Redeeming the Shadow Self: A Biblical Perspective on Inner Healing
When the night
Has come
And the land is dark
And the moon
Is the only
Light we’ll see
—Stand by Me, Ben E. King
The shadow represents the parts of ourselves we often avoid. Only the curious and the brave venture into such topics. If that’s you, welcome!
This post aims to connect powerful ideas from Carl Jung and the Bible. If both contain truth, let’s explore where they intersect and deepen our wisdom together.
Understanding the Shadow
The concept of the shadow comes from Carl Jung, a Swiss psychoanalyst who originally trained under Sigmund Freud. Freud introduced the idea of the id, describing it as the unconscious seat of biological urges and impulses that the ego tries to control. Jung took this further, seeing the unconscious realm as far more complex and nuanced. He didn’t view it as simply a reservoir of repressed urges; instead, he saw it as everything within the psyche that a person avoids or neglects.
In Jung’s view, the unconscious isn’t entirely negative. It holds both troubling and potentially valuable aspects of ourselves. Rather than suppressing these parts, Jung believed they needed to be acknowledged and integrated. In 1934, he introduced the term “shadow” to describe the “dark side of the personality,” containing repressed traits, denied impulses, and even hidden strengths.
The term shadow has endured because of its evocative quality. We still talk about the shadow as though it were a fresh idea, perhaps because it never truly leaves us—just as our literal shadow follows us everywhere.
Today, shadow work means confronting and integrating these hidden aspects of ourselves. Jung used symbols, images, and myth to bring his theories to life. The shadow can appear within us in countless forms: an angry lion, a begging child, a woman in shame, an ugly duckling, sad music, or beautiful poetry. These images capture the spectrum of the shadow, as multifaceted as the human soul itself.
The Shadow in the Bible
If Jung’s concept of the shadow is true—and I believe it is—then it must manifest within the Bible. And I think it does, many times.
Consider the Fall in Genesis. Perhaps it was the beginning of the universal personality split—the good, the bad, the ugly.
The Bible, like Jung’s teachings, doesn’t shy away from exploring the complexities of the human heart. Let’s see how Scripture addresses this shadow within us.
Let’s look at Jeremiah 17:9:
“The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately sick; who can understand it?”
—Jeremiah 17:9 (ESV)
This verse delves into the condition of the heart—the לֵב (lev) in Hebrew—the voice from the depths of our being.
Deceitful, sick, beyond understanding, secret motives—you’d avoid this person at all costs. But this is in you and me.
Oh my days.
The Hebrew word for deceitful is עָקֹב (aqov), meaning crooked, insidious, a trickster. It follows and tracks you down to make you a fool—or worse.
And it’s sick, ill. The Hebrew אָנַשׁ (anash) means weakness and frailty. It reminds me of what Jesus said:
“The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
—Matthew 26:41 (ESV)
It also conveys a sense of melancholy. Interesting, isn’t it?
As one scholar notes:
“Unregenerate human nature is in a desperate condition without divine grace, described by the term ‘gravely ill’ in verse 9.”
—Harrison
Some scholars ask if this passage refers to Judah specifically or people in general. I don’t know the definitive answer. But it’s a bit oversimplified to say everyone’s inner person is like this without nuance. After all, the heart is also described favorably in many passages—Matthew 22:37, Proverbs 4:23, 1 Samuel 14:7, Ecclesiastes 11:9, and others.
Paul’s Insight on Shadow and Sin
In a fascinating interview on the Huberman Lab Podcast, Jungian psychoanalyst James Hollis reflected on this inner struggle:
“As Paul said in the letter to the Romans, ‘though I know the good, I do not do the good’. Well, why not? He saw his insufficiency of will. But we know it’s more than that. We know that there are unconscious factors at work that have a certain autonomy. And the more unconscious they are, the greater their autonomy will prove to be.”
This opens a door to understanding Paul’s conflict in Romans 7. He recognized that knowing what is good and desiring it doesn’t always lead to action. Paul—often seen as the epitome of Christian dedication—admitted to facing an internal force that resisted his will:
“I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”
—Romans 7:19 (NLT)
Paul’s Shadow Work: Acknowledging the Inner Conflict
Paul—the saint, the apostle, the game changer—faced his own shadow, the side that resisted his ideals. His words resonate deeply with our human experience. He illustrates what Jungian psychology would later describe as autonomous forces within the unconscious.
The question is why? This man, holy and dedicated, struggles.
Why?
That’s exactly what we’re addressing here.
The Inner Conflict
Paul attempts to grasp it:
“But if I do what I don’t want to do, I am not really the one doing wrong; it is sin living in me that does it.”
—Romans 7:20 (NLT)
Paul labels it, perhaps to gain perspective or distance: It’s sin! Not me!
This is what we all do when we try to be good. I don’t like this, so I want to get away from it.
But this might work physically, not psychologically. How can you run from yourself?
He understood that this “sin” inhabited his “body” (verse 23).
Sin means “to miss the target,” an archery term. An archer uses maximum skill, but factors like wind or equipment imperfections—beyond his conscious control—can cause him to miss.
This parallels the conscious and unconscious mind.
Paul learns quickly: Trying harder doesn’t always work. Absolute perfection isn’t possible.
Interestingly, in sports, professionals who achieve near-perfection aren’t overthinking; they’re relying on intuition—the shadow, muscle memory, the unconscious.
“But I see another law at work in my body”
—Romans 7:23a
This insight into the body isn’t unique to Christianity or psychology. Many traditions recognize the profound connection between the body and the unconscious. Practices like meditation, yoga, and martial arts emphasize harmony between mind and body, acknowledging that our deepest selves manifest physically. Ancient wisdom from Eastern philosophies, indigenous cultures, and even modern somatic therapies all point to the same truth: The body holds both trauma and wisdom that the conscious mind often overlooks.
