Shadow Work

How can I be more Authentic?

Where is my spiritual growth stuck? I’m doing everything.

How can be less irritated by my family?

Why do I get triggered so easily?

If above questions plague you. If you wish to go beyond your triggers, we have a perfect healing tool for you – Shadow Work.

It helps in resolving lifelong inner conflicts, by understanding and healing dysfunctional and destructive sub-personalities, understanding the interplay of archetypes and their Shadow side, be it Child, Victim, Saboteur, or Anima & Animus. It is unraveling the masks we wear, often unknowingly,  or unconsciously. Life is but a journey of making the unconscious, conscious, this makes presence of unresolved or unhealed shadows within, not just chaotic but also deceptive.

In righteous wars, we become what we hate! Because we are what we hate, just don’t know it yet. That’s why Shadow Work has always  been such an integral of our Healing work at Inner Journeys. 

“If you have problem with everybody in life, may be the problem lies in you.”

When everybody in our life has the same problem, may be we are the problem. Rightly put, it is shadow side, we are ecountering again and again, and feeling frustrated. Accepting this simple fact is freedom – freedom to finally change something in our life. When we are done with blaming, and playing the victim. Once we accep our own dysfunctions, failing and craziness, then we find it easier to be with another flawed individual. Not looking for perfection, but humanity, common grounds, goals and aspirations. Also when, we forget to see our own darkness, and heal it, thus we end up invoking the same all around. If I feel everybody around has problem, then may be the problem is with me. What I am failing to see within, is what I am encountering all around.  

Our entire life script is design to wake us up, but we do resist it as long as we can. Don’t we? Begrudgingly, we acknowledge presence of an anamoly in our life, once we are done with blaming our past and every body else, we are ready to taking responsibility of the mess within.

Have you noticed, before every major festivity like Diwali, there is a tradition to clear with our homes. That is because, before we invite the light and festivities in, we need to clear out the junk! Our inner junk would be debris of past, useless habits, traits – in short our shadows. Only then do we get to celebrate life. Celebrate who we are!

Are you ready, my friend? 

EMBRACE YOUR SHADOW

What is a Shadow?

Shadow is the part us, which has not received the light of our awareness. It is our unhealed wound or relationship, the addiction we cannot overcome and our undiscovered powerhouse – Inner Gold. 

It can be the trait that irritates or triggers you or a quality that you idolise in others. A concept developed by noted Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, Shadow is nothing but the unknown, unexplored or unaccepted part of our personality – our dark side. The part we repress, deny or hide. Thus, what we resist, persists in the unconscious. Be it Personal Unconscious or Collective Unconscious.

Shadow is instinctive and irrational and shows up repeatedly in our dreams, shadow projections and irritations. And it continues to control our choices and behaviour. We may wear masks or build fortresses around us or even try to overcompensate, but shadow never goes away till we acknowledge it and deal with it. And yes, heal it!

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are“, said Anaïs Nin, though the thought often attributed to the Babylonian Talmud. Engaging with our shadows is an ongoing journey. Everything and everyone has a shadow; stronger the light, more pronounced the shadow. Every archetype has its shadow side. Stronger the light, darker the shadow. Dream Therapy can be an excellent tool to work through your dreams and access the Wisdom of your powerful Subconscious, Carl Jung called his method of going deep, ‘active imagination’.

“Knowing your own darkness is the best method for dealing with the darknesses of other people.” – Carl Jung

Life is a mirror. It always reflects back our inner truths. Fighting with the mirror is futile. In short, our inner microcosm gets reflected in the out microcosm we find ourselves surrounded by. Shadow Work is the only way to heal our inner conflicts and find peace within, by getting a grip over our triggers, and thus our life.

Above all, through Law of Attraction, we end up attracting what we fear experiencing – our shadows. This makes Shadow work an important tool not just for spiritual growth, but also to attract better health, well-being and abundance. Without this Vibrational realignment, we keep attracting same patterns of conflicts, disharmony in our relationships and life. Heal your shadows, heal your life.

