Reaction to the Pain: Shadow Work Visualization

Hello everyone! Today I have something for shadow work. I first came across this in a partial hospital program, so while it wasn’t referred to as “shadow work”, I realized its potential use in shadow work immediately. I found this visualization incredibly useful for getting closer to the root of something in your shadow, helping to realize why something is so painful. Of course, your experience with it may be different. It is rather abstract, but I hope it helps some of you:

Picture a thought, feeling, or memory that is painful for you (for your first few tries, I don’t suggest something horrendously painful. Something kind of in the middle. This can get intense, so take your time building it up to more painful things).

Call this thought, feeling or memory your ‘target’. Try to picture your target in as much detail as possible. What color is your target? What is your target’s shape? What is its speed? What is its surface texture? What is its internal texture? If it could hold water, how much would it hold? What is its weight, if it has one?

How do you react to this target? Do you hate it? Do you feel angry? Or something else? Take this reaction as a new, second target. Shift the first target off to the side in your mind, and focus on the second target. What color is the second target? What is its shape? What is speed? What is its surface texture? Its internal texture? If it could hold water, how much would it hold? If it has weight, how much does it weigh? How do you react to this second target?

Take a look back at your first target. Has it changed at all? If so, how?

When you are ready, gently, willingly, and acceptingly take both targets back within you. They are still a part of you, a part of your shadow.

That’s the visualization! I feel this could be taken to many more layers, to many more ‘targets’, though it might be difficult to keep track of them all. You could also do it a second time, using the second target as your initial target, if you have trouble tracking more than two targets. I feel this could be a great aid to some of us, and I knew I had to share it as soon as I came across it!