Our mind is like a computer with scripts that operate below conscious awareness. To grow, we need to fix any unhealthy programming. Self-discovery tools and spiritual shadow work are tools of therapy for inner healing to help us accomplish this task.
Researchers have always been intrigued by the shadowy realms of the mind. Ancient cultures around the globe developed tools to instigate this realm of consciousness. The Shamanic journey is a process common to many indigenous cultures. They used it to investigate the symbolism and typologies of the mind in this Shamanic state and dreams. The focus of many cultures was personal development.
Later, spiritual researchers like George Gurdjieff uncovered Eastern mystical processes like the Enneagram. He used them as a blueprint for his own unique processes for personal development. Even the early developers of modern psychology, like Freud and Jung, used these tools. The Enneagram and other processes like Automatic Writing are part of modern psychology.
Self-Discovery and Spiritual Shadow Work
Self-discovery involves processes that help us gain insight into the mechanisms of the mind. Inner refers to the subconscious and automatic functions of the mind. Work in these realms deals with tools that help us see the programming, symbolism, and typologies of the inner world.
These are realms of consciousness and awareness that religious traditions call spirit and soul. This psychological and spiritual work requires the right tools. It is often emotionally and physically challenging.
Therapy is any treatment or practice that helps heal the body, mind, and spirit. Using psychological tools to explore the subconscious mind is called spiritual shadow work exercises. This is because it deals with the hidden mechanisms, symbolism, and typologies of the mind or spirit that operate in the shadows. You never know what you will find in these recesses of consciousness.
Unfortunately, therapy for inner healing has a stigma in our modern culture. Mental illness is not treated the same as physical illnesses. The stigma comes from misunderstanding mental illness as a sign of weakness or flaw in character. These judgments are not true, but we struggle to overcome this stigma that prevents people from seeking the care they need.
Personal development involves the body, mind, and spirit. A holistic approach is highly recommended. We all start in different places. Assessing the health of each area is the best place to start. The World Health Organization has identified six dimensions of wellness. So, learn what you need before engaging in self-discovery and safe inner healing practices.
The Philosophy of Therapy for Inner Healing
The subconscious levels of the mind house our personalities, instincts, and memories. These elements dictate our thinking. They are related in a complex matrix. When you deal with one of these, you affect the others as well. So, repairing unhealthy thinking requires the proper guidance, tools, and patience.
If you want to grow as a person, you must face your fears and look into the shadows of the mind. You must have the guidance and tools to remove obstacles and repair harmful thought scripts and memories. You can do this!
Where does this work take us? Some of the obstacles are mental illness or conditions that affect the Ego. The Ego controls our instincts and personality. Much of our unhealthy programming comes from two sources in the cultural narrative: religion and politics. This programming is so powerful it often overrides the programming of the Ego.
Is Inner Work Safe? Yes, it is.
If you use any of the tools we recommend, this type of therapy for inner healing work is safe. Some of these tools, such as the Enneagram, journaling, and automatic writing, can be used on your own. Others are more effective if you have a guide, partner, or group—tools like the Repetitive Question Exercise benefit from having a third party assist you.
The Abrahamic religions demonize these tools because they out-perform the belief in mythology. Stay away from organized religion and extremist political movements as they use propaganda and groupthink manipulation tactics.
Safe Inner Healing Practices and Tools
These tools can be divided into four groups:
— Analytical Tools
— Meditation
— Awareness Tools and Techniques
— Natural Healing Modalities
Inner Work Practices for Self-Discovery and Spiritual Shadow Work
The inward quest has Eureka moments of joyous bliss. However, to reach these experiences, we often need to overcome roadblocks. We need to face our fears and delete harmful programming; then, we can reprogram with positive self-talk, which leads to positive behaviors. That’s one of the main goals of this work. We’ll discuss the tools that aid in this work. It involves self-discovery and therapy for inner healing.
Almost all of our harmful negative bias and prejudice programming comes from the dominant cultural narrative. As you might suspect, this programming comes from three places: organized religion, politics, and the advertising industry.
Of these three, religion remains the most dominant because of its social mass. It can propagate dangerous ideologies that justify the most destructive behaviors—scary stuff. Politics and advertising learn to use the same techniques as religion to manipulate people through various forms of propaganda. It is almost invisible, so you must learn to see it.
The unhealthy programming of our culture makes the inward quest a destructive process. It pulls down these negative barriers of belief, which are often blocking our psychological and spiritual growth. Then, it rebuilds the positive life-affirming ideas that blossom.
Other practices, like meditation, are also a part of this inner quest because meditation silences the internal dialogue, allowing us to rest and recharge our minds. Now, we can use logic and common sense and connect with our internal wisdom. Analytical and intuitive thinking tools aid in personal development, inner work practices for self-discovery, and spiritual shadow work exercises.
