“To confront a person with his shadow is to show him his own light.” – Carl G. Jung

An Introduction to Jung

Carl G. Jung was a Swiss psychologist and the pioneer of analytical psychology. Jung wrote extensively for over 60 years of his life, and his work was highly impactful – his work helped inspire Sand Therapy (a popular form of play therapy) and his theory of personality influenced the Myers Bring Type Indicator (MBTI – if you were ever wondering why someone is describing themselves as an INFJ or ENFP on a dating app, you can thank Jung).

Jung was born in Switzerland in 1875 and grew up in a religious household. His father was a pastor, and he lived in a small village, which was quite isolating. Jung’s mother would talk to spirits (allegedly), and this early exposure to the paranormal would greatly influence Jung’s later work. As Jung completed medical school and traveled the world, he examined the spiritual practices among different cultures, and found striking similarities. Although he was an associate of Sigmund Freud, the two later broke ties due in part to Jung’s interest in the occult and disagreements over the role of the unconscious mind.

Levels of Consciousness

In Jung’s analytical psychology, there are three levels of consciousness: conscious, personal unconscious, and the collective unconscious. Our conscious is pretty straightforward – this represents our thoughts and memories that we are actively aware of, and Jung believed that your ego is at the center of consciousness. Below that level is our personal unconscious, or the memories, traits, and attributes that are forgotten or have been repressed.

The collective unconscious is where things get interesting – in Jungian psychology, this is a consciousness that’s shared between all people. To illustrate this concept, let’s consider a bird or turtle’s migratory patterns. When a sea turtle hatches, it knows where to go instinctually – he is not given a map or guided by a parent. He just knows where to go.

Just as animals are born with instinctive knowledge, humans are born with deep symbolic understandings. Although there is some variability between cultures, everyone would understand what a mother is, for example. Even if we grew up without our mother, we would understand this concept. In our own personal unconscious we would have our own mother, other mothers we know, and a cultural idea of motherhood, but despite this concept being individualized, we all innately understand roughly the same idea. 

Persona and Shadow

The traits and attributes we present to the world are what is called our persona. This is the image we project and how we want others to see it us – the Overachieving Workaholic. The Devoted Mother. The Saintly Do-Gooder. Essentially, the persona is a mask that we put on – a curated version of ourselves that helps us to interact with the world. Our personas aren’t necessarily a bad thing, but over-identifying with an ideal self will cause problems.

The traits that we keep hidden from the world – and even ourselves – form the basis of what Jung termed the shadow self. We can repress aspects of our selves into the shadow can be for any number for reasons – religious, cultural, familial or maybe we don’t even feel like they are appropriate to our own professions. It may feel like we are doing the “right” thing by trying to accommodate a certain mold or paradigm of how to be. Jung was adamant that integrating the shadow into the conscious self – as much as possible – was crucial to living a good life.

Shadow Work and Integration

It has been said that “90% of the shadow is pure gold.” Consider a young woman who has been told all her life that being assertive was inappropriate. She struggles with confidence and has poor boundaries, while quietly growing resentful of other people taking advantage of her. You probably know someone quite like her – the type to never say no; the one who says nothing when someone cuts her in line, the one who never gets what she wants. Her shadow self might look like quite the opposite – demanding, selfish, maybe even aggressive. In the case of the young woman, she may feel embarrassed for having needs and push any assertiveness into her unconscious. For her to reclaim her shadow would be to integrate assertiveness (“the gold”) and express it outwardly. Although it may be uncomfortable for her at first, she would eventually make peace with this side of herself, and begin to enjoy the benefits of asserting her wants and needs.

“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
— Carl G. Jung

Jung believed that the first half of life was about learning how to live and function at the expense of our individuality, and the rest of life was about reclaiming it. Recognizing and reconciling with the shadow is the important first step in individuation. By acknowledging, accepting, and integrating these hidden aspects of ourselves, we are less prone to inner conflict and achieve a greater sense of wholeness. This can lead to improved communication, better relationships, and an overall healthier approach to life. It is a critical step toward to self-actualization.

Dream analysis is a common technique in shadow work. Jung believed that our dreams are where our unconscious just barely meets the conscious part of ourselves. It is common for the shadow to present itself in dreams. First, it often shows up as a disfigured or inhuman creature, and gradually becomes more human and even friendly as the person begins integration. This may also be a faceless figure. Jung believed that profound dreams predicted great personal change. This is because the unconscious understands what is happening before the conscious part of our psyches does.

Identifying (and owning) projections are another technique used in shadow integration. Projections are a psychological defense mechanism where one attributes unacceptable thoughts or feelings onto others. For example, an outwardly macho man may put down his son for crying because he himself learned that crying was unacceptable. When the man puts down or calls his son a name for showing sensitivity, he is disowning a part of himself in the process. As he begins to integrate his natural sensitivity into his conscious awareness, he gradually becomes kinder toward himself and others. He is able to observe other males crying or expressing emotions without becoming triggered.

Embracing the shadow, or doing any sort of “parts work,” is not easy and will be uncomfortable at first. Who wants to look at everything inside of themselves they’ve come to believe are bad? The alternative, however, is remaining in the dark and being prone to projections and acting out our disowned traits in unhealthy ways. By approaching this work with an open mind and radical self-acceptance, anyone can come to appreciate their “dark” sides. At Lionsheart Counseling & Wellness, the concept of the shadow is a cornerstone in my work. As your Longwood counselor, I look forward to helping you on the path to self-discovery and inner knowledge. Call me at 407-340-3351 or click here to schedule a no-obligation consultation.

Ready to get started on your journey of self-exploration? Download a free, step-by-step shadow integration worksheet.

Further Reading

Beginner’s Guide to Jungian Psychology by Robin Robertson

Meeting the Shadow: The Hidden Power of the Dark Side of Human Nature by Connie Zweig & Jeremiah Abrams

Modern Man In Search of A Soul by Carl G. Jung

The Undiscovered Self by Carl G. Jung