Shadow work is the process of getting to know the hidden parts of yourself—thoughts, emotions, behaviours and parts of your personality that you’ve repressed because you were taught that they were undesirable or because of trauma. By bringing these hidden aspects to light, you get to understand yourself better and work towards self-acceptance.
“Meeting Myself in the Dark” is a guided shadow work journal with over 100 writing prompts specifically tailored for Neurodivergents, by a Neurodivergent author.
Here are some sample prompts:
Have you experienced poor treatment by people due to your neurodivergences who attempted to shame you? How have you responded to that? How do you feel now?
What cultural expectations most conflict with your neurodivergences? (ex. eye contact, small talk)
What is your experience of perceived rejection? Do you experience rejection as a threat? Do you think this is biology or a learned response?
Personally, this book has been much more helpful to me than all the therapies I’ve had.
Talk therapy isn’t ideal for me as a semi-speaking Autistic who finds talking exhausting. I tend to leave out details when talking to therapists, and my people-pleasing tendencies also come out, which means I would say whatever I think the therapist would like to hear instead of how I’m actually feeling.
I express myself much better through writing and taking the time to think before answering questions.
It’s also hard to find neurodiversity-affirming resources in my country as an Autistic adult so this book is a godsend to me.
If you’re similar to me in these aspects, this book is probably for you!
“Meeting Myself in the Dark: Guided Shadow Work Journal for Neurodivergent Souls” by Alondra Rogers is available on Amazon in Kindle, paperback and hardcover formats. (while this post isn’t sponsored, I earn a commission from the Amazon Associates program if you purchase from these links, at no additional cost to you).