgive this person?

Write a letter to the person who hurt you the most.

What do you need to forgive yourself for?

What makes you angry or sad even to this day?

Name everything about your past that you still feel ashamed of. Why did these experiences happen? Are you to blame? How have you grown since then? What parts of you still remain in this experience?

Do you still hold yourself accountable for the pain and hurt you endured in your life? Why or why not?

What is something your younger self would be surprised about you now?

Are you still living in the past? What would living 100% in the present look like?

Read The Latest Self-Improvement Tips:

50+ Thoughtful End-of-Year Reflection Questions To Review Your 2022 Year
7 Areas Of Focus To Create A Vision For The Life You Want
Unapologetically You: How To Choose Yourself & Create Success on Your Own Terms
35 Inspirational Quotes For Confidence & Motivation

Present

Describe yourself as a person and be as brutally honest as possible. Include positive and negative traits

What emotion do you try to avoid? (ie. anger, resentment, sadness, grief) What triggers this within you? What makes you afraid to feel it? What do you think will happen if you allow yourself to feel these emotions?

How do you believe people see you? How would they describe you to someone else? How does that make you feel?

What is a quality or personality trait that you hope people won’t find out about you? Why do you hide these parts of yourself? In what ways do these traits benefit your life?

What tends to make you judgmental toward others?

What are the worst traits someone can have, according to you? When did you demonstrate these traits?

How do you react when something doesn’t turn out the way you want it to?

How long do you think about failures?

How do you handle criticism from others? What do you feel is the difference between a personal attack and constructive criticism?

Do you find it hard to forgive? Why?

Do you self-isolate from others? If you do, what is the trigger?

How much do you rely on external validation?

Do you feel misunderstood? If yes, what misconceptions do people have about you?

Do you tend to reject or embrace change?

Have you ever felt embarrassed about who you are? Why?

What are you most ashamed of about yourself?

What makes you feel jealous? When does this feeling come up?

What personality traits do you see in others that you wish you had? How do you feel when you’re around people with these traits?

What about your future/present are you most afraid of? How is this fear protecting you? What are some ways you could safely expose yourself to this fear?

What is your biggest struggle with loving yourself? What prevents you from liking yourself?

What grudges do you hold against yourself? Write a letter of forgiveness to this part of you.

What’s the biggest lie you keep telling to yourself? How do these lies comfort you? How do these lies hold you back?

Do you place too much of your personal value on your level of productivity? What words or feelings do you associate with “rest” “work” “success” and “failure”?

Where/When are you hardest on yourself? Why do you put yourself under so much pressure? Who in your life (past/present) are you trying to please by doing so?

What is a promise you’ve made to yourself that you continue to break and why?

How worthy do you honestly believe you are?

What is stopping you from reaching your full potential and goals? How have your fears of success stopped you from reaching your full potential, and goals & moving forward in life?

What aspects of your life do you project onto others in a very unhealthy way?

Who do you take your anger out on the most?

What causes you to overthink something that you’ve said to somebody? Is it shame, guilt, etc? If you apologized, do you think it would help both of you?

What are your toxic traits in relationships? Platonic and romantic. How do you self-sabotage these relationships?

What’s the most hurtful thing you’ve done to yourself?

What toxic cycles are you choosing to perpetuate and why?

In what ways are you being a bad role model to others?

Write about a time in your life when you opened up to someone and felt rejected after

How can you cope with your sadness in a healthy way? Remember: crying is healthy.

How can you be kinder to yourself? In what ways are you consciously or unconsciously punishing yourself?

What are the first signs when your mental health is deteriorating?

What is your current relationship with your parents like? Do you still resent them? How does your relationship with your parent(s) affect the other relationships in your life?

What relationships/friendships do you have that are unhealthy? Who brings out the worst in you? Why do you hold onto these relationships? What have you done to hurt them? What have they done to hurt you?

Think about the people in your life (partners, family, co-workers, friends), what are the most upsetting aspects of these people? In one word how would you describe these people? These perceived “negative” qualities are often projections due to pain or beliefs we received as a child.

When did you reject this aspect of self? Who did you pick it up from? Who shamed you for having these qualities? Who did you watch getting shamed? Make a list of all the times you consciously remember being this. Write freely. Feel the feelings and any emotions surrounding it. Get into the other person’s shoes, situations, and perspective and find a positive new interpretation.

For More Practical Self-Improvement Tips:

70 Journal Prompts For Self-Discovery
9 Habits To Add To Your Morning Routine For A Great Day
20 Ways To Practice Self-Care
15 Habits Successful Women Practice Daily
5 Empowering Books For Female Entrepreneurs
15 Books That Will Change Your Life
11 Things Society Expects From You & Why It’s Ok To Ignore Them

Future –

Pinpoint something really frustrating/upsetting you at the moment. Create a plan in order to fix this problem today.

What is your love language and self-destructive act? Your love language and destructive act are often the same (for example your love language is ‘words of affirmation’ then your destructive act tends to be mean words, like the opposite of what your love language is). Learn what your love language is by taking this 10-minute online exam

What do you want to feel when you’re around other people? How can you love the people in your life better?

What do you want people to feel when they’re around you?

What good habit do you want to begin implementing into your routine this month? for example: no social media in the morning, setting time aside for some self-care, or deleting/blocking people from your life?

What would you do if you couldn’t fail or did not fear judgment/criticism from others? How can you release these fears and take a leap toward these goals?

Your absolute dream life: How does your perfect day begin?

Write 3 things you can do to love yourself every day.

I have a request: if you can think of someone who may benefit from these shadow work journal prompts, could you please share it by using one of the social buttons below? As someone who is entirely self-employed and relies on shares and traffic to this website to make a living, I’d appreciate it if you take a moment to do this. Thank you!