70 Shadow Work Prompts for Healing and Growth

Most of us have a part of ourselves that we keep secret. It was depth psychologist Carl Jung who coined “the shadow self,” giving a name to what most of us might call our “dark side.” Our shadow often develops in childhood as a response to our environment. We keep certain parts of ourselves hidden in fear of not being accepted, but in the process, we end up exiling these parts.

Though we refer to our shadow as our dark side, there’s nothing inherently bad about it. In many cases, our shadow self is holding onto the desires of our inner child and just wants to be seen in the same way as our other parts. Shadow work helps us uncover these repressed feelings, thoughts and memories so we can accept and heal our shadow, bringing it into the light. Integrating these parts back into our conscious life helps us to live more fully.

The key to finding your shadow self is curiosity. You can’t find your shadow if you’re hiding from the light! Here are a few steps to get you started:

Notice the patterns and themes that keep coming up in your life. Are there certain people or places that trigger you? Do you avoid certain kinds of people or conversations? Ask yourself why you do these things. Remember the point isn’t to judge yourself but to observe. Identifying these patterns is the first step to breaking them.

Once you’ve noticed the patterns, it’s hard to look away from them. You may want to seek help from a therapist to help you process these findings. A therapist can also help with clearing up your blind spots.

Meditation isn’t for everyone, but quieting your mind can absolutely help identify your shadow patterns. If you feel like your mind is too busy, try spending 1 or 2 minutes every morning closing your eyes or focusing your vision on one neutral spot in the room to see what comes up.

Journaling can be its own form of meditation. As you notice patterns on your own time, work with a therapist, and meditate, it’s important to take notes on the patterns themselves, as well as the thoughts and feelings that are coming up for you.

There are many different methods for shadow work, but journaling is a great way to begin. We’ve developed a list of 70 prompts to get you started. We recommend setting aside a specific time each day to go through these prompts, allowing space for revelation. You’ll want to use a pen and paper—rather than typing on a phone or laptop—for these prompts so you can really let your thoughts flow and connect from your body to the page. You might even want to get a special notebook just for this practice. You can tackle these prompts in order or skim through and begin with one that grabs your attention.

As with any deep, reflective experience, some of these prompts might bring up some very heavy feelings so know that you can always walk away from the work and come back to it later. The key to shadow work is to have compassion for yourself and to sit with your feelings without judgment. Doing this work alone is also not a substitute for therapy, which is a wonderful way to begin shadow work if that’s available to you.

31. What are my boundaries with friends? With family? With my partner? With someone I’m dating?
32. How do I feel when someone oversteps my boundaries?
33. How do I enforce my boundaries?
34. How could I better enforce my boundaries?
35. When was the last time I overstepped someone else’s boundaries?
36. When’s the last time I admitted I was wrong? How did that feel?
37. What’s the most hurtful thing I’ve ever done to someone else?
38. What’s the most hurtful thing someone else has done to me?
39. When was the last time I felt heartbroken romantically? How did it feel? What was my immediate reaction? How did I self-soothe?
40. When was the last time I felt heartbroken professionally? How did it feel? What was my immediate reaction? How did I self-soothe?
41. When was the last time I was heart broken by a friend? How did it feel? What was my immediate reaction? How did I self-soothe?
42. How are friend break ups different from romantic breakups? How are they the same?
43. What loss have I let define my life? How would it feel to let that loss go?
44. What success have I let define my life? How would it feel to let that success go?
45. Is there a link between how I approach love and how I approach money?
46. What are my limiting beliefs about love and how do I overcome them?
47. What are my limiting beliefs about money and how do I overcome them?
48. What are my limiting beliefs about success and how do I overcome them?
49. What are my limiting beliefs about stability and how do I overcome them?
50. How often do I spend time alone? Too much? Not enough? Do I enjoy spending time alone? Do I fear it?
51. What is my ideal day spent by myself?
52. What is my ideal day spent with someone else?
53. What is my ideal day with both alone time and social time?
54. Who do I feel like my most authentic self around?
55. When do I feel like I’m acting “out of character”? Does a specific person or place bring this behavior out in me?
56. What emotions do I tend to avoid feeling?
57. Who asks me the hardest questions? How does this make me feel?
58. Do I have relationships that challenge me? 
59. Do I have relationships that make me feel pure ease?
60. When was the last time someone pointed out ways in which I could improve? How did that make me feel? How did I respond?
61. What’s something that I loved to do in childhood that I wish I still did now?
62. When’s the last time I felt filled with awe and wonder?
63. When’s the last time I felt filled with fear and dread?
64. What’s a lie I tell myself? How does this lie make me feel? How does the truth of that situation make me feel?
65. When was the last time I started telling a lie and then corrected it with the truth? How did that make me feel?
66. How often am I thinking about the past vs the present vs the future? How can I be more present?
67. When I think about the past, how does it make me feel? Excited? Nostalgic? Regretful? Fearful?
68. When I think about the future, how does it make me feel? Nervous? Excited? Apathetic?
69. What does shadow work mean to me?
70. What have I learned from meeting my shadow?

If you don’t know where to start, these shadow work prompts are a great way to begin your shadow journey. Shadow work is less about getting to the bottom of something and more about seeing the big picture. It’s about exploring the landscape, and helping find your way out when you’re caught in the dark. The shadow has many layers, and these prompts are meant to help you peel that onion. Use these prompts to shine light in places you didn’t even know needed light at all.