Trauma, the Shadow, and Finding Our Way

Back to Wholeness

Trauma fragments us. It leaves us carrying pieces of ourselves that got cut off, frozen, or hidden away. Shadow work offers a way of bringing those pieces back, so we can live with more honesty and wholeness.

What trauma really is

When most of us hear “trauma,” we think of the difficult event itself. But as Bessel van der Kolk explains in The Body Keeps the Score, trauma isn’t about the event - it’s about what lingers. It’s the imprint left on the body, the nervous system, and the unconscious.

Judith Herman describes trauma as something that fractures our sense of safety, connection, and meaning. Parts of us get stuck, unable to grow alongside the rest. That’s why it can feel like we’re living half-present, with some part of us missing or locked away.

Enter the shadow

Carl Jung called these hidden parts the “shadow” - all the bits of ourselves we repress, deny, or disown. And it’s not just the so-called “bad” qualities like anger or shame. We often tuck away our strengths too: creativity, playfulness, power.

Jung believed healing meant turning toward this shadow bag we drag behind us, gently opening it up, and welcoming those parts back in.

As he wrote, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”

Trauma and shadow in practice

Marianne Hill adds that trauma isn’t only the wound, but also the defenses we build around it: denial, avoidance, dissociation. Those defenses themselves can slip into the shadow. This is why shadow work has to be trauma-informed. It’s not about forcing our way into the unconscious - it’s about moving slowly, with compassion, and creating enough safety along the way.

Rod Boothroyd talks about shadow parts as “inner orphans.” It’s a lovely image. Shadow work becomes a process of re-parenting, of welcoming those orphans home instead of banishing them again.

Other voices pointing in the same direction

• Peter Levine sees trauma as “trapped survival energy.” Shadow work helps us meet and release that frozen charge.

• Richard Schwartz, founder of Internal Family Systems (IFS), talks about parts carrying burdens. Like shadow work, IFS is about honouring and integrating those parts, not exiling them.

• Donald Kalsched writes about inner protectors that might look harsh but are actually trying to keep us safe. Shadow work gives us a way to meet these protectors with empathy.

  
  

The theme is clear across the field: trauma fragments us, and shadow work offers a path toward reintegration.

Why this matters

Shadow work gives us language for what can otherwise feel like chaos. That flare of anger, that sudden shame - they stop being random, and start making sense as shadow parts asking for recognition.

It also shifts how we think about healing. We’re not “fixing” a broken self. We’re reclaiming what was hidden, carrying it back into the circle. And often what we recover isn’t just pain, but also gifts: vitality, creativity, and wisdom.

Principles to keep in mind

Most writers and practitioners point to a few essentials:

• Safety first — ground yourself before going in.

• Compassion over judgment — treat shadow parts as allies.

• Go slow — pacing is everything.

• Include the body — trauma lives there.

• Integrate, don’t eliminate — the aim is reintegration, not erasure.

  
  

Bringing it together

Trauma theory helps us understand why we carry hidden parts. Shadow work offers a way of bringing them back. Together, they show us a path that’s not about perfection but about becoming whole again.

As Jung wrote, “There is no light without shadow, and no psychic wholeness without imperfection.” Trauma may divide us, but shadow work invites us to turn toward those hidden places, meet them with compassion, and discover not only our wounds but also our deepest gifts.