Shadow and Spiritual growth

SPIRITUAL GROWTH is not about ‘spiritual’ practices or spiritual experiences, let alone intuitive skills. It is, as we discover after a few decades on the path, who we are in our private lives and within. Facing our day to day challenges. Health, relationship, work or the mundane, nothing is beyond the purvey of shadow. Wherever there is light, there would be dark, and this the proverbial Shadow dance.

You can’t be mindful enough or at all times to handle your dark traits. Can you? You need a better solution.

You have realised that simply being nice (or pretending to be so) or toxic positivity (silver-lining or spiritualizing every tragedy or challenge) via self-suppression is not the pathway to spirit growth. Nor is escaping into esoteric concepts, dimensions, astral travels or what have you. In short, faking it till you make it, or Spiritual bypassing doesn’t work when it comes to spiritual growth or inner peace. It is about being authentic, embracing your light and darkness with equanimity.

Why Shadow Work is final frontier of Inner Work? Shadow Work opens pathways to true spiritual growth we always wish we had. Shadow Work is the tool which finally freed us as facilitators, from years of our own little dramas, and shadow dance. That’s the reason, we decided to share this tool, we have used for ourselves with fellow travellers. It is a tool we rely upon whenever life gets messy, chaotic or bizarre, which itself is a sign that some new or undiscovered Shadow needs attention, needs to be addressed. And Boy! Life can pull a fast one of us, when we become complacent or smug. Keep us on our toes and humble. If we are still here on earth, there is work to do. We are all, work in progress, aren’t we? For Shadows when ignore, doesn’t go away. They keep growing and eventually consume all the good things in our lives. History is filled with people and civilizations, which couldn’t grapple with their shadows and fell to ruins. 

“No tree, it is said, can grow to heaven

unless its roots reach down to hell.”

– Carl Jung

Shadow and Relationships

ONE PLACE where our shadows show up more readily is our intimate relationships, close family and parenting. Here we get triggered the most, and thus has maximum potential of growth.  Else shadow creates havoc in relationships via estrangement or conflicts. These are inescapable part of our life script, as we are karmically bound to them. Otherwise, we are all capable of building a life tip-toeing around our triggers. But then, no one grows in their comfort zone. Life will do everything to destabilize us via shadow conflicts. We encounter our shadows even if we skip from one relationship to another, one office to another. Because we carry our unlearnt shadow lessons with us and recreate the same dynamics. Even across lifetimes. 

Often when we are finally ready to face our shadow, that is when our dark lifetimes surface in dreams, Past Life Regression and Akashic Records Healing. Else we stay comfortable in our victimhood, and avoid taking responsibility of the mess we find ourselves in and the one we continue to create for others, knowingly or unknowingly. Shadow side can control every choice we make, and in places we lose control. Thus, it shows up sadly in addictions, self-sabotage, and self-harm. Common example would be Busyness or Workaholism or Productivity and performance-based Self worth especially in men, which is a modern addiction and self-harm pattern, which begins with disengaging with our emotions and intuition (Yin-Yang/Anima-Animus). The result? Relationship disasters, as we see all around, clubbed with Toxic masculinity or feminity. This in turn fuels the Dark side of ambition – greed and passion without compassion! 

How are Shadows formed?

MOST SHADOWS are formed in our childhood, in the formative years, when a single event can leave a lasting impact in the Subconscious Mind. Events where we felt judged, shamed, small, suppressed, unloved, unworthy or rejected. Simply put, – Not Good Enough or Not Worthy Enough. Thus we lose our light and emerges our shadow.

Often abusive or manipulative parenting, controlling (disciplining), passive aggressive, puritan or narcissist parents create a highly dysfunctional shadow traits. Combined with childhood injunctions, the faulty programming, like software bug shows up in dysfunctional behaviour patterns, anger, abuse and manipulation.

 

What is Shadow Work?

