Shadow Work: 30 Sessions
The parts you don't show, in order: what you judge, where it started, what it protects.
A 30-session guided journaling program from the Journal for iPad app. The first week is free below.
Who it's for
“I keep reacting in ways I don't like and I want to understand where it comes from.”
How it works
- One session at a time, in order. Each week assumes you answered the one before.
- Sessions 8, 15 and 22 open with a checkpoint on what you've already written.
- Some sessions are lists, one is a letter you won't send, the last week is plans.
- Nothing here is therapy. If a session opens something big, stop and take it to someone.
The route
- Week One · What Surfaces — The reactions that are bigger than their cause. (7 sessions)
- Week Two · Where It Started — The rules you learned before you could argue. (7 sessions)
- Week Three · What It Costs — Who pays for it now, including you. (7 sessions)
- Week Four · What You Do With It — Signals, replacements, and one conversation. (9 sessions)
Before you start
Answer these three questions on the first page:
- What made me pick this now?
- What am I hoping to stop doing?
- Where will I keep this journal so I can write honestly?
Week one — free
Day 1 · The flash
What reaction did you have this week that felt bigger than what caused it?
- What exactly set it off — the words, or who said them?
- How long did it take to pass?
Day 2 · The judgement
Who did you judge harshly this week, and for what?
- What would I have to admit to stop judging it?
- Where have I done a version of the same thing?
Day 3 · The envy
Whose life gave you a pang this week? What exactly did you want?
- Is it the thing, or how it makes them look?
- What would having it cost me?
Day 4 · The performance
Where were you playing a part this week instead of being there?
- Who was the performance for?
- What would have happened if I'd dropped it?
Day 5 · The exaggeration
What did you make sound better, worse or simpler than it was?
- What was I protecting by shading it?
- Who would I tell the plain version to?
Day 6 · The avoidance
What did you not do this week, knowing you should?
- What am I afraid I'd find out by doing it?
- What does the avoiding cost, weekly?
Day 7 · Name it plainly
Write one sentence naming the pattern you've seen six times this week.
- What would someone who loves me call it?
- What have I called it until now?
What comes next
The rest of the program is inside the app:
- Day 8 · The first time
- Day 9 · The rule
- Day 10 · The praise
- Day 11 · The forbidden feeling
- Day 12 · The inherited fear
- Day 13 · The old survival
- Day 14 · Two weeks in
- Day 15 · The cost today
- Day 16 · The people it hits
- Day 17 · The projection
- Day 18 · The good part
- Day 19 · The letter you won't send
- Day 20 · The self-forgiveness
- Day 21 · The line
- Day 22 · The signs
- Day 23 · The replacement
- Day 24 · The conversation
- Day 25 · The relapse plan
- Day 26 · The mask you keep
- Day 27 · The person who knows
- Day 28 · The letter forward
- Day 29 · The practice
- Day 30 · Seen
Continue Shadow Work: 30 Sessions in Journal for iPad
All sessions laid out as pages you write on with Apple Pencil or keyboard, with checkpoints and a closing session.
Frequently asked questions
How long does Shadow Work: 30 Sessions take?
30 written sessions, one a day. Most sessions take 10–15 minutes. If you miss a day, simply continue with the next session.
Can I do the first week for free?
Yes — the first 7 sessions are on this page. Write them in any notebook or in the Journal for iPad app.
Where are the rest of the sessions?
The full program, with checkpoints and a closing session, is inside the Journal for iPad app, laid out as ready-to-write pages.