The Problem of Opposites
Paul faces opposites.
Just as good opposes wrong, what we try to be on the surface often opposes what’s beneath—the unconscious.
Ignorance is NOT bliss. Not even for someone like Paul.
He exclaims:
“Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life dominated by sin and death?”
—Romans 7:24 (NLT)
But then he realizes:
“Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.”
—Romans 7:25a (NLT)
We’re at risk of going all religious, but let’s explore the psychology of this.
The Answer Through Grace
Paul’s answer is Jesus. Jesus sacrificed Himself for humanity—the good, the bad, the ugly. He sees into your depths. It’s all in His consciousness, even if it’s not in yours. The sinful body, the sick heart—it’s forgiven and thus can be accepted.
Paul continues:
“This, then, is my condition: on my own I can serve God’s law only with my mind, while my human nature serves the law of sin.”
—Romans 7:25b (GNT)
He doesn’t torment himself further. He accepts it. He lets go.
What the shadow does is never condoned in Scripture. We want to be better—that’s why we’re exploring this.
But both Paul and Jung saw it for what it was and made peace.
The shadow, once made conscious and given to Jesus, is always forgiven. What is forgiven is loved.
This is the paradox of acceptance and forgiveness. When we accept ourselves fully, we provide the conditions to move forward.
The scriptural answer to our inner darkness is grace.
Carl Jung’s Approach to the Shadow
Jung believed that most psychological disturbances are due to suppression.
From an early age, our personality splits. We have biological needs and urges that society doesn’t accept. A child, to protect itself, suppresses these urges—placing them in the basement of the soul, out of consciousness.
Suppression is an ingenious short-term solution, like throwing clutter into a spare room when guests arrive. Problem solved—until the smell starts to bother you weeks later.
Suppression is not a good long-term solution.
“What we can’t be with won’t let us be.”
—Debbie Ford
The spare room is your shadow. Unseen, but the smell lingers.
We recognize this today as unresolved trauma or conflict.
Being a Christian can be like trying to appear good socially while hiding bad traits in the shadow—just as we did as children.
But the spare room has limits. The shadow only tolerates so much.
What can we do?
One word: integration. From Latin “integrare”—“make whole,” “renew,” “begin again.”
Interesting: make whole. Reminds me of:
“Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth; unite my heart to fear your name.”
—Psalm 86:11 (ESV)
Integration is about making the unconscious conscious. Open the door. Sort through the mess. See it for what it is.
“I must also have a dark side if I am to be whole.”
—Carl Jung
The biblical perspective aligns with this. A person unaware of sin is in the worst state.
“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy.”
—Proverbs 28:13 (NIV)
“If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.”
—1 John 1:8 (NIV)
You must peer into your soul’s darkness, acknowledge your failure.
You have failed, and that’s okay.
It’s painful but essential.
It’s surrender. Stop trying.
The Bible repeatedly tells us to stop striving and give it to God. Paul understood this paradox:
“I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”
—Galatians 2:21 (NIV)
I realize now: Grace makes integration possible. It’s not just for the future; it saves you now.
Jung called this process individuation—the journey toward personal wholeness. This idea appears in various psychological theories: humanistic self-actualization, the authentic self in existential psychology, Gestalt (meaning “whole”).
Without grace, how can you accept your complete self? If you can’t accept yourself fully, how can you be yourself?
That’s why grace is the best gift you could ever receive.
Embracing the Shadow
In reality, it’s not just religious standards that cause us to hide parts of our soul but societal ideals. Community is vital, but life balances these poles.
It’s good to sacrifice time, energy, and emotions for the community. But nowhere have I read that it’s a good idea to sacrifice your soul.
If you sacrifice your soul to an ideal, what’s left for Jesus to save?
The only path is to embrace your dark side. It’s a hurt child—neglected, ignored, anxious. It has needs and emotions.
If God loves your dark side, why shouldn’t you?
If psychology advises integrating the dark side, why not try?
“We are not here to be happy; we are here to be real. We are here to become who we are.”
—James Hollis
How to Integrate the Shadow
It’s not as easy as following a few steps, it’s a journey of a lifetime. But here is a few helpful places to begin:
•Be aware of your emotions. Feel them in different situations. They’re deep currents from within—a message from your soul.
•Pay attention to your dreams. They’re not random; they’re your unconscious communicating.
•Journal. Write what comes into your awareness. Listen to yourself.
•Practice self-love. Treat yourself as someone you’re responsible for helping (borrowed from 12 Rules for Life by Jordan Peterson).
•Step outside with realness. Bring authenticity into your relationships. Speak the truth.
•Remind yourself of grace. It’s a gift that truly saves you.
The Hero’s Journey
The journey inward is like the hero’s quest—leaving home to fight the dragon, to claim the treasure. You find that the dragon is you, and so is the treasure.
Pieces of you were lost, but you can reclaim them with effort.
Wisely confront what scares you, and you can only grow and step into who you truly are.
Final Thoughts…
Integration isn’t about becoming perfect; it’s about becoming whole. As Jung said:
“One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious.”
By acknowledging and embracing our shadow, we open the door to profound inner healing. We align with the biblical call to bring everything into the light, to confess, and to receive grace.
So, let’s stop running from ourselves. Let’s open that spare room, face the mess, and start the journey toward wholeness.
You are a complex, multifaceted being. Embrace every part of yourself—the good, the bad, the ugly. Because in the end, what is forgiven is loved.
Call to Action
Take a moment today to reflect on your own shadow. What aspects of yourself have you been avoiding or suppressing? How might you begin the process of integration?
Consider journaling your thoughts or speaking with someone you trust. Remember, you’re not alone on this journey.
Psycheverse
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
—John 1:5 (NIV)