Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche Paperback - 1993

One of the original primers on shadow work-- A spiritual guide to fully understanding your psyche and unconscious mind to achieve transformative self-acceptance

In this mind--and life--altering volume, Jungian expert and renowned author Robert A. Johnson describes how we all have shadows--the unlit, undesirable, part of our ego that is hidden deep within us that merely--and often painfully--turns up in unexpected places. As we leave these shadows dormant, we veer further away from our true selves. But when we begin to explore and embrace these shadows, we begin to find balance and finally heal the parts of ourselves we thought were broken.

Johnson illuminates that by accepting and honoring the shadow within us, we can:

- Live beyond judgement and shame through healthy emotional regulation

- Strengthen our relationships and develop healthier behavioral and communication patterns

- Stop comparing ourselves to others and learn to live with authentic gratitude for what we have and who we are

- Move beyond self-sabotaging to radically improve our self-esteem and self-worth

Both radical and piercing yet compassionate and gentle, Owning Your Shadow allows us to clasp the painful parts of ourselves--our anger, jealousy, addictions, fears--and use them to discover our most authentic selves. A must-read for anyone who struggles with a lack of self-confidence, trouble setting boundaries, anxiety in relationships, doomscrolling, or simply finding the happiness they know they deserve.

Indeed, the light at the end of the tunnel begins when we choose to venture into the darkness first.