✨ Start Your Shadow Work — 50% OFF Your First Deep Dive

Unlock your unconscious patterns with these powerful journaling questions. 50 prompts organized by theme—from inner child wounds to self-sabotage.

edit_note

What

Structured questions that reveal your unconscious patterns through writing

psychology

Why It Works

Writing bypasses mental defenses and accesses deeper truth

schedule

Time

15-30 minutes per session, 2-3x per week for best results

favorite

Benefit

Surface hidden beliefs, heal wounds, stop repeating painful patterns

How to Use Shadow Work Prompts

Follow this process for each journaling session

  1. 1. Create Safe Space — Private, quiet, uninterrupted. Turn off notifications.
  2. 2. Ground Yourself — 3-5 deep breaths. Feel your body. You are safe.
  3. 3. Choose ONE Prompt — Pick one that creates slight discomfort but doesn't overwhelm.
  4. 4. Write Without Editing — 10-20 minutes. Don't censor. Let it flow.
  5. 5. Reflect — Read with compassion. Ask: "What does this part of me need?"

⚠️ If intense emotions arise, pause. Breathe. You can always return later.

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will direct your life and you will call it fate."

— Carl Jung

50 Shadow Work Journal Prompts

Organized by theme—pick what resonates most right now

child_care

Inner Child Wounds

1. What did I need as a child that I never received?

2. What did I have to become to be loved in my family?

3. What emotions was I not allowed to express growing up?

4. When did I first learn I wasn't enough?

5. What would my 7-year-old self want me to know?

6. What was the first time I remember feeling ashamed?

7. How do I still try to earn love the way I did as a child?

favorite

Relationship Shadows

8. What patterns keep repeating in my relationships?

9. What am I afraid my partner will discover about me?

10. What do I criticize most in my partner that I refuse to see in myself?

11. When do I feel most triggered by people I love? What wound is touched?

12. What do I give in relationships hoping to get back?

13. What is my deepest fear about intimacy?

14. How did my parents' relationship shape my beliefs about love?

flash_on

Anger & Resentment

15. Who am I still angry at? What do I wish they understood?

16. What am I really angry about underneath my 'acceptable' frustrations?

17. When do I feel rage that I immediately suppress?

18. What would I do if I let myself feel my full anger?

19. Who have I never truly forgiven? What does holding this give me?

20. What boundaries have I failed to set that make me resentful?

visibility_off

Shame & Inadequacy

22. What is the one thing I would never want anyone to know about me?

23. When do I feel 'not enough'? What evidence do I use against myself?

24. What do I pretend not to want because I'm afraid I can't have it?

25. What part of my body or appearance do I hate? What does it represent?

26. What mistakes do I punish myself for repeatedly?

27. Where do I feel like an imposter? What would happen if I were 'found out'?

shield

Fear & Avoidance

29. What am I most afraid will happen if people see the real me?

30. What do I avoid at all costs? What am I protecting?

31. What would I do if I weren't afraid of judgment?

32. What success am I unconsciously sabotaging? Why might success feel unsafe?

33. What truth about my life am I refusing to face?

34. What conversation have I been avoiding? What am I really afraid of?

autorenew

Self-Sabotage

36. What patterns keep me stuck despite wanting to change?

37. What do I believe about myself that limits what I'll try?

38. How do I get in my own way when things start going well?

39. What excuses do I repeatedly make for not pursuing what I want?

40. What comfort zone am I terrified to leave? What would I have to face?

41. What part of me benefits from staying stuck?

person_search

Projection & Judgment

43. Who do I judge most harshly? What do I see in them?

44. What quality in others triggers immediate disgust or superiority in me?

45. Who am I jealous of? What do they have that I believe I can't?

46. What 'type' of person do I avoid? What part of me do they represent?

47. When do I feel morally superior? What am I compensating for?

48. What do I criticize others for that I secretly do myself?

Shadow Journaling Tips

✍️ Keep It Private

Your shadow journal is for your eyes only. The knowledge that no one will read it allows deeper honesty than a public diary.

🌀 Follow Resistance

If a prompt makes you want to skip it, that's the one to do. Resistance points directly to shadow material.

🔄 Write the Opposite

After answering a prompt, try writing the opposite of what you wrote. Sometimes the shadow hides in direct contradiction.

⏱️ Set a Timer

A timer creates psychological safety. Knowing it will end allows you to go deeper than open-ended journaling.

📅 Track Patterns

Review past entries monthly. You'll notice themes you couldn't see in the moment. Patterns reveal core shadow material.

🤝 Get Support

Some prompts surface heavy material. Working with a guide provides witnessing, insight into blind spots, and safe processing.

Work With a Shadow Work Guide

Advisors who can help you process what surfaces and see patterns you can't see yourself

View All Shadow Work Guides →
Are you a gifted reader?

Shadow Journaling Questions

Everything you need to know about our premium services.

How often should I do shadow work journaling?

add

For meaningful results, journal 2-3 times per week for at least 15-20 minutes per session.

  • Daily: Accelerates integration but can be intense
  • 2-3x weekly: Ideal balance for most people
  • Weekly: Slower but still effective if sessions are deep

Listen to your nervous system. If you feel overwhelmed, take a break. Consistency matters more than frequency.

What if shadow work journaling brings up intense emotions?

add

Intense emotions are normal and often a sign you're touching real material.

Grounding practices to have ready:

  • Deep breathing (4-7-8 or box breathing)
  • Cold water on wrists or face
  • Going outside, touching grass/trees
  • Physical movement—shake it out

If emotions feel unmanageable, stop the session. Do something comforting. Consider working with a therapist or guide for heavy material.

Which prompts should beginners start with?

add

Start with prompts about judgments and triggers rather than deep childhood wounds.

Good beginner prompts:

  • "What quality in others annoys me most? How might I have it too?"
  • "What was I taught to hide about myself to be accepted?"
  • "What do I criticize in others that I secretly do myself?"

Save trauma-focused prompts until you've built experience and ideally have support.

Should I keep my shadow journal or destroy it?

add

Both approaches have value:

Keep it:

  • Track patterns over time
  • See your growth and integration
  • Reference past insights

Destroy it:

  • Allows deeper honesty (no one will ever read it)
  • The act of burning or shredding can be cathartic
  • Removes worry about it being found

Some people use two journals: one to keep, one to burn after each session.

Begin Your Mystical Journey Today

Download the myOracle app and discover a world of authentic spiritual guidance at your fingertips.

Download on the App Store
Get it on Google Play
Launch on Web App
myOracle App Interface

Access Your Mystical Journey

✧
⚝
✦

Sign in to unlock personalized readings, saved prophecies, and exclusive mystical content.

By continuing, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy