While your conscious mind holds those thoughts, memories and experiences you like, your unwanted memories are sent into the subconscious. This post follows on from last week to explore how your shadow self interacts with the subconscious hidden mind.
Your shadow self is formed in your subconscious mind where you cannot clearly see it and you are equally not aware of it. The contents of your subconscious mind include the parts about you and your life you don’t want to accept so they get hidden away.
Remember all those negative thoughts you have or say about yourself? These are the things that your subconscious is storing and hiding from you. Your conscious mind is no longer aware of them, but your shadow self is.
Your shadow self is the reason why you do certain things in life without fully understanding why. As an adult you would think that you can deal with what life throws at you better, yet somehow you fall back into the same unhealthy patterns of behaviour.
Often these unhealthy patterns stem from your limiting belief system developed unconsciously through your shadow as you were growing up.
As a result, when you start to deny the hidden side of yourself it does not magically disappear. It stays with you and takes on a life of its own. It operates in the shadows of your subconscious with the potential to impact your actions in life if you are not aware of it.
However, you can train yourself to pay attention to your shadow in three ways:
Be aware of how you project your actions onto others
Pay attention to how you respond to what you don’t like in others as this may be a reflection of something your shadow self has hidden from you. When you act out against others, such as in anger or guilt, it might be something that you are ashamed of in yourself. Become aware of how you project your behaviours onto the outside world.
Be aware of what triggers your past memories
Whether emotional or otherwise, being aware of what triggers you will allow you to be aware of what is hidden inside of you that needs to be addressed. Understanding those triggers will enable you to catch yourself before acting out impulsively not after when you may regret your behaviours.
Take note of your patterns of behaviour
Your shadow will recall how you responded to a situation previously causing you to unconsciously take on that position again. Your shadow wants you to be aware of your behavioural patterns to learn from them and in turn break that cycle.