Shadows dwell in our Unconscious and the Subconscious . That is why triggers are so hard to manage by the conscious mind or willpower, let alone heal them. Awareness of our triggers via mindfulness is only the first step. The key step here is to engage with our complex and hidden personality traits, which are often in conflict with each other. For this we need to work with someone who can help us, guide us and eventually heal our own Dark side. What better tool than Hypnotherapy. As it give us direct access to the Subconscious and begins our true inner journey, of Inner work – that’s the power of Shadow Work!

Shadow work is excellent for you if …

• You feel powerless in your relationships. You get irritated or by everyone especially by close family? or can’t seem to have cordial relationships.
• You are unable to manage your emotions like: Anger, irritation, anxiety, and depression.
• You have a dream to achieve something big in life but you feel worthless.
• You judge yourself too much and what others think of you affects you.
• You feel emotionally exploited in most of your relationships.
• You attract same kind of people or patterns in your life.
• You are unable to excel in your career.
• You think you are unable to utilise your full potentials.

“He who conquers himself is the mightiest warrior.” ~Confucius

A Shadow Work session may include:

Shadow Work session when done under Hypnosis becomes all the more powerful. It may included one or more of the following. No session is same, catered to individual needs a person.

• Shadow Mapping: Shadow projections and Archetypes. 
• Learning tools of Shadow Work: Knowing your Inner Dialogue, Journaling Exercise, Dream therapy etc
• Finding the Balance & the Gift of Shadow
• Shadow Integration Meditation
• Each session is different, depending on an individual’s requirements.

“If you bring forth what is within you, what you bring forth will save you.       If you do not bring forth what is within you, what you do not bring forth    will destroy you.”
– Gospel of Thomas

Are you Ready to be woken up? Ready for the deep dive within?

How to book a session: Send us your issues/ problems in detail, and brief biography, especially childhood experiences which you feel would have been formative in shaping up your current personality and behaviour, or any dysfunctions thereof. Also send simple recent photograph, name and current age. You can either send in writing (the best way) or as a voice note (say on WhatsApp).

Talk to us about the Shadows you already know about and grapple with daily or cyclically. About your failures to ‘walk the talk’, shame, secrets personal or familial, – unhealed, unprocessed wounds, guilts and hidden agendas. Some we will discover together.

Writing or journaling is the best way to articulate your issues and know yourself better, so we encourage it.

Fee: Rs 6000 INR per session

Duration: 1 1/2 – 2 hours 

Location: Online over Zoom app/at our Centres in Sector 57, Gurgaon, India Or Mahendra City, Bhopal, India

If you interested in taking an Online/Offline session. Send in your name and location to Email: info@innerjourneys.life. Also send in brief profile and a simple photograph.

Contact: Abhishek:  +91 981020 6203, Priyanka: +91 959428 0000.

Note:

1. Shadow work is an advance session of innerwork, so you have been involved in self-examination and self-discovery this is an ideal tool for you to integrate with your journey.
2. It is a collaborative session, and can be done only, if you can be open, aware, pliable and yes transparent. So be as candid as you can be with your life issues, secrets, your failings or short comings, we promise Shadow work would free you from a lot of burdens. If you keep rigidity, pretence or masks on, it would be of no use. Instead if you choose to be vulnerable, we have good chances to uncover the gold within. Deep beneath our shadowy layer. Be assured, whatever you share with us would remain confidential and within a non-judgmental space.
3. A therapist can only facilitate shadow work, but it is your journey to make. We will take up your case only if we find an earnest desire to work on yourself.  
4. Once we know your story, especially your childhood patterns, traumas and dysfunctions, we can start to work on them. Inner Child Healing and Emotional Detox become important pre-cursors in some cases due to the present of immense trauma and abuse in childhood, direct or indirect. 

Another excellent way to get initiated into Shadow Work would be one of our 2-day Inner Child Healing & Shadow Work Workshops (Online/ Offline), which are held every few months. Stay tuned to our upcoming events page.  Details below: 

•  Embrace Your Shadow : Shadow Work & Inner Child Healing workshop (Online and Offline workshop) 
• Are you an active dreamer: Take a Dream Therapy Session to go deeper within.

