'Shadow work' can help you uncover repressed desires, but a psychologist says it's risky to do alone

• Inspired by Carl Jung's theories, shadow work helps people uncover their repressed desires.
• Shadow work has recently surged in online popularity, partly because of a viral journal.

Considering how expensive and time-consuming therapy can be, it's understandable to crave a faster and more affordable way to feel better.

Some people say the answer has arrived in "The Shadow Work Journal," a "cheaper than therapy," self-published book of prompts designed to help you identify hidden aspects of yourself.

Delivered in a slim, 225-page package, it's currently one of the bestselling books on Amazon, thanks to an explosion in online popularity.

The TikTok hashtag #shadowworkjournal has amassed over 700 million views, with videos of users crying after completing exercises and sharing their answers on the app.

The author of the book, Keila Shaheen, is not a licensed therapist, though she has a bachelor's degree in psychology and completed an online course in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

Connie Zweig, a psychologist with decades of experience in shadow work, "feels some concern" about shadow work being oversimplified in a notebook full of mostly fill-in-the-blank exercises.

"I think there's some promise that people can get insight into themselves from doing those kinds of sentence completions, but I think there's a lot of risk," Zweig told Insider.

According to Zweig, who's written several books on shadow work herself, effective shadow work can be an intense process for someone to go through without the aid of a mental health professional — especially if they have serious mental health issues or a history of traumatic experiences.

Additionally, she said, truly impactful shadow work is a big time commitment and filling out a journal can be more of a "quick fix" than a lasting change.

Shadow work is about identifying buried parts of yourself

Drawing from prominent Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung's work, Zweig defines our shadow as "a part of us that we're not aware of because it was repressed or discarded" as a result of what we were taught as children.

For example, if we were told by our parents to always be "kind and polite," any desires that challenge that expectation get pushed to the side. According to Zweig, many people's unconscious urges eventually start to emerge in a way that can feel overwhelming, such as going through a dramatic mid-life crisis or adapting unhealthy coping mechanisms.

Unlike other forms of therapy, shadow work aims to help us better understand our full selves rather than just addressing the symptoms, Zweig said. She believes that by getting to the root of what drives us, we can curb habits that sabotage us and our relationships.

The viral journal can produce mixed results

Zweig said that because shadow work often involves uncovering painful and even traumatic events, she used to teach her clients meditation practices so they could ground themselves when they went through something difficult.

"But if you don't have that tool, and you don't have a therapist or a close friend you are working with, there's some risk in really exploring the unconscious," she said.

For example, one of the journal's most-talked-about exercises on TikTok is "wound mapping," which touches on topics such as abandonment, neglect, and guilt.

According to Zweig, people with personality disorders might experience mood instability when filling out shadow work prompts like this without the supervision of a mental health professional.

Some people are misunderstanding what shadow work is

Becauseshadow work has become more popular online, it's also led to oversimplifications and misconceptions, according to Zweig.

For example, she said, our shadow isn't only about things we were taught were shameful, such as sexuality or anger. It can also be about passions — for example, if we loved to paint but were discouraged to pursue art by our parents.

Some people onlinewho don't understand what shadow work entails conflate it with satanism and witchcraft, accusing the journal of teaching people to "coexist with their demons."

But that's all wrong, Zweig said.

"It's not like 'Star Wars' where you turn to the dark side," she said. "This is about learning how to not get possessed by the parts of you that are destructive, but actually learning why they're there and what their value is."