One of my favorite tools is to employ a little pop-culture magic and write up issue-specific versions of my shadow as if I was doing a write up of a character for a comic or designing a monster for D&D. Backstory and all.
This gives me a collection of fleshed out inner demons I can put my finger on when working on them/with them.
I pay close attention to the emotions I’m feeling. Then try and approach those so-called darker emotions with self compassion. Then try & identify what beliefs I have attached to those emotions, then rewrite those beliefs. That’s just a small part of my shadow work.
similar to what Echo said, for me it’s very much about paying attention to emotions and behavior, and the impact that they have on myself and on those around me, as honestly as i am capable of doing.
if i find myself running or getting defensive, or if fight or flight kicks in, i can either confront things then and there, or retreat to try another day. sometimes it’s worth pushing, and other times i have a meeting in a couple of hours and i need to maintain some amount of surface composure. sometimes pushing in the wrong way makes things worse, but we learn and adapt our approach.
some of my demons find me, experientially and figuratively. sometimes i am led to them. sometimes the work is visionary. sometimes it’s a conversation with a trusted friend. sometimes what overshadows me is so large that i can’t even begin to see it until i can find a better vantage point, or until i’ve been able to bind or unbind something more acutely affecting.
honest observation, flexibility, and keeping the particulars of any lesson, vision, or change earthed and in perspective has been key for me.
