And this can transform the way we live our daily lives. Even the dark or shadowed parts of ourselves that we would rather not see or face can have a positive effect when brought into the light. Part of why shadow work has grown in popularity is likely because of the positive view of self. Zweig and Wolf in their book “Romancing the Shadow” from 1997, shared that the shadow is “not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be faced.” And shadow work is basically an exercise of self-reflection that can be used in all types of therapy. The idea of shadow work has entered the therapy scene in recent decades to seek out what lies in the shadows of ourselves. Because the hidden parts of our psyche, memories, and experiences from childhood can contain motivating, creative, and enlightening thoughts. But the shadow, according to Jung, can be a positive force. Other contemporary psychiatrists to Jung, like Freud, believed that the unconscious or the Id was negative and ought to be eradicated if that’s even possible. This idea of the shadow is not totally negative. But the unconscious is the part of our minds as well as our human experience that we aren’t as aware of - that dwells in the shadows. The conscious part of our minds that can be seen and understood is represented as the light. And a part of this system of existence is the light and the shadow. Jung’s theory on shadows basically explained that we all share a collective unconscious. “Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate.” - Carl Jung So, what is shadow work? In fact, it was a term popularized originally by Carl Jung in the 1930s. But the idea of shadow work is nothing new. In the world of self-reflection and personal growth, the practice of shadow work journaling has grown in popularity.
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