Alchemy of the Psyche: Exploring Shadow Work & Psychedelics
Shadow work is the long, arduous process of discovering and integrating the suppressed traits, desires, and emotions that unconsciously rule our lives.
The human psyche is complicated — and much darker than we’d like to admit.
There are aspects of our consciousness that remain hidden and out of reach. Even though we can’t quite see what they look like, they maintain influence over our thoughts, emotions, and actions.
This is what Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung referred to as the shadow—the parts of ourselves we suppress and reject but that remain a part of who we are nonetheless. The more we suppress our shadow, the denser and darker it becomes.
The psychedelic experience forces us to face our shadow in one form or another. It shows us the parts of ourselves we don’t want to see by surfacing them from the deepest, darkest regions of our unconscious mind.
When we learn to acknowledge and integrate these darker aspects of ourselves, we strip their unconscious influence on our thoughts, emotions, and behavior. Carl Jung believed that to become enlightened, we must first learn to accept the parts of ourselves our ego doesn’t want to accept.
What is the Shadow Self?
The shadow refers to traits, desires, and emotions we actively or unconsciously suppress. These are aspects we either don’t like about ourselves or that we think society won’t like.
The most common examples are usually viewed as negative aspects of the self — like rage, greed, lust, or jealousy — but they can also include positive or neutral aspects like playfulness, creativity, or sexual desire.
While Carl Jung introduced the idea of the shadow self to the field of psychology, the concept of unconscious influence from traits hiding deep within the psyche isn’t new. Many traditional medical systems have concepts that overlap with the idea of the shadow self, such as soul retrieval in shamanic medicine or the concepts involved with exorcism and demon possession.
We can suppress these aspects for a time, but if subjected to enough stress or triggered by past traumas, aspects of our shadow can poke through and enter the upper sphere of conscious thought. They present as the very traits we’re trying to repress — like rage, jealousy, or lust.
Traits commonly associated with the shadow:
Anger
Creativity
Desire
Envy
Fear
Greed
Insecurity
Jealousy
Lust
Playfulness
Selfishness
Sexual desire
Shame
The Shadows Place in Human Consciousness
The shadow tends to be the focus of introspection, psychological exploration, and psychedelic therapy — but it’s just one small part of human consciousness.
Other integral components include the ego, the persona, the self, and various unconscious processes that govern our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Together, these elements interact to shape our personality, influence our relationships, and direct our life paths.
According to Carl Jung, there are three main layers of consciousness:
1. The Sphere of Consciousness
This is the part of the self we’re aware of and what we think of as being the self. Within this sphere lives the ego, which is the center of consciousness. The ego gives rise to the persona, which is the mask we wear to fit in with society.
The persona represents the traits we wish to embody and have carefully curated to put on display for others.
This is an adaptive quality of being human. We conform by acting and embodying traits we believe will give us a greater chance of fitting in with others and ultimately being more successful in life. The problem is that in doing so, we suppress genuine parts of ourselves and compromise our ability to live authentically.
2. The Personal Unconscious
The next level is the personal unconscious, which is a part of the self we're unaware of, but that's shaped by lived experiences. This is where the shadow lives, along with other concepts like the anima and animus.
The animus is the unconscious masculine traits in women, and the anima is the unconscious feminine traits in men.
The personal unconscious has a large impact on our thoughts and actions, but we remain unaware of them without exerting a considerable amount of effort to identify, acknowledge, and integrate into conscious control (more on this later).
3. The Collective Unconscious
Finally, there’s the collective unconscious — which is shared by all members of the human species. It’s a sphere of consciousness we’re all born with.
The collective unconscious, as Jung describes it, is like a download of memories and experiences that we, the individual, did not experience firsthand.
The collective unconscious of birds allows every bird, regardless of how it was raised, to know exactly where to fly for the winter. It’s also how a newborn baby knows how to feed from its mother’s breast within seconds of being born. You don’t need to teach this to the child; it’s already ingrained into their consciousness.
There are lots of other aspects of the collective unconscious that trickle into parts of our conscious mind and shape our responses to the world around us:
Universal Archetypes — Archaic symbols and images that derive from the collective unconscious often appear in dreams, literature, art, and mythology. Examples include the Mother, the Hero, the Shadow, the Wise Old Man, and the Child.
Religious Symbols — Crosses, mandalas, the yin and yang symbol, and other religious icons that recur across different cultures, embodying similar meanings of spirituality, life, and death.
