Modern systems: close reading
Shadow work:
Jung, prompts, evidence
Shadow work is self-reflection, usually in writing, about traits you deny in yourself and notice in others, after C. G. Jung’s “shadow” (in print by 1923). We found no trial of it as such; expressive writing has a small effect, and rumination is the main risk.
Shadow work is self-reflection, usually journaling, about traits you dislike, deny or mostly notice in others; the name comes from the “shadow” of the Swiss psychiatrist C. G. Jung (1875-1961). We found no trial of it as such; the nearest research is on expressive writing, rumination and self-compassion.
What is shadow work, and what did Jung mean by the shadow?
In Jung’s psychology the shadow is the part of your personality you would rather not see; shadow work means looking at it on purpose, usually in a journal.
In his Terry Lectures at Yale (given 1937, printed February 1938) Jung put it in one line: “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is” (Psychology and Religion, p. 93). He adds that mere suppression is no remedy (pp. 93-94) and that people project their shadows onto others (p. 101). In Aion (Zürich, 1951), which has a chapter called “The Shadow”, its most stubborn parts are tied to projections, and realising the shadow is the first stage of analysis (IAAP abstracts, Collected Works 9/II, chapters 2-3).
Today the phrase means three things: Jungian analysis of dreams and projections with a trained analyst; self-help prompt lists, journals and apps; and, unrelated, Ivan Illich’s Shadow Work (1981) on unpaid toil.
Where does shadow work come from? A dated timeline
The term is Jung’s, in print in English by 1923; books for general readers followed from 1964, and a journal self-published in 2021 took off on TikTok in 2023.
| Year | What happened (record) |
|---|---|
| 1923 | Psychological Types in English, p. 203: “detach the man from his shadow” (scan) |
| 1938 | Psychology and Religion, Yale: “Everyone carries a shadow” (LoC) |
| 1951 | Aion, Zürich: Rascher, chapter “The Shadow” (LoC) |
| 1964 | Man and His Symbols, for “the general reader”: M.-L. von Franz on “the realization of the shadow” (LoC) |
| 1986, 1991 | Robert Bly, A Little Book on the Human Shadow (LoC); Meeting the Shadow, ed. Abrams and Zweig (LoC) |
| 2021 | Keila Shaheen self-publishes The Shadow Work Journal in the autumn, at $19.99 (New York Times, 2024) |
| 2023 | Searches for “shadow work journal” peak in the second half of September (Google Trends) |
| 2024 | Simon & Schuster reissue; over 1 million sold, nearly 700,000 via TikTok Shop (NYT; LoC) |
When Jung first used the word in German we leave open: the earliest use we found is the 1923 English text, which Jung himself cites in 1938 (why: Ask for the date).
What does shadow work have to do with alchemy and Hermeticism?
Only through Jung, who read the alchemists’ blackening stage, the nigredo, as meeting one’s shadow; historians of alchemy call that his interpretation, not the alchemists’ meaning.
In Mysterium Coniunctionis (1955-1957) he calls the first effect of confronting the shadow chaos, melancholy, nigredo (IAAP abstract, Collected Works 14, pp. 497-505). For the alchemists, nigredo was a colour change in a vessel: see The Great Work. The historian William Newman lists Jung’s view of alchemy as “psychic processes expressed in pseudo-chemical language” among mid-20th-century verdicts that, he argues, misrepresent it (The New Atlantis, 2015).
On our Modern systems line, shadow work sits at the far end: alchemical texts, then Jung’s psychological reading of them (Jung and alchemy), then journals sold through TikTok. Each step borrowed; none inherited a method. Claims that shadow work is ancient rest on Jung’s reading, not on an older practice of that name. Use the old image as a question (what in me is still raw material?), not as proof.
Does shadow work work? What the research shows
We found no controlled trial of shadow work as such: a PubMed search on 12 November 2026 found five records using the phrase, and none was a trial of the practice. Related research covers parts of it.
- Expressive writing. In Pennebaker and Beall (1986), 46 students wrote for 15 minutes on four evenings. Those writing about the facts and feelings of a trauma felt worse just afterwards but visited the health centre less over six months (“preliminary”, the authors say). Across 146 randomized studies the average effect was small, r = .075 (Frattaroli, 2006).
