A Guided Exercise to Meet Your Shadow Character
Before setting intentions for 2026, Dr. Connie and I encourage you to meet the part of you that keeps rewriting the ending. This time of year comes with a lot of pressure to jump forward, name your goals, and imagine a version of yourself that feels cleaner, more disciplined, more together than the one who made it through last year. But you don’t enter the new year alone. Your shadow will trail behind you. And if that shadow isn’t conscious, it will quietly sabotage everything you try to build.
In our latest conversation, Dr. Connie guides us through two exercises for meeting a shadow character: one through drawing and the other through dialogue. I didn’t expect what emerged when I followed the exercise, and I share that experience openly in the video. You’re welcome to watch and try the process for yourself.
What we mean by “shadow character”
When Dr. Connie and I talk about shadow characters, we are not talking about something abstract, mystical, or make-believe. We are talking about the recurring inner parts of ourselves we all carry: the tones, reactions, and energies that show up in predictable ways.
For example:
The inner critic.
The part that withdraws.
The part that overexplains.
The part that floods, distracts, avoids, or dominates.
The part that people pleases.
The part that escapes or avoids.
We usually don’t recognize these as parts. We just think, this is how I am, or this is just my mood.
But when you slow down and actually listen, you realize these patterns have voices. They have needs and histories.
Making the shadow conscious changes everything!
The goal is not to erase these parts, but to bring them into your conscious awareness.
Because once a shadow character is seen, once it’s given form, language, and attention, it loses its grip. It no longer needs to hijack your behavior just to be heard. You stop being unconsciously possessed by it, and you gain choice.
This is where the focus shifts from self-criticism to self-relationship.
A different way to begin the year
Before asking What do I want to change this year?
I encourage you to first answer something else:
What part of me keeps showing up, and what does it need?
When you approach the New Year this way, the work becomes less about forcing yourself into a new identity and more about integrating the parts that have been left out.
Sometimes meeting a shadow means opening yourself up to vulnerability. And although you might think you know what to expect when that happens, your shadow will surprise you with new insights every time. Try the Meet Your Shadow exercise guided by Dr. Connie to find out for yourself.
This is your reminder to bring the whole of you into the year, so no part has to shout to be heard.
With love,
Keila & Dr. Connie
🖤 Thanks for reading Shadow Work to Expand Awareness: a space where inner work meets the outer world through shared prompts, writings, and livestream conversations with Dr. Connie Zweig, Ph.D and Keila Shaheen.
Support our work:
– Get the Zenfulnote App to make inner-work part of your daily life
– Keila’s books: The Shadow Work Journal · The Lucky Girl Journal · The 369 Journal · The Book of Shadow Work · The Light Work Journal NEW! pre-order
– Dr. Connie’s books: Meeting the Shadow · Romancing the Shadow · Meeting the Shadow on the Spiritual Path · The Inner Work of Age
Join the Conversation!
Join our Substack community chat for ongoing discussions, Q&As, and shared insights.
