A hashtag with 2.4 billion views on TikTok. 1.7 million Instagram posts. A work which exceeds one million copies sold in just a few months of launch across the Atlantic (figures from December 2023). With her
Shadow Work Journal
(translated in France by Albin Michel), 24-year-old TikToker Keila Shaheen has launched a takeover bid in the lucrative personal development market.
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More than a bestseller, Keila Shaheen sets a trend: in her wake, dozens of coaches and psychologists publish their opus on this “do it yourself” solution supposed to help us combat mental health problems aggravated by Covid era. A spiritual trend for some, a new mental health practice for others, the approach requires solid foundations to resist our darkest parts and it is not recommended alone for fragile personalities.
Discover your hidden strengths
Through daily writing in a notebook, we would gradually become aware of the uncomfortable facets of our being in order to better integrate them. Concretely, his method revolves around several protocols to bring buried emotions to light: a reflection in front of a mirror or the one entitled “identification of the wounds of the inner child”. To encourage practice, one of the ways is to keep a “shadow journal”.
In reality, the
shadow
(“shadow”) owes its existence to the famous Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Gustav Jung. According to the dissident disciple of Sigmund Freud, this concept designates the emotions and impulses repressed in the recesses of our psyche, in order to allow us to grow and integrate into the social mold. As explained by Émeric Lebreton, doctor of psychology and author of
Mon Shadow Work Journal
(Éditions Marabout), this “dark” side contains everything that we hide from others (and often from ourselves), because of the shame, guilt or simply embarrassment that one would experience by doing so.
And of course, shadow is opposed to light. “Light corresponds to the part of our being that we show every day to the people we meet (spouse, friends, colleagues, etc.). Human beings seek, like an influencer who films themselves to make a video on Instagram, to only show their best profile, explains the author, also co-founder of Orientaction, a network of firms specializing in health assessments. SKILLS. To do this, they erase their faults and erase the elements that they do not consider worthy of interest. They change their behavior and opinions to be accepted.”
The shadow is active
The problem? The shadow is active! It influences our whole life, on the sly. It colors our most intimate beliefs, shapes our world map, our choices and our relationships, nourishes our impulsive behaviors and our undesirable patterns. “All of this is at the origin of our crises, our reactions and our general dissatisfaction,” underlines Kelly Bramblett, coach and author of the
Complete Shadow Work Guide, journal and exercises
(Guy Trédaniel Éditeur). As in psychoanalysis, it is therefore under the veil of our conscience that we must seek the key to our problems and our well-being. “Our shadow contains potentialities, skills and facets of our being which, if they are consciously integrated, can bring new richness to our existence,” observes Émeric Lebreton.
Thus, uncontrolled rage can become energy to bring a project to fruition. Once integrated, a mythomaniac inclination can develop a talent for imagination to write a novel. “For many psychologists, it is in the shadows and from the shadows that our personality can grow and renew itself,” adds the expert. Going to meet this submerged part of the psyche would help to better understand our feelings, to clarify our internal discourse, to neutralize beliefs. Little by little, our choices would be more conscious, our relationships with others more positive, and anxiety less present. Without forgetting that “knowing your own dark side is the best way to deal with the dark sides of others,” as Jung himself said.
The keys to learning
Your dark sides are revealed in strong emotions and dissatisfaction, which we often prefer to evacuate. Before you begin your
shadow work,
commit to noticing and openly questioning your own reactions. Maintaining an internal journal of these feelings will help you spot when patterns occur, identify what causes them and decipher their workings. Deciphering the hidden messages of the unconscious also requires learning the basics of a language that is strange to the layman, made up of images and metaphors. “In the depths, everything is more complex and darker. What was obvious is no longer obvious. A fear hides a desire. A failed act reveals a hidden intention. An argument reveals trauma,” describes Émeric Lebreton.
“Support work”
Laurent Huz, Gestalt therapist, author of
The Art of Questioning
(Éditions Dunod), puts things into perspective.
Should you be afraid of your shadow?
It is a marketing name which designates something well known in psychopathology and psychoanalysis: the field of neuroses and splitting. In short, we are reinventing the wheel.
Can it be effective?
We need to have a real level of consciousness to distinguish between what we really are and our parts of shadow and light. The rest of the population will need support work with a psychotherapist to achieve this.
What are its risks?
I don't see any real danger in practicing it alone because, in reality, we are in the business of personal development, not therapy. If it feels good, why not? Many will realize for themselves its limitations and may want to seek professional support. The problem lies in the “certifications” which offer to become a
shadow work
facilitator in two weeks on the Internet. In other words, we will be able to settle down and claim to support people in significant levels of suffering. An aberration. And, yes, danger too.
Be open. When the shadows come to the surface, it's possible to feel overwhelmed, anxious, and experience negative emotions, three signals that your nervous system is under pressure. Coach Kelly Bramblett advises paying attention to subtle changes in the body. In this case, take a break and return to a breathing technique. Feelings of unease are fleeting. “Even if our dark side can seem terrifying to us, it also has positive effects to recognize,” insists Isabelle Cerf, author of
Shadow Work by Isabelle Cerf. The newspaper that sheds light on your dark sides
(Editions Good Mood Dealer By Exergue). Uncovering your dark self requires a secure framework that should allow you to press “pause” when moments of negativity arise, and to question their origin.
Keila Shaheen advises ritualizing work time to anchor yourself in the present moment, before and after the sequence. Meditation or conscious breathing thus allows you to create a stable mental state. Isaline Gayraud, clinical psychologist and author of the
Journal shadow work
(Éditions Hachette), is clear:
shadow work
is not always without risk. “It can bring to the surface elements that are sometimes difficult to integrate. Therefore, it is not a job that can be done completely alone. If you feel the need, you can combine it with other forms of support, particularly in painful cases where you have difficulty managing certain difficulties, such as anxiety or bereavement.
Two books to “hack” your subconscious
•
My Shadow Work Journal
. Tame your dark sides to ease your suffering, by Émeric Lebreton, Éditions Marabout, 192 p., €14.90. •
The Shadow Work of Isabelle Cerf. The journal that sheds light on your dark sides.
Editions Good Mood Dealer By Exergue, 254 p., €13.90.