Shadow Work and the Inner Child
Looking Beneath the Trigger
During shadow work, we look underneath our triggers for old beliefs or protective mechanisms that are no longer helpful or serving us. Beneath that, we sit with the pain, or the uncomfortable emotion. And beneath that, we find a small part of ourselves — the inner child — that was abandoned, lost, or shut away from our conscious mind, because it was told it was not appropriate to express its needs, or be seen and heard, or that it didn't matter, or that it was deeply unsafe.
Reuniting With the Inner Child
Once we have sat with the pain, we can find that light within — the small inner child waiting beneath it. We go to it, and offer our love, kindness, care, and attention. We hold it, and tell it we will never leave it again. We allow our heart to open, and allow the inner child to step inside. As it merges with our current self, we feel a release of psychic energy return to us: the beliefs and walls that once kept it outcast are transmuted, freeing that energy to become new, helpful thoughts, beliefs, and habits.
This process can sometimes take a long time, and sometimes it arrives as a spontaneous release.
Meeting Yourself Without Judgment
It is important to approach this work with a curious mind and a growth mindset — to observe ourselves without judgment, for no one is completely healed, and we all have flaws. We may find ourselves criticising, but the criticism itself is really the wounded belief and programming speaking, and is part of the trigger itself. What makes you believe those criticisms are true? Where did you learn them? What part of yourself is hiding underneath, wanting to be heard? What unmet need is crying out for your love and attention?
Sitting With the Pain
When we find this painful belief and emotion beneath the surface, we can feel it as a spot within our mind and body. Our natural instinct is to suppress it, push it away, re-bury it under the rug of the subconscious, where we've kept it "safe" for so long. But this only strengthens the loop and deepens the pain. To transmute this energy, we have to sit with deep presence in it — breathing, holding that presence — until the inner child makes itself known beneath the pain, the looping thoughts and emotions, the criticisms, memories, and belief structures.
This is where the re-parenting happens: you love your inner child, hold them, promise to never leave them again, and welcome them home with open arms and an open heart.
Cultivating Presence
Presence is something that can be developed, and it has to be practised daily. It took me a long time to learn to be present. A traditional meditation practice can help, as can any form of physical exercise that demands complete attention — downhill mountain biking or skiing, for example.
That wonderful state of pure presence is what we call a flow state. It can be cultivated through meditation, extreme sports, art or creative pursuits, or mindfulness practice — any practice you genuinely enjoy will open your heart and capture your complete awareness.
Deeper Layers: Ancestral and Collective Wounds
Some triggers run deeper still — ancestral wounds, collective entities, or patterns that move through the entire Oversoul, manifesting differently across the different souls that are part of it. Different stories, but the same underlying trauma or wounding. These layers can be so deep and so multi-layered that releasing them fully can take many months, unfolding one layer at a time.
Coming Home
The feeling when a piece of you transmutes into light, comes home, and integrates into your being is amazing — it makes all the hard work worth it, on every level. Parts of yourself you didn't know existed begin to open up, offering a richer, fuller, more joyous experience of life. Your personal sovereignty and power grow, manifestation becomes easier, and life experiences you never knew were possible begin to open up before you.
