Shadow Work & Abandonment Wounds

Abandonment wounds are perhaps the deepest and most unseen influences that lie within us. They are unseen because it is more difficult to notice what wasn't there versus what was in our early lives. Abandonment wounds penetrate into virtually all areas of our realities spanning everywhere from our relationships with others to our relationship with ourselves.

Doing shadow-work inherently incorporates acknowledging and healing these wounds. For me, it started with number 4 on this list- I recognized certain patterns in my life, including that I was exclusively attracting emotionally unavailable partners, and that sitting down to write my story was exceedingly difficult and filled with resistance. In both of these instances, I was replaying abandonment wounds which lead to a fear of intimacy with others and with myself.

I've been working to heal these wounds through doing my shadow work, through sitting with myself fully and presently, experiencing all the emotions I've numbed out in survival mode my entire life, and writing. Being WITH yourself, not in watching TV or online shopping or altering your state of consciousness, but really feeling into the parts of yourself you've kept in darkness, is the first step you can take to understanding yourself and healing. Since doing this work, I've noticed a substantial shift in the men I've attracted into my life, in the ease I now experience going back to my traumas and writing emotionally. Heal your wounds, do your work, master your self. 

This piece was originally featured in a April 13, 2019 post on Instagram at @themorganmay