The Hidden Power of Shadow Work: Healing Through Self-Compassion

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This powerful episode dives deep into shadow work—not as something dark or frightening, but as a pathway to wholeness and authentic manifestation.

Shadow work is often misunderstood. Drawing from Carl Jung's psychological concepts, Dr. Norma reveals that your shadow isn't bad—it's simply hidden. These are aspects of yourself you've suppressed or rejected because somewhere along the way, you learned they weren't acceptable. Your shadow might show up as the part of you that desires rest but feels guilty, wants attention but labels itself selfish, or knows your power but hides to avoid being "too much."

When left unacknowledged, your shadow manifests through procrastination, overwhelm, people-pleasing, and self-sabotage. Dr. Norma walks you through a gentle three-step process for shadow integration: witnessing without judgment, approaching with curiosity instead of criticism, and offering compassion to these protected parts of yourself. The magic happens when you realize these shadow aspects contain untapped power—anger transforms into healthy boundaries, fear becomes wisdom, and jealousy points toward your deepest desires.

This episode isn't about fixing what's broken—it's about reclaiming what's been fragmented. "You are not broken. You are becoming whole," Dr. Norma reminds us. By embracing your full self, light and shadow, you stop the cycle of self-sabotage and start creating from your embodied truth. Your manifestations become more aligned when they come from this place of wholeness. Ready to transform the parts you've been hiding into your greatest source of power? This soul-nourishing conversation is your gentle invitation to begin.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the Manifesting Latina podcast.
I'm your host, dr Norma Reyes,a spiritual manifestation coach,
and your guide to creatingsimple spiritual routines that
bring more calm, peace andinspiration into your daily life
.
As a busy, ambitious Latinamyself, I learned how to ditch

(00:25):
the overwhelm by slowing downand connecting with my inner
wisdom, and I want to teach youhow to do the same.
By listening to this podcast,you'll learn how to expand your
mindset, your abundance and yourability to receive without the
burnout.
So if you're ready to step intoyour power, elevate your

(00:46):
spiritual practice and makemanifestation a way of life,
you're in the right place.
So let's get started.
Hey, everyone, welcome back.
Today I want to talk to you allabout learning how to love your

(01:09):
shadow, how to recognize it,integrate and heal the parts of
yourself that you may have beenavoiding, consciously or
subconsciously.
And if you're new here, I'myour host, dr Norma Reyes.
And if you're new here, I'myour host, dr Norma Reyes, and I
cannot wait to dive into thisvery sacred episode, where we

(01:30):
will be diving into the topic ofyour shadow self.
What is it, how to recognize itand why?
It's not something to fear oreven fix, but a powerful part of
your wholeness, to love andintegrate within you.
If you have ever felt likeyou're self-sabotaging or you're

(01:52):
stuck in the same frustratingcycles or just feeling
disconnected from your magic,chances are there's a part of
your shadow that's calling to beseen.
So let's take a breath, openour hearts and gently go there.
What is the shadow?
The shadow is a term that isoften used and maybe some people

(02:16):
don't really even know how todescribe it.
Some people think of shadowwork as maybe like your dark
self, or maybe even somethingthat feels like kind of scary,
but the shadow is a term thatcomes from the work from a
psychologist named Carl Jung.
It's all the parts of you thatyou've suppressed, rejected or

(02:38):
disowned, usually because youwere taught that they were
unacceptable or lovable.
Your shadow might includeemotions like anger, jealousy,
shame or fear.
It might show up as part of youthat wants to rest but feels
guilty, or a part that desiresattention but feels selfish for
wanting to be seen, or even thepart that knows that you are

(03:02):
powerful but hides becausethey're scared of being too much
.
Your shadow is not bad, it isjust hidden.
It's parts of you that formedin protection, not destruction.
And here's the thing If youdon't acknowledge your shadow,
it doesn't go away.
It gets louder throughprocrastination, overwhelm,

(03:25):
negative self-talk, peoplepleasing perfectionism,
avoidance and even self-sabotage.
So how do you know if yourshadow is coming up?
How do you know if it's notyour ego or maybe other things,
or maybe even situations thatyou're in?
Here's some ways for you toknow how your shadow might be
showing up, and that is if youare triggered by something or

(03:49):
someone and overreact.
Maybe it was something reallysmall and simple and you explode
.
And then you look back andyou're like, ooh yeah, I really
did overreact on that.
This is when you say yes, butyou really did not want to do
something and you really wishyou said no.
You feel stuck in guilt,resentment or comparison.

