How Often Should You Do Shadow Work?

[Rilles]

I want to start doing the work on both my own insecurities and the traits I hate in others. Should I do it everyday or once a week? Obviously more is better but what is reasonable?

[Sahil Pandit]

@Rilles If you have hidden trauma, a suppressed shadow, or any shadow blockages of any kind that you're aware of. After you do shadow work, you're most likely gonna be exhausted... because you need time to heal, recuperate, and integrate what you purged through. 

So, timeline for this? As long as you need to heal. 

[Rilles]

6 minutes ago, Sahil Pandit said:

@Rilles If you have hidden trauma, a suppressed shadow, or any shadow blockages of any kind that you're aware of. After you do shadow work, you're most likely gonna be exhausted... because you need time to heal, recuperate, and integrate what you purged through. 

So, timeline for this? As long as you need to heal. 

Alot of trauma in my childhood. Okay I see... so maybe once a week following my intution. 

[Sahil Pandit]

@Rilles Sounds good.

Last week i did 2 meditation sits and some holotropic breath work and that night i almost had an ego backlash and my body needed extra rest that night. 

So expect something like that to occur after working on yourself. Set proper expectations. 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Sahil Pandit

[Rilles]

20 minutes ago, Sahil Pandit said:

@Rilles Sounds good.

Last week i did 2 meditation sits and some holotropic breath work and that night i almost had an ego backlash and my body needed extra rest that night. 

So expect something like that to occur after working on yourself. Set proper expectations. 

What kind of backlash was it? I think sometimes a real juicy backlash is what I need to hit the bottom and not go back into the behaviours I dislike.

Thanks man!

[Sahil Pandit]

@Rilles I felt exhausted, my emotions were not the best, because i was drowning my ego in "Do Nothing".

It wanted to be distracted, to do SOMETHING but i forced myself to sit down with no distractions and just Be for a while.

So later that day i felt tired, kinda sad, etc (I wasn't actually sad, but the ego was trying to make me feel sad so i would give myself a dopamine rush ) sneaky guy.. 

[Rilles]

11 minutes ago, Sahil Pandit said:

 

So later that day i felt tired, kinda sad, etc (I wasn't actually sad, but the ego was trying to make me feel sad so i would give myself a dopamine rush ) sneaky guy.. 

i recognize that... the lethargic feeling that comes after realizing some bitter truth about yourself. I was once depressed for an entire day when I realized I was responsible for all of my failures (and happiness) and how much Id been lying to myself. 

Edited May 11, 2019 by Rilles

[Sahil Pandit]

@Rilles That's a good realization to have. Better than lying to yourself. 

[David Hammond]

@Rilles Every moment of every day. Self love is shadow work. Love everything that arises until it lets you go. That's what I'm doing now. 

[Rilles]

1 minute ago, David Hammond said:

@Rilles Every moment of every day. Self love is shadow work. Love everything that arises until it lets you go. That's what I'm doing now. 

I thought of that too actually, mindfulness of your triggers is a form of shadow work.

[David Hammond]

Just now, Rilles said:

I thought of that too actually, mindfulness of your triggers is a form of shadow work.

Not just mindfulness, it's drowning it with unconditional acceptance until you stop demonizing it and it gets assimilated again. Of course, there will be people around you who will try to pull you back down because they have work to do on themselves and get reminded of disowned aspects of themselves and it makes them uncomfortable. 

To become whole you have to have a big pair of balls otherwise you will just adapt again to what they want you to be. 

[DrewNows]

8 minutes ago, David Hammond said:

@Rilles Every moment of every day. Self love is shadow work. Love everything that arises until it lets you go. That's what I'm doing now. 

This is great because whenever are turning away from love the shadow becomes clear, right? 

[Rilles]

1 hour ago, Theta said:

It might come and go in phases. Sometimes I am doing a lot of shadow work in a short period of time. Especially in times when there are lots of things that are triggering me. Then I am using those triggers to explore as long as they are there.

But at other times I might be too caught up with life and not do much for a while, or there is just no 'need' for it at the moment. But generally I think once a week is good. You can think about what the biggest challenge that week was or what triggered you the most that week and then work on that.

That last one was a real gem! Thank you for that!