- Projection. The core shadow claim, that we see in others what we deny in ourselves, has thin direct support. Newman, Duff and Baumeister (1997) called the evidence “limited and controversial”, then showed a narrower effect in six studies: people trying not to think about having a bad trait were more likely to see it in others.
- Self-compassion. In four experiments, people told to treat a weakness or a recent wrong with self-compassion were more motivated to fix it or make amends than comparison groups (Breines and Chen, 2012). Across 56 trials, effects on depression, anxiety and stress were small to medium, with high risk of bias (Han and Kim, 2023).
- Distance. In seven studies with 585 people, referring to yourself by name or as “you” while reflecting made social stress (a first impression, a speech) easier to handle (Kross and colleagues, 2014).
We found no good evidence for archetypes, a “shadow self” integrated once and for all, or shadow work as a cure for trauma.
Is shadow work dangerous?
For most people shadow work is uncomfortable rather than dangerous, but research points to two real risks: rumination, and trauma worked through alone instead of in treatment.
- Rumination. Going over symptoms, their causes and their consequences deepens low mood, predicts the onset of depression and is linked to anxiety and self-harm (Nolen-Hoeksema, 1991; Nolen-Hoeksema and colleagues, 2008). Depressed adults analysing feelings alone “often ruminate and feel worse”; a distanced view helped without avoidance (Kross and colleagues, 2012).
- Trauma. In a network meta-analysis of 44 trials with 7,724 trauma survivors, PTSD symptoms improved more than on a waiting list (more negative is better) with therapy for PTSD (-0.78), writing with therapist contact or tailored tasks (-0.81, though those trials began with milder symptoms), plain expressive writing (-0.43) and writing about neutral topics (-0.37); every trial had some risk of bias (Gerger and colleagues, 2022). Plain writing did little more than neutral writing. Five sessions of therapist-led written exposure matched twelve of standard therapy in 126 adults (Sloan and colleagues, 2018): that is treatment, not journaling.
When this is not enough. If memories flood in, you feel numb or unreal, or low mood lasts most days for two weeks, stop the prompts and talk to a doctor or licensed therapist. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, contact a crisis line now (as on our AI anxiety page):
- United States and Canada: call or text 988, at any hour.
- United Kingdom and Ireland: call Samaritans on 116 123, free, day or night.
- Elsewhere: findahelpline.com lists verified helplines by country.
- In immediate danger: call your local emergency number.
Which shadow work prompts are safe to start with?
Start with prompts about today’s reactions; take trauma and “darkest secret” prompts to a therapist, not a journal, and stop childhood prompts if memories flood in. That is our advice, not a study finding.
In five popular lists (295 questions, read 12 November 2026), by our keyword count about one question in nine is about childhood or family and one in seventeen about shame, a secret or a wound. Common types, in our words; the first three suit a start on your own:
| Prompt type | What it does | When to stop |
|---|---|---|
| What irritates me most in others? | Checks for projection: which part is mine? | If it becomes a list of their faults |
| What do I envy? | Points to a want you have not admitted | If it turns into ranking yourself |
| Where am I hardest on myself? | Names the self-critic | If you repeat the same harsh line |
| What did I learn about anger as a child? | Links an old rule to a habit | If memories flood in |
| Write down your darkest secret | Disclosure with no listener | Abuse or danger: a therapist, or the lines above |
| Talk to your inner child | Imagery and self-soothing | If you feel numb or unreal after |
How do you do shadow work in five minutes? One written exercise
Pick one moment today when someone irritated you more than it deserved, and spend five timed minutes writing, from a distance, which part of your reaction is yours.
- Set a timer for five minutes. Paper or a notes app; not in bed.
- The moment (1 minute). One sentence of facts: who, what they did, when.
- The label (1 minute). The one word you pinned on them (lazy, arrogant, needy) and the feeling in your body.
- The mirror (2 minutes). Address yourself by name: “Where did you do something like this, even in a small way, this month?” Write one concrete instance and, after “Mine:”, what you wanted from it, or “none found”. Both are answers.
- Close (1 minute). One small action for tomorrow, or “nothing to do”. Close the notebook and do not reread it tonight.
Example.
Moment: Tom cut me off in the 10:00 meeting.
Label: arrogant. Feeling: heat in the face.
Mirror: Anna, you finished Tom’s sentence twice on Monday.
Mine: wanting to look quick.
Tomorrow: let him finish once, then speak.