Creation Myths — Stories from diverse cultures that explain the origins of the world and human life, often sharing common themes like chaos, cosmic eggs, world trees, or divine craftsmanship.
Dream Motifs — Common dreams such as falling, flying, or being chased, which reflect innate fears, desires, and instincts shared among people regardless of culture.
Fears and Phobias — Innate fears such as those of snakes, spiders, and heights, which may stem from ancestral experiences and survival instincts.
What Causes the Shadow?
Humans are less good than we may like to accept. All humans are capable of atrocities and malevolent actions towards others. Carl Jung was very aware of this after witnessing the Nazi Party’s systematic genocide of the Jewish population. How is it that an otherwise normal, moral German citizen could be transformed into such a monster?
Jung concluded that all humans have the capacity for atrocities, but we suppress the urge to conform to the morals given to us by our parents, peers, and society as a whole. These morals are important for living in harmony with others.
Imagine a society where anybody could kill, steal, or rape another person at will. This would be utter chaos. Yet, these urges and desires live within the psyche of each human. It makes sense on a societal level to repress these destructive impulses so we can all coexist peacefully.
There are other reasons for suppressing shadow as well.
For example, young boys are taught to do “boy things,” wear “boy clothing,” and act like men. They’re taught to resist crying as a show of weakness and to favor sports over the arts. Teaching children to suppress their desire to engage in more “feminine” activities leads to a darkening of the child’s shadow.
Trauma is another reason someone suppresses certain traits or desires. When a traumatic event happens, especially during childhood, they respond by suppressing thoughts, instincts, or desires in an act of self-preservation. This is a concept explored in-depth by Dr. Gabor Maté, who argues that all forms of addiction and (most) mental illnesses stem from repressed thoughts and emotions caused by traumatic experiences as a child.
When we don’t acknowledge the dark and repressed aspects of our unconscious self, they control us — affecting how we think, feel, and interact with the world around us.
Only through acknowledging the existence of these darker aspects of ourselves are we able to relinquish their control over our psyche.
What Happens When We Suppress Our Shadow?
When a thought, emotion, or urge appears that conflicts with our persona (the mask we put on for the world), our mind prefers to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist. This is easier than confronting it.
Aggression, lust, immoral urges, malevolent mental images, unacceptable sexual desires, or fears are all common elements of the shadow. We can repress these traits successfully for a while, but their influence pokes through into our conscious actions sooner or later. Most of the time, we don’t even notice it’s happening.
Here are six ways a suppressed shadow can show itself in our thoughts and actions:
1. Projection of Our Undesirable Traits Onto Others
“Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves” — Carl Jung
Projection causes us to pick apart certain aspects of others — such as criticizing someone’s style or intelligence or harshly judging them for decisions or life choices they’ve made. This attack comes from an attempt to mask aspects of ourselves we refuse to accept.
When we call someone "stupid" or attack their appearance, it reassures us that we're not like them and lack the negative traits we scrutinize about them. Somewhat ironically, the points we choose to attack are most often the traits we embody the most in ourselves.
A good example of this is people who actively judge and attack homosexuals. It’s these people who are usually the most insecure about their sexuality and may have repressed homosexual desires they’re working to cover by projecting their disdain onto others.
2. Disconnection & Addiction
“It is impossible to understand addiction without asking what relief the addict finds, or hopes to find, in the drug or the addictive behavior.” — Dr. Gabor Maté.
Another unconscious method of repressing the shadow is to sever the connection between the mind and the body. This can be through drugs or alcohol, compulsive work or exercise, sugar, sex, or any other activity that distracts us from the reality of how we feel.
3. Unacknowledged Biases
“But I think that no matter how smart, people usually see what they're already looking for, that's all.” ― Veronica Roth.
The ability to make assumptions is a useful feature of the human brain. Assumptions help us move through life more efficiently and identify both dangerous situations and advantageous situations more quickly. They basically increase our odds of survival.
However, they can also become toxic or unhelpful.
A lot of the racism and prejudice happening around the world comes from aspects of our unconscious that are projecting inner instincts and desires in an act of repression — which unconsciously establishes the assumptions we make about others.
4. Impatience & Outbursts Towards Others
“Impatience can cause wise people to do foolish things. ” ― Janette Oke
When something conflicts with the story our ego paints for us, we react impulsively to avoid “offending” the ego. Our unconscious shadow often takes the wheel, leading us to do things we regret later on.
