Shadow Self II: Exercises

The following are some practical exercises for getting in touch with and accepting one's shadow self, which is essential to personal healing.

Projecting the Shadow Self

One of the main concepts in relation to the shadow self within Jungian psychology is that of projection. Projection is the process by which we recognize traits in others which trigger recognition of our own shadow self, unconsciously. Our own shame and need to suppress our personal shadow self transfers to an irrational dislike of another person.

1. Think of the one person in your life that you have met and know PERSONALLY who inspires the most repulsion or hatred within you. The more irrational  and obsessive the dislike the better. Is there someone you simply intuitively dislike, irritates you constantly to the point of near hatred? Someone who is constantly acting in a way which pisses you off or frustrates you severely? Someone you would like to cut out of your life but cannot seem to get away from?

2. Take out a piece of paper. With this person in mind, meditate and let yourself experience the negative feelings you have towards them, feel them as intensely as possible. Write down the things about this person you hate the most, what they do that is frustrating or irritating, whatever your feelings inspire you to write about them, put it on this sheet of paper.

3. Now the hard part...set the list aside and forget about it. Calm your mind and move on for a time, FORGET about the list for now.

4. Once you are sufficiently removed emotionally, it is time to go back and examine the list. Use your logical mind to examine the things you wrote down. Try to keep yourself emotionally detached, simply examine the behaviors you wrote. Ask yourself, what to you assume is the personal motivation for these behaviors. What do they say about the person. What conclusions can you draw about this person's mentality that is faulty?

5. Are these behaviors a reflection of something you feel about yourself? If this question unsettles you, the answer is probably yes. What do these feelings about another tell you about your self? Why does this person irritate you so much? Are you transferring your feelings or shame and guilt at some aspect of yourself to another to avoid facing a part of yourself?

The Secret Letter

1. Write a personal letter to yourself. In this letter, write every aspect of yourself that bothers you. Be they negative traits or secrets you keep. Taboo desires, attractions which make you uncomfortable, anything that you would be ashamed of if it was made public knowledge.

2. Read them back, and for each "secret" try to cultivate an attitude of acceptance. Do not yourself to experience these thoughts emotionally, rather cultivate rational acceptance. If it is helpful, you might recite a mantra after each one you meditate on, such as, "I feel uncomfortable with this part of myself, yet I accept it's existance."

3. Write a personal statement to yourself, sort of like a pep talk at the end of the letter. Avoid negative verbage, rather cultivate an attitude of acceptance and non judgment towards these uncomfortable parts of yourself.

4. Destroy the letter, preferably by burning. Visualize these secret thoughts losing there power over your emotions. Make a commitment to yourself to accept these parts of yourself, without being blinded by them.



 

"Taking it in its deepest sense, the shadow is the invisible saurian tail that man still drags behind him. Carefully amputated, it becomes the healing serpent of the mysteries. Only monkeys parade with it."

Carl Jung-The Integration of the Personality. (1939).