Shadow Work Meditation & Journaling
The purpose of shadow work is to make the unconscious conscious. It’s important to understand and heal the unconscious processes that are causing you to feel trapped within your own mind and body.
Prepare your space:
Find a quiet, comfortable space
Turn off electronics/notifications
Dim lighting and light a candle (optional)
What you’ll need:
15 - 20 uninterrupted minutes
Journal and pen
Crystals and essential oils (optional)
Meditation guide:
For a few minutes, allow your mind to go quiet. Let everything your thinking about before you sat down be released as you focus on your breath.
Take long inhales in through the nose, and breathe long exhales out of your mouth.
Imagine the the air you are breathing in is beautiful, white light energy, and that the air you breathe out is gray smoke carrying heavy energy out and away from your energetic system.
As you breathe, bring your awareness to your body.
Think about how your body feels, starting at the crown of your head and working your way down to the bottom of your feet.
Once you are fully present and in your body, ask yourself the following questions:
What is my biggest fear in life?
Where did this fear come from?
How am I perpetuating that fear?
What can I do to release that fear?
Allow the voice of your inner guidance system to speak through you, and don’t question the answers that come through. After you ask each question, record the answer in your journal. Just allow yourself to write without thinking, which will create a stream of consciousness.
Note: This exercise is designed to help you access unconscious thoughts to bring them into you conscious awareness. If the brain is attempting to block these messages from coming through, it’s because your built-in safety protocol defenses are still up and active — that means you’re not relaxed enough yet. Start the body scan section of the exercise over, and focus on your breath as you do. Allow any tension or stress to melt away and move through the exerciase slowly. When you’re done, ask those questions again. And remember those defense mechanisms have been in place for most of your life. Practicing this until those defense mechanisms release is essential, and it may take a few tries before you start receiving answers.
Going deeper with shadow work
Once you’ve answers the initial questions, think about other things you wish to know about yourself. You can ask why you are stuck, how that happened, how you perpetuate feelings of being stuck, how being stuck is serving you, and so on. The possibilities are endless! Make a list of the questions to ask yourself during your next shadow work meditation and journaling session.
The exercise above is from the book “Shadow Work” by Danielle Massi, LMFT published in 2022.