This most often comes out towards subordinates, children, customer service employees, or anybody we feel we have some level of control over.
Exerting power over another is an unconscious way of compensating for the powerlessness someone has in their own life.
5. Playing the Victim
“As I'd seen over and again, people who see themselves as victims sometimes don't notice when they become oppressors.” ― Souad Mekhennet.
By playing the victim, you aren't seen as the "bad guy" and, therefore, don't have to take responsibility for your actions.
Many people will first lash out, criticize, or wreak havoc on another — then, after feeling shameful for having done it, will play the victim so others and themselves can feel as though they’ve done nothing wrong.
As with all of the other points on this list, this is something we do unconsciously. People who play the victim, when called out or confronted about it, may even double down and play the victim about playing the victim.
6. Narcissism & Selfishness
“Narcissists are consumed with maintaining a shallow false self to others.” — Shannon Alder
This is a common expression of the shadow in people who think they’re enlightened, wiser, or in some way better than everybody else. They can do no wrong and often present themselves as a guru or mentor to others as a way to cover their own repressed shadow.
Spiritual narcissism is a phenomenon where someone ironically believes they’re at a higher level of consciousness than others. The most ironic part is that this very thought is detracting from their ability to wholly connect with the self in an “enlightened” manner.
Related: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Can Psychedelics Deflate the Biggest Ego of Them All?
Why Should We Work To Integrate Our Shadow?
"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life, and you will call it fate." — Carl Jung.
Have you ever done something that hurt someone and promised yourself, “I’m never going to do that again,” — only to repeat the action over and over again?
This is why people seek to integrate their shadow. It’s a key aspect of Carl Jung’s idea of individuation — which is a process of working — gradually — towards being whole.
The goal isn’t to get rid of your shadow — this isn’t even possible. The goal is to identify it and acknowledge it as being equally a part of yourself as the rest of you.
This is called integration.
It’s a practice that seeks to remove the influence these repressed traits have over your behaviors, thoughts, and emotions.
Someone who works to integrate their shadow knows they’re capable of doing something deemed “bad” — like cheating on a partner, killing someone, or stealing — but they choose not to.
Someone who hasn’t integrated their shadow suppresses these thoughts and denies the possibility that they exist, which ironically makes them more likely to follow through with these thoughts and desires—often to their own detriment.
Here are just a few of the improvements people experience when they start paying attention to their shadow:
Improvements in relationships — You gain a higher degree of patience and the ability to connect with others.
Improvements in mood — When you’re conscious of your emotions, it’s more difficult to remain in a state of sadness, anger, or frustration.
Improvements in physical health — Stress is a much bigger component of illness than you might expect. When you learn to integrate negative emotions, you end up feeling less stress, which positively impacts your life.
Improvements in creativity — The unexamined mind can easily interfere with the creative process.
Deeper Emotional Intelligence — By recognizing and integrating the aspects of oneself that were previously unconscious, we may better understand our emotional reactions and those of others, leading to improved interpersonal skills.
Increased Authenticity — Living in alignment with one's true self, rather than wearing socially constructed masks, allows for a more authentic and fulfilling life.
Better Leadership Skills — Leaders who have confronted their shadow selves tend to be more empathetic, understanding, and effective in managing teams, as they are aware of both their strengths and weaknesses.
Spiritual Growth — The journey into the shadow is often seen as a key part of spiritual development, leading to a deeper understanding of the self and one's place in the world.
Integrating The Shadow
“The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.” — Carl Jung.
No part of the unconscious is under our control. We don’t choose to have impulses and desires — so the concept behind shadow work is acknowledging them for what they are rather than trying to ignore or hide them.
Shadow work is the process of identifying with the darker or repressed elements of the psyche.
It’s the process of making the unconscious conscious.
When we do this, we experience awareness of our impulses and gain the ability to choose whether we act on them or not.
Shadow work is something that requires constant care and attention. You can’t go for a weekend retreat to burn off the shadow and come back as an enlightened being. It takes a great deal of work over the course of a lifetime.
“I’ve written my epitaph. Carved on my gravestone, it’s going to say: it was a lot more work than I had anticipated” — Dr. Gabor Maté.
The first step of integrating the shadow is identifying it by paying attention to your thoughts and actions. Ask yourself “why” you did something or felt a certain way — rather than placing blame or judgment on yourself for having done it.
