The Shadow Inside Us: How to Control It and How Not to Fall Prey to Destructive Thoughts

If we do not accept our inner darkness, then we will remain captive to Him forever.

Karl Jung had very unique views on the coexistence of the principles of good and evil in humans. In particular, he believed that we could not completely erase the existence of shadows in our psyche.

People will always be sensitive to the bad and negative energy around them. Not only the energy coming from outside - but there is also a lot of negativity inside us - Karl Jung even had a separate name for the darkness inside - he called it "our shadow".

Here is what Jung himself wrote about it: "Each of us wears a shadow in himself, and the less it manifests itself in the conscious life of the individual, the darker and denser this shadow is."

The ego makes us believe that there is only good in us and distracts us from the real darkness in the depths of our psyche. And this continues until some life situations bring this darkness to the surface - in the form of contempt, anger, or arrogance.

When you suffer from failure or, say when someone unexpectedly points out something we are to blame for, in most cases we react negatively. Anger, indignation, and fear rises from the depths of our psyche, like ancient warriors, ready to defend our swollen and vulnerable ego.

The ego makes us justify our actions - no matter how ugly they may be. Our conscious mind, figuratively speaking, swept the matter under the rug to reduce its effect on the ego.

Neurologists have long concluded that different human thoughts have different frequencies and that these frequencies directly affect our behavior. Good and evil - all of these are part of our personality.

This vulnerability has always existed in the depths of our souls, but it has been suppressed by our shadow. And every time she raises her ugly head, her mind is full of negative emotions, caused by reasons that I often did not even suspect. The way our dark side suppresses these emotions practically dictates our relationship with ourselves.

We are not able to perceive the world around us as it is, and we do so through our minds. And when harmony, love, and the positive dominate within, this inner state will surely be reflected in the outside world. But if we look around and see only chaos, evil, and destruction, this indicates the internal contradictions we carry within ourselves.

If we do not accept our inner darkness, we will remain captive forever. A shadow whose existence you refuse to acknowledge has a burning desire to control and manage both you and others. The dark side of your personality is full of self-doubt, and its lack of internal balance will inevitably lead to a thirst for external power.

When the shadow is too strong, our inner turmoil and turbulence open up to a full view of the world. Psychologists believe that for our body and mind to stay healthy for as long as possible, we need to look our shadows straight in the face. We must sublimate it and release it.

How quickly we can attain inner unity depends on our ability to recognize the existence of our inner evil - and not only to recognize it but also on the fear of not looking it directly in the eye. And it even conflicts with him, if necessary. Your ego will always interfere with your efforts to deal with the shadow, but you must not allow it to do so. Look into your soul and don't deviate from what you see there.

If you feel that you are ready for this, start with a simple one: start paying attention to all the negative emotions that come to your mind. Learn to control your "dark side", reaching the bottom of its origins. And if you manage to turn negative emotions into positive ones, your mind will reach a new level of consciousness.

Once you recognize your internal problems and vulnerabilities, it will be much easier to understand how to deal with them. And after that, negative emotions will lose all power over you.

You can turn your shadow from an enemy into an ally that will help you tame your thoughts.

If thoughts positively affect your energy, they expand your consciousness, but negative thoughts, on the contrary, reduce it. That is why it is important to learn to control your thoughts, to think about them, and then to realize them as positively as possible.