Interesting podcast on the theme: Metta Hour

Q & A

Q. Can I do Shadow Work on my own?

A. It is always better to have an outsider, help us navigate our dark spaces. Especially an expert in Shadow work. Shadows are beguiling, you might end up feeling, no I am saint, it’s the people around me who need to do Shadow work. On our own, we are liable to miss our blind spots, or feel victimized. Eventually we might conveniently conclude too that we are saints and it is people around us who are problematic. 

Q. How often should I take up Shadow work sessions?

A. Depends on you really, the speed at which you do inner work. Shadow Healing is an ongoing journeys, though after 2-3 sessions, you would know how to work with your Shadows. Unless something complex is thrown at you or surfaces in life.

Often our subconscious paces our session, by guiding through metaphoric and archetypal dreams. Once we learn the language of our inner universe, it is easier to navigate.

Monthly sessions are a good pace as long as long as you have Shadows showing up to work with. If you watch your dreams, you would easily know the pace. Also are the triggers tapering off? Or are able or willing to be mindful thru the day, at office and a home both?

Facilitators:

Abhishek Joshi & Priyanka Shukla

ABHISHEK JOSHI

 

Co-Founder Inner Journeys, and Founder-Director Inner Journeys School of Soul Sciences.

ABHISHEK JOSHI is a Spiritual Counsellor, Certified Hypnotherapist & Trainer (IMDHA, USA), Karmic Healing Master™, Shadow Work Trainer, Past Life Regression Therapist and Psychic Healer. He is the Co-Founder of Inner Journeys and Inner Journeys School of Soul Sciences, an Approved school of IMDHA, USA. He specialises in PTSD, C-PTSD, Trauma Recovery, Childhood Sexual and Emotional Abuse Recovery, Inner Child Healing, Shadow Work, Ancestral Curse Healing and Psychic Healing.

 

As a spiritual healer, he started his journey in 1998 with Pranic Healing and Reiki. In 2014 started his full-time practice as a Past Life Regression Therapist. He co-founded Inner Journeys in 2015 with Priyanka Bhargava, which conducts individual sessions, workshops, and retreats in various cities, including, Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal, Kasauli and Rishikesh. In 2018, he started facilitating Training Programs for Diploma in Clinical Hypnotherapy.

As a meditation teacher, he has remained an on-panel therapist at a prestigious spiritual centre in Delhi. He has worked on numerous kinds of issues over the years, has clientele all over the world. Today, he is devoted to teaching his skills to a new generation of healers and therapists.

Specific modality:

Clinical Hypnoptherapy, Inner Child Healing, Emotional Detox, Parts Therapy, Shadow Work, Remote Akashic Records Healing, Remote Energy Clearance, Ancestral Curse Healing (Pitr Dosha)

 

PRIYANKA SHUKLA

Co-Founder Inner Journeys, and Founder-Director Inner Journeys School of Soul Sciences.

PRIYANKA SHUKLA is a Co-Founder of Inner Journeys School of Soul Sciences, a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist (IMDHA, USA) & Trainer, Karmic Healing Master™ and Shadow Work Trainer. Besides being a Certified Ericksonian Life Coach, Past Life Regression Therapist, Psychic Healer, Medium, and Channel. Certified Angel Healer & Trainer, Certified Numerologist and Core-Somatic Integration Therapist. She has also learned NLP, EMDR, EFT and other healing modalities. She specializes in Family-tree Healing, Spirit Release Therapy, besides Space clearance. She is the facilitator of workshops and retreats, and her passion is Healing of Young Adults, Women Empowerment and Conscious Parenting.

An MBA, she has worked with a Management Institute as an Assistant professor, and later she ran her own Event Management company before she was driven to the spiritual Healing modalities to help people heal. Today, she takes individual Therapy sessions in Delhi, Bhopal and Mumbai. She often travels to take healing sessions and workshops on Chakra Healing, Past life Regression, Akashic Records, Life Between Lives (LBL), Shadow Work, Inner Child Healing and Angel Healing in various cities, including, Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, Bhopal and Rishikesh.

