Shadow work can bring up a lot of emotions, triggers, and unresolved emotions from the past so it is always best to do it in a safe space alongside a qualified expert – either a therapist or another professional trained in shadow work.

But even within this, uncovering the parts of yourself you’ve kept hidden for years will be challenging and emotionally draining.

If you’re interested in exploring it, there are some ways to make the process a little easier, according to Kaur:

Cultivate self-compassion so that you can look at your ‘shadow’ without fear, criticism, or judgement.
Improve self-awareness. By being aware of your inner dialogue, (your thoughts, behaviours and feelings) you will find it easier to engage in shadow work.
Pay attention to your triggers, reactions and responses so that you can become aware of your self-defence mechanisms. These are designed to keep your shadows repressed, so you’ll need to break these down for the work to be effective.
Be open and honest with yourself. Full transparency is important when carrying out this work. It is only by being truly honest with yourself and being willing to see the unpleasant attributes within your behaviour and personality that you will be able to acknowledge and release them.
Try to journal your discoveries and what they are bringing up for you. Our mind can be guilty of forgetting or blocking parts of us that we are uncomfortable with or triggered by. In order to overcome this and give yourself a fair chance when doing shadow work, it can be helpful to journal down any thoughts, visions, images, feelings or dreams that are surfacing for you.

Shadow work is trending on social media – but what is it, and how (and why) should we do it?