Day 11: The Inner Child — Healing Shadow Work Exercise

Visualize yourself as a child, experiencing a significant moment.

Close your eyes and cast your mind back. You’re a child again, living a moment that left a mark on your soul. Maybe it was a time of joy, a moment of sadness, or a situation that brought fear. Picture yourself there, feeling what you felt, seeing what you saw.

How does this moment reflect the formation of your shadow self? Think about it. Maybe in that moment, you learned to hide your tears, to keep your fears to yourself. Or perhaps you learned that showing your excitement or your passion was met with disapproval. These experiences, especially when we’re young and impressionable, can shape the parts of ourselves we choose to hide or suppress.

What did you learn to hide or suppress about yourself from this experience? It could be a talent you buried because it wasn’t appreciated, or an emotion you masked because it wasn’t accepted. These are the early brushstrokes on the canvas of your shadow self.

Reflecting on these childhood experiences can provide profound insights into the origins of your shadow self. It’s a journey back in time, a chance to understand and even console that younger version of you. It’s about recognizing why certain parts of you retreated into the shadows, and how they still influence you today.

This isn’t just reminiscing. It’s an act of self-discovery and healing, a step towards embracing all parts of you, both light and shadow.

P.S. This reflective journey was inspired by the “365 Days of Journaling for Deep Shadow Work” by Ryan Puusaari, available on Amazon. These prompts guide you in exploring significant childhood moments and their impact on the formation of your shadow self, offering valuable insights into your deeper self.