AWARDS:

1. “Best Spiritual Life Coach” Award at Astral Global Awards, 2022
2. “Her Power” award by The Brand Story 2021
3. Featured as a Guest on “Good Morning MP Show” on DD Bhopal, 2019
4. Interviewed by Heal Your Life program on MSTV
5. Facilitated by Inspire award 2018 for ‘Master Trainer in Akashic record Reading and healing’.
6. Most reviewed Healer by Life Positive 2017.

 

To know about our founders, please watch their interviews:

Testimonials:

“Shadow Healing for me came at a time when I was going through an emotional turmoil. It came to me as divine grace
When I was going through a very tough time and was breaking apart emotionally, I was advised by Priyanka to try shadow healing. (And thankfully my intuition controlled my rational mind and I instantly agreed on taking a session). Somewhere I feel I was guided.

I must admit, shadow healing has been one of the most powerful modalities for my personal growth and transformation. At that time, I wasn’t sure how it would help me or what changes it would bring to my spiritual journey. However over a period of time, I’ve realised that facing, embracing and accepting my shadows has been extremely powerful in my spiritual growth. Healing my shadows has helped me build a more compassionate perception towards myself and the world. My perspective has also become wider and more accepting. I can’t thank Inner Journeys enough for all that Priyanka and Abhishek have done to help me become a better and empowered version of myself and shadow healing has been a game changer.”
– Vaishali

“Imagine you go to a dumpster and pick up scraps and make something unique out of it?

Well, shadow work is something like that for the parts of yourself that you’d rejected, thrown away and deemed no longer useful. Shadow work with Inner Journeys makes one integrate those so-called ‘negative’ aspects and makes one a more mentally healthier and happier individual.

The brilliant part about shadow work is that it helps develop more self-acceptance and self-love. I have tried many psychotherapy healings, but shadow work remains one of the most impactful for me. Thank you to Mr Abhishek Joshi and Ms Priyanka Bhargava.”

– Khushagra Singh

“It was one of my biggest blessings when I started exploring the dark corners of my inner self. Though it requires a lot of courage and inner resolve to explore one’s Shadows, having a healer like Priyanka to hold your hand through it was a huge blessing. Personally speaking I wouldn’t have been able to know my authentic self had it not been Priyanka helping me through shadow work. She is naturally gifted when it comes to shadow healing.

I was surprised during the course of Shadow healing when she would quickly catch the shadows emerging, which sometimes as an explorer you would miss. The simple techniques she uses to help one heal those shadows makes the whole journey less overwhelming. Both the workshops as well as personal shadow sessions with Priyanka have helped me tremendously in understanding my inner self deeper. I feel more empowered and authentic after dealing and healing my shadows with Priyanka. However it is a journey and would need a lot of strength to keep exploring and healing one’s shadows. And I must say I am truly blessed to have Priyanka as a healer who gives the strength a client needs to face and heal one’s shadows.

I feel shadow work is a very powerful tool and opens doors to another dimension of one’s inner work. However, to walk into your dark corners, you definitely need a healer who is honest, non-judgmental and trustworthy. That is a critical skill for which I would highly recommend Priyanka. Not only for her expertise in catching and healing shadows but also for the empathetic attitude she shows with her clients while dealing with shadows.
With every session with her I feel even more empowered. When I look back, I feel the change very visible in me, as I stopped judging myself and others, striving to bring out a better version of myself”.
– Anonymous

“The Shadow workshop by Inner Journeys is an experience in itself. It has helped me recognize patterns and behaviours that were a part of me, but I never acknowledged them before they were brought out through the exercises we did in this workshop. It is highly recommended that one does this workshop to recognize their strengths and weaknesses and work on self-improvement for a better and blissful life experience”.
– Gopa Bhardwaz 

Further Reading:

• Podcast with Sharon Salzberg (Metta Hour)
• Understanding Projections: Martha Beck
• Psychology of The Unconscious By C. G. Jung