Rather than being hard on yourself for having done something, seek to question the reasons behind it. Ask yourself what might have made you respond that way. Be compassionate with yourself. Blaming yourself and labeling yourself as “an idiot,” “selfish,” or an “asshole” only causes you to feel shame — it doesn’t help you understand the unconscious influence that caused you to do what you did in the first place.
Integrating the shadow involves voluntarily confronting the chaos that lives within the psyche. This process is usually uncomfortable because our ego will resist it every step of the way.
Like a forest fire clearing way for new growth, we often need to endure the intensity and chaos of a fire in order to make way for new, more “positive” influences in our unconscious. Doing this work transforms many of the traits we deem as negative into something more positive simply by exerting conscious control over what we do with them.
Here are some of the changes that can happen when we learn to integrate our shadow:
Fear becomes a source of courage
Aggression becomes a source of passion
Pain becomes a lesson in perseverance & grit
Selfishness becomes a lesson in empathy
Lust facilitates passion, connection, & love
Grief facilitates connection with the self & others
Some key tools people use during this step to help them identify the shadow are psychedelics, therapy, journaling, and meditation.
The Role of Psychedelics In Shadow Work
One of the biggest healing aspects of psychedelics is their ability to dislodge fragments of the unconscious and bring them into focus within the conscious self. This is one of the fundamental qualities that allow psychedelics to reshape someone’s understanding of themselves and others.
Aspects of our unconscious shadow rise to the forefront of our experience. The most undesirable aspects of our psyche are put on display for us, which is very difficult to accept.
The most life-changing and healing psychedelic journeys are also the most difficult ones to endure. They’re agonizing because they show us everything we refuse to accept about ourselves — there’s no filter or beating around the bush; it just is what it is.
Related: Euphoric Nothingness: The Dichotomy of Dissociation & Healing.
When used with the right intention and context, psychedelics could very well be the most useful tool in the field of shadow work. A single session has the impact of months of work through meditation and therapy.
But this path isn’t for everybody.
Ontological shock is a phenomenon that happens after a shift in one's understanding of the world, which is so powerful it causes a feeling of collapse, anguish, and disorientation. Psychedelics, near-death experiences, and terminal diagnosis are all common causes of ontological shock. The impact is so strong it can illicit physical manifestations of shock (like rapid heart rate, a sense of impending doom, and anxiousness).
Even Carl Jung famously cautioned about using psychedelics for shadow work. He said, "Beware of unearned wisdom." Essentially, psychedelics may give us information we aren’t quite ready for or have the necessary tools to integrate safely and effectively.
It’s like jumping into the deep end of the pool without first learning how to swim. If we don’t drown, we certainly learn how to swim quickly, but it’s much safer if we start in the shallow end and work our way up as we become stronger swimmers.
Psychedelics Most Often Used For Shadow Work:
Microdosing & Shadow Work
Microdosing has also become a popular tool for shadow work.
The practice of microdosing involves taking small, sub-perceptual doses of a psychedelic compound, like LSD or magic mushrooms, on a recurring basis.
The doses used aren’t high enough to give us any perceptual changes, but they still offer subtle benefits on our connection with the unconscious mind. They don’t forcefully surface past traumas or impulses — but they can help us become more in tune with ourselves as we apply the methods of personal inquiry involved with the process of shadow work.
Microdosing pairs well with conscious lifestyle and habit changes, journaling, creative exploration, and meditation.
Further Reading: The Shadow
The concept of the shadow and shadow work is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s an entire field of psychology that was born from Jung’s ideas, which have been built on by an ever-evolving group of Neo-Jungians over the past couple of decades.
This post is intended to be merely a jumping-off point for this concept, and there’s a lot of other books, workshops, and lectures that can take you through some of the more intricate details of the individuation process:
Alan Watts: Accepting Your Shadow Side [Video Lecture]
Anderson Todd Carl Jung Shadow Course [Video Lecture]
"Euphoric Nothingness:" The Dichotomy of Dissociation & Healing [Tripsitter]
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall: Can Psychedelics Deflate the Biggest Ego of Them All? [Tripsitter]
To Oblivion & Back: Exploring The Benefits of Psychedelic-Induced Ego Death [Tripsitter]
Owning Your Own Shadow [Book]
Shadow & Evil in Fairy Tales [Book]
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