Personal development, inner work, spiritual development are all valuable ways to grow, they overlap and end up meaning the same thing – they all look towards potential and growth, and include introspection and adventures into your subconscious mind.
After all we cannot change what we are not aware of. This dive into the mine of your mind is shadow work, shadow work is the key that unlocks the door to possibility by offering choice, freedom from the past, from your conditioning and from your limiting beliefs.
Shadow work can get bad press, it is seen as heavy or scary or difficult, mainly because it unearths old stuck emotions… but this is exactly what needs to happen, whatever has not been processed must be recognised, acknowledged and accepted before any sustainable expansion can be felt. Old beliefs must be uncovered so that new ways of thinking can be developed and with that new behaviours and actions.
If you have patterns of self-sabotage, a mean inner voice that criticises your every action, fall victim to circumstance or find yourself over-giving then shadow work will be essential for you to move away from drama and crisis, dysfunctional relationships, comparisonitis and whatever else you’ve got going on that holds you back from being your best self.
Shadow work is the powerhouse of growth, it creates huge AHA moments and unclutters your mind and energy like no other practice. In my opinion, growth that only focuses on the future is missing the vital ingredient, the need to change subconscious beliefs, thoughts and behaviour patterns.
Shadow work does that, stops you living on auto-pilot and gives you the space to re-invent yourself as you grow.