Shadow Work, I believe, is the most important self healing work we can do. So what is Shadow Work? It’s the work we do to recognise ALL parts of yourself: the light and dark. We are not broken, we are not lost, we are just not embracing our full self. When we reconnect to the parts of ourselves that we have tried to ignore, it allows our true and FULL authentic self to shine through.
This I truly believe, is our real superpower! To find and connect with all parts of ourself; to embrace our light and dark sides; to not shy away from our ‘shadow’; to embrace your wholeness!
Not dealing with emotions, trauma or the stories we continually play in our mind is like a pool of stagnant water. It will either start growing festy mould or dry up completely. We don’t want that. We want beautiful clear pools of everchanging water that ebbs and flows. We want to accept the changes, the tidal waves & the storms (when they happen) and the fresh still clear pure waters – WE WANT TO EMBRACE ALL PARTS.
When we embrace all these parts, we empower ourselves from within – we free ourselves of the emotional baggage that holds us back.
We learn to love all parts of ourselves, the good and the not so good. We also learn that the parts we tried to ignore for all those years are a crucial part of who we are and that’s why we have felt lost and disconnected, because we have been ignoring parts of ourselves that needed to be nourished. Our shadow needs the love we have been denied. It needs the healing that we thought we didn’t deserve. It needs the connection that brings us back into our full self. We have this power within us!
Once we learn to embrace our FULL self, we can start to understand how we think, feel and react to the world around us. We can then also start to take back our power and learn to respond rather than react. We can face situations that used to control us with a new outlook and we can truly reach our full potential.
We also learn that we whilst we can’t change the past, we can certainly move forward into a future free from controlling & unwanted emotions, limiting beliefs, self-doubt or outside influences.
When you truly know who you are AND love who you are (warts and all) the opinions, judgements and influences of others no longer manipulates you in a negative way.
Its time to empower yourself, embrace your shadow and see how differently your life changes, even if nothing around you changes. Because this change comes from within!
Over the coming blog posts we will touch on different ways we can delve into shadow work so you can discover that it is not something you need to hide from.
Blessings, Carley
If you would like to explore your shadow work through Creative Arts Therapy I can help! Contact me to discuss working one on one and start your healing today!