4.5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️+
We all have shadows, even Peter Pan. He was just looking in the wrong place!
So why this book? Shadow work is about recognizing our fears and repressed emotions (what the ego doesn’t want to see, the parts of ourselves we protect), and working through them to create an inner harmonious balance. These shadows come in many forms - money, abandonment, rejection, etc. They typically develop in our childhood and attract new ways to replay out time and again when not worked through. Without awareness, the “shadow” energy within us grows darker and more subconsciously consuming. The darkness can be both a repellent and an energy zapper, leading to isolation, an overworked nervous system, and self-destruction, effecting our emotional and physical health.
The Review:
📖This book offers a great introduction to the topic, how our nervous response system can cultivate lifelong issues, and thought-provoking exercises that are easy enough to try at home.
“you can go through a lifetime of therapy and work painstakingly on improving yourself, but all of your efforts will be with your conscious mind. If you ever deal with your shadow, your life will still be driven by your subconscious.”
It’s a very quick read with topics like:
—What is a shadow (triggers, ego, projection)
—Methods to reveal your shadow
—Parts of our shadow (false, disowned and lost self)
—Conscious, Subconscious, Unconscious mind
—Ancestral DNA trauma
—Effects of trauma on the nervous system
—Healing the Inner Child
—The cyclical patterns of healing
—4 restorative yoga poses
—Nervous system response hacks
—Journal prompts
🧘🏼♀️Chapter 4 was very insightful for me. After reading this, I have a new respect for meditation, sleep and dream journals. I gained a slightly deeper understanding when putting all of the consciousness aspects into perspective.
✌🏼The “lost” part of myself speaks to me deeply as well. I kept the little hippie part of myself locked away for decades, so that I wouldn’t be judged by my peers. The past few years I have FULLY embraced my inner hippie self, and it feels SO good. 🥰
✈️ I also learned that I may have more “flight” tendencies than I realized. Workaholic and burned-out adrenals is screaming at me 😆
QUOTES:
“Chronic fight-or-flight responses will cause a person to distract themselves from inner turmoil.”
“Pain creates edges for us to exist within”
“Pain stretches you into a new version of yourself, expanding your capability to hold energy and direct it toward your will.”
“When you are pointing a finger in blame, notice you still have three fingers pointed back at you.”
🎀 This book ties in nicely with some other books I’ve come across that I highly recommend checking out. I’ve put them in my “self improvement“ section on GR, where you can see my reviews.
👏🏼 Overall, I got a lot more out of this book than I thought I would, honestly. I’m not new to the topics, but I still learned some interesting info. I think this book is worth owning a physical copy to refer back to for journal prompting and future reference.
A huge thanks to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing and Stephanie Kirby for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review.
🛒 Buy the book on Amazon.
🔗 Connect with me on Goodreads.
Comments