Why it might help. It stays concrete (what happened, not why you are like this; Watkins, 2008), uses your name for distance, looks at the trait instead of pushing it away (in the 1997 projection studies, pushing it away fed projection), and ends in a kind, small action. The parts have support; the package is untested.
Where it stops. Not for abuse, violence or threats: it asks what is yours, and what someone did to you is not. Once a day is enough. If five minutes keep turning into an hour, or the moment returns at night, stop and use the help above.
What does shadow work not promise?
Shadow work does not promise healing, wholeness or a new personality; at best a short exercise like the one above helps you notice one reaction and own part of it.
- Not therapy, including when an app or an AI chatbot asks the questions.
- Not a treatment for trauma or depression.
- Not proof of Jung’s theory. Archetypes and the collective unconscious are claims, not findings.
- Not a reason to blame yourself for what others did.
- Not a verdict on faith. We neither endorse nor mock Jungian or spiritual readings.
| Term | The “shadow”, C. G. Jung (1875-1961) |
|---|---|
| In print | Psychological Types, English, 1923, p. 203 |
| Popular books | Man and His Symbols 1964; Miller 1981; Bly 1986 |
| Journal boom | Shaheen, self-published 2021; reissued 2024 |
| Direct trials | None found (PubMed, 12 November 2026) |
| Main risks | Rumination; trauma worked through alone |
| Checked | 13 November 2026 |
Fair questions
What is shadow work?
Shadow work is self-reflection, usually journaling with prompts, about traits you dislike, deny or mainly notice in other people. The name comes from C. G. Jung’s “shadow”, the part of the personality a person would rather not see.
Did Carl Jung invent shadow work?
Jung named the shadow (in print in English by 1923; Aion, 1951) and worked with it in analysis. Books for general readers followed from Man and His Symbols (1964), then journals such as Keila Shaheen’s, self-published in 2021.
Does shadow work actually work?
We found no controlled trial of shadow work itself. Related research shows a small average benefit from expressive writing (146 trials, 2006) and some support for self-compassion, while evidence for projection as a general rule is limited.
Is shadow work dangerous?
For most people it is uncomfortable rather than dangerous, but it can turn into rumination, which deepens low mood, and it is not a treatment for trauma. Stop and seek help if memories flood in or low mood lasts.
What are good shadow work prompts for beginners?
Start with prompts about today’s reactions, such as what irritated you in someone and where you did something similar. Take trauma and “darkest secret” prompts to a therapist, and stop childhood prompts if memories flood in; that is our advice, not a research finding.
Sources & further reading
- C. G. Jung, Psychology and Religion (Yale, 1938, LoC), pp. 93-94, 101 (read in the 1950 printing, Internet Archive); quoted briefly, in copyright.
- Jung, Aion (1951, LoC); IAAP abstracts of Collected Works 9/II and 14 (books not read).
- Jung, Psychological Types, trans. H. G. Baynes (London: Kegan Paul; New York: Harcourt, 1923, LoC), p. 203, scan.
- Records only: Jung and others, Man and His Symbols (1964); W. A. Miller, Make Friends with Your Shadow (1981); Bly 1986, 1988; Abrams and Zweig 1991; Illich 1981 (text); Shaheen 2024. Read: Alexandra Alter, New York Times, 30 May 2024 (reprint).
- Google Trends, worldwide, five years, read 12 November 2026; PubMed “shadow work”, same day: five records.
- Writing: Pennebaker and Beall 1986 (full text); Frattaroli 2006; Gerger and colleagues 2022; Sloan and colleagues 2018 (abstracts).
- Rumination and distance (abstracts): Nolen-Hoeksema 1991; Nolen-Hoeksema, Wisco and Lyubomirsky 2008; Watkins 2008; Kross and colleagues 2012; Kross and colleagues 2014.
- Projection and self-compassion (abstracts): Newman, Duff and Baumeister 1997; Breines and Chen 2012; Han and Kim 2023.
- William R. Newman, “The Problem of Alchemy”, The New Atlantis 44 (2015).
- Prompt lists counted 12 November 2026: BetterUp, Science of People, PureWow, Journal Buddies, 101 Planners.
- Crisis lines: 988 Lifeline (US), 9-8-8 (Canada), Samaritans, Find A Helpline; when to seek help: NIMH; read 12 November 2026.