What Kind of Shadow Do You Cast?
We all cast a shadow in the lives of others we know, and it can be a shadow of selfishness or selflessness. It’s your choice. If we learn a lesson in life, we can use it to help ourselves and others.
Every day, we have the opportunity to cast the shadow as a compassionate and giving spiritual person. On the other hand, we can choose the path of greed and selfishness. We can magnify and glorify ourselves and our status. Our shadow work reflects the legacy of our lives.
Public figures and famous people are a good example. You can see when they talk and act with compassion or greed. These traits are a more accurate barometer of morals and ethics than their proclamations of faith. Their spiritual shadow is easy to see, and they teach us what to emulate and what to avoid.
What type of shadow do you cast in the lives of others? Here are some questions to ask yourself to find out.
1. What kind of shadow do you cast? What is the heritage of your life? Do you throw a long shadow as if standing in the early morning or late afternoon sun? Or is your shadow non-existent, as if the sun is directly overhead? What does it consist of? Is your shadow positive or negative?
2. What is your sphere of influence? Where does your shadow fall? Does your shadow fall only on a select or small group of people, or does your shadow fall widely on everyone and everything?
3. Do others see your life as a blessing or a curse? How much time do you spend assisting, training, or helping others, and how does this time compare to the time you spend on yourself?
Many people are not happy with their legacy. Yet, they are also afraid to face the fears and pain that keep them from correcting their shadow. Self-discovery and spiritual shadow work are about accepting the karma you create. Then, we can use this knowledge to change the direction of our lives to make it better.
We recommend you test your path regularly to ensure you are on the right one. Hopefully, the shadow you want to cast is one of kindness and generosity. The world needs people who are making a positive impact. One key to this path is opening the virtues of the spirit. If your life does not reflect these higher virtues, it is a sign you need to do some of this kind of work.
Help Others is Therapy for Inner Healing
Doing something positive for others is an indirect method of growing good karma. Still, it is an effective way to augment your more intense spiritual shadow work. It gets you to focus outward instead of continually inward. If you only lift yourself, then your job is only half done. It is a sign that your inner work practices for self-discovery are lacking a critical component. Half of your time and effort should involve giving back and helping others. Whether you view this as a spiritual law or something else, the result is the same.
Giving is part of the reciprocal spiritual aspect of receiving. To grow fully, you must learn to give back. Once you start on the path of compassion, the Universe will bring both resources and opportunities to use them. You may even become a warrior of light, confronting injustice and prejudice with compassion and love.
“Your Inner work serves no purpose unless it has a beautiful outward expression.” — Guru Tua
Similarly, if your giving excludes anyone, your giving will be hollow and selfish. You can’t just give to those who believe like you. Spiritual work should be an unbiased sharing experience. It’s important to remember that we all share the connection of consciousness.
Our core of consciousness links everyone and everything. This is a little scary because it also connects us to those who project hate. However, this is how we awaken others.
There are two paths to oneness. The first is a direct experience of the transcendent through meditation. The second is through an analytical process of confronting our beliefs. We recommend taking both approaches. It’s a wise choice. Many teachers tell us those who are awake are helping to raise the consciousness of humankind. So, it is vital to make room in your practice to help others. When you give and help others on their path, you’ll find yours more rewarding.
True Spiritual Teachers
Above all, we know the greatest Seers and Prophets share their wisdom without prejudice; their focus is on lifting the lives of others. That’s why religions use their names. We must not forget the noble pioneers of consciousness exploration. They brought us many “spiritual technologies.”
Real teachers do not want to be celebrities—for example, Gandhi, the Tenzin Gyatso (the 14th Dalai Lama), and George Gurdjieff. Many of the best teachers are not in the public eye and remain unknown except in their inner circle. They want to focus on the content of the teaching, not on them.
Some teachers or gurus have always lived their lives focusing on giving. Some people who began their careers in the public eye seem to be examples of awakening spirits. Their legacy is evident in their actions. Some awakened people leave speeches, books, and music. These are people like Keanu Reeves and Russell Brand. They are not perfect, but all of them talk about spiritual shadow work in different ways. They may not refer to it by this term, but they all describe and use the methods we’ve outlined.
Final Thoughts on Spiritual Shadow Work Exercises
Therapy for inner healing is safe and effective. Inner work practices for self-discovery should be a part of your spiritual explorer’s toolbox. Test your path regularly to make sure you are progressing. Learn the value of facing the obstacles that hinder your growth. Become a freethinker.
Learn to take the wisdom and knowledge you gain from this quest to others. You share and help others. Caring and sharing with others help complete you, which is part of your spiritual shadow work.
If all else fails, try to be a kind person. Be kind to others, to animals, to the environment, and yourself.