(04:10):
You have strong emotionalresponse that feels out of
proportion.
You keep repeating a pattern,even when you know better.
Right, you keep gettingyourself in a very similar cycle
.
Those are all signs that yourshadow is trying to protect you
or get your attention.
Remember, all the things thatwe do are in protection of

(04:31):
ourselves, but we may not knowthe right way to protect
ourselves, or that we don't needprotection anymore because
we're not our younger self whoneeds protection.
Okay, how to show your shadowself-compassion.
The most healing thing you cando is stop judging your shadow

(04:53):
and start listening your shadowand start listening.
So a three-step process you cando is starting by witnessing
your shadow.
When a strong emotion orpattern shows up, instead of
shaming yourself, pause and sayI see you, I hear you, I'm
listening.
For example, you can saysomething like I'm noticing a

(05:16):
lot of jealousy right now.
I wonder what part of me feelsunseen or worthy.
Next, get curious, not critical.
Ask yourself what is thisemotion trying to protect me
from when did I first learn thatthis part of me wasn't safe or
okay?
What might this version of meneed right now?

(05:38):
And the last step is offercompassion.
Talk to your shadow like youwould your inner child.
I understand why you feel thisway.
It's safe to be here.
You're allowed to feel this.
Sometimes, just saying ofcourse I feel this way softens
the grip of shame.
So the three-step process iswitnessing the shadow, getting

(06:00):
curious, not critical, andoffering compassion.
And the next thing is you needto know that integration is the
path to wholeness, it's the pathto wellness, it is the path to
manifesting with ease.
You don't need to fix yourshadow.
You need to welcome it in.
When we integrate our shadow,we reclaim parts of our power.

(06:23):
The anger it can becomeboundaries.
The fear can become wisdom.
That jealousy can point us toour deepest desires.
Your shadow isn't your weakness.
It's your hidden strengthswaiting to be honored.
Here's a loving affirmation foryour shadow work Place your

(06:46):
hand on your heart and say Iwelcome all parts of me, light
and shadow.
I honor the ways I protectedmyself.
I honor the ways I protectedmyself.
I choose to listen, love andlead with compassion.
My wholeness is my power.

(07:10):
My wholeness is my power.
Take a moment there and toremember you are not broken.
You are becoming whole.
The parts of you that you'verejected are still holding
pieces of your magic.
When you meet them withsoftness, you stop the cycle of
self-sabotage, self-hate,self-criticism and start

(07:32):
creating from your full,embodied truth.
If this episode resonated withyou, share it with someone you
love.
Leave a review on Apple orSpotify.
It helps more people like youfind the healing they need.
And a friendly reminder to joinmy email list for moon updates,
rituals and soul nourishingtools.

(07:55):
If you're wanting deepersupport, I offer two powerful
ways to work with me.
One is through a three-monthmonology reading package where I
meet with you after completinga monology reading, we go over
it and discuss the next threelunations that are coming up for
you specifically, and I alsooffer bi-weekly one-to-one

(08:16):
coaching over four months wherewe go deep into healing,
integration and soul-ledexpansion.
I invite you to book a freediscovery call.
I'd love to hold space for youand your wholeness through my
coaching, and I want to remindyou that you are worthy of your
light and your shadow.
Until next time, keep shiningand I send you lots of love and

(08:39):
healing.
Thank you for tuning in to theManifesting Latina podcast.
I hope today's episode hasinspired you to expand your
mindset, embrace your spiritualpower and manifest with
confidence.
Remember, growth happens whenyou allow yourself to receive,
and if you love this episode, besure to subscribe, leave a

(09:02):
review and share it with afriend who's ready to expand too
.
Until next time, keep believing, keep thriving and keep
manifesting your best self.