Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

You think you’ve done your Shadow Work, but you’re neglecting the final and most important stage of shadow integration: ritualisation.

At this stage in your psychological healing, it’s starting to seem like you genuinely understand what's going on inside your psyche - you’ve read the books, interpreted the dreams, and perhaps made some promises to some of your shadow parts in a particularly profound journaling exercise or active imagination?

Carl Jung would be proud.

You entered the unconscious, and subsequently made it conscious - so now your shadow work is done, the darkness is the light, right?

No, and here’s why:

- It’s not enough to simply identify your Shadow Behaviours.

- It’s not enough to simply speak with your Shadow Entities.

- It’s not enough to simply explore a Shadow Territory on the mental level.

I hesitate to write this post because I’m aware that it might be seen as rude or dismissive, but I feel called to call you higher as I’m reflecting on how my students have been progressing through The Shadow Work Library course and curriculum.

The discussion keeps coming up:

“Jordan. I found another shadow, now what?”

Ritualising your Shadow Work into your everyday life is the most critical yet often forgotten stage of shadow integration.

You need to prove to your parts that you’ve heard them, that you’re willing to make the changes, and that you’re committed to keeping communication open - this means continual action, not a standalone encounter with your journal or imagination.

Shadow rituals don’t have to be a crazy crystal ceremony or quitting your job in-front of a pile of burning clothes.

Simple, consistent rituals are more anchoring than bold proclamations if you’re interested in long-lasting shadow integration.

When my coaching students share their shadow rituals, they generally talk about things like slowing down when walking in nature, saying grace before eating or creating focused time for creative projects.

“But Jordan, isn’t that just being mindful? “

No. Ritualisation adds intention to mindfulness.

Mindfulness is the paper, intention is the ink.

Ritualisation is honouring the ongoing work and attention you want to give to all of your parts and shadows.

Here are a few ritual examples:

- Playing on the swings at the park for your inner child.

- Putting on a button shirt and trousers even though you’re working from home to help your inner entrepreneur feel represented.

- Throwing away the half-full jar of nutella as a symbolic reinforcement of your new self-respecting eating habits… and not buying another.

- Buying a small statue or figurine to display on your desk for the inner warrior who wants to fight and win.

- Pulling angry or disgusted faces in the mirror for three minutes before you head out into the world to be presentable.

Shadow rituals demand intention into action.

Whatever you do this week, please anchor your psychological work into material reality with small, consistent rituals and gestures.

More below,

Jordan

P.S. Struggling to think of what your next transformational shadow rituals might look like? You don’t need to do it alone. My 115 students are sharing their collective wisdom inside our private community every week. Tap the link in the comments to get involved.

5 hours ago (edited) | [YT] | 92

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

I’ve got 1476 videos on my watch later list… that’s RIDICULOUS. Let’s talk about digital hoarding - it’s a niche topic, and I’ve got three questions I want you to answer:

1. Look at your list… does it follow a pattern?
2. Why did you never watch the videos later?
3. Most importantly, what are the shadow psychology implications of your digital hoarding and digital stockpiling tendencies?

Homework:

Confront your shadow, retrace your digital footprint - scroll to the bottom of your watch list, pay attention to the patterns and how your passions change with the seasons, and give yourself the gift of self reflection.

Your unwatched digital history is a virtual tapestry of your psychological evolution, here’s a peek at mine:

2019: “How to stay sober” / “sobriety psychology”
(Early days, but now I’m six years sober.)

2020: “barefoot walks” / “best grounding exercises”
(Global pandemic, good time to abandon shoes)

2021: “How to start a YouTube channel”
(Dozens of videos on this theme, hundreds of hours of research, and now YouTube feels easy and natural)

My watch later list goes back to 2019, or at least it did until earlier today when I felt inspired to clean up my digital home.

Digital detox: 44 unwatched videos now.

Cleaning out the cobwebs, and I’m glad to have found some gold that slipped through the cracks.

Check your watch later list after checking the comments - you’ll learn something about yourself. Take a scroll through your shadow steps, and enjoy the special feeling of reflecting on how much your psychology has changed over the last few years.

Share your story in the comments,

Jordan

P.S. I know whats happening with my sudden surge of digital hygiene. I recently placed myself on book ban until September 21st 2025 - “no books exist beyond this library” - this is my mantra: no new books, zero novelty.

It’s been 66 months of 3+ psychology books per week - at least 1000 pages per week, non-stop learning since the end of 2019 - and I think I’ve got what I need to have an honest attempt at creating the most definitive trauma and self actualisation curriculum on the internet.

There is nothing to watch later.

4 days ago | [YT] | 339

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

Would you rather have a perfect memory or be able to forget anything you wanted at will?

5 days ago | [YT] | 36

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

Eating psychology is complex, but I want you to open this caption & try this shadow work exercise: this post will reveal a new perspective on why you are the way you are with food and consumption.

Here are some questions: follow the psychological trail, let your unconscious mind wander to meal times when you were a small child.

Note: Don’t think about the specific type of food or the specific meals - this exercise works better if you focus on the overall emotional environment and relational environment where you ate.

- What was your childhood dinner table like?

- Was it loud and chaotic? Was there stifling silence?

- Who was there - were they anxious? Angry? Absent?

- Maybe it wasn’t a dinner table at all? My family ate from our laps while staring at TV screens.

Some more questions:

- Were you reprimanded for not eating? For eating too much?

- Did you have to rush and compete with siblings? Sneak into the cupboards later to finally feel full?

- Or were you stood over, shackled to the chair until you finished your plate, and then over-fed more?

- Did your parents celebrate cooking or were they always stressed by the responsibility? Perhaps they made you feel guilty for having to cook or buy you food?

These questions are powerful, and I’m sharing them with you today because we’ve been talking about eating disorders and our relationship to food over the last few months in The Shadow Work Library community.

My shadow work students have been reflecting - they’ve been looking back to where their narratives and experiences around food were being formed - and this is a good first step to understand what we picked up, what we repressed, and what we might need to do today to heal our food-based aversions and compulsions.

But eating psychology is a complex topic.

A ‘healthy relationship’ to food can look very different for each person - perhaps intuitive eating is healing or perhaps it’s being stricter with disciplined set meals or eating timeframes - depends on the wounding of the individual, surely?

Truthfully, how and why we eat the way we eat has many roots in different Shadow Territories, and I’ve got a feeling that my private community members will continue to expand into ever-deeper ideas and reflections in this ongoing discussion.

What do you remember about food and your family?

Share your story in the comments, your words will help somebody else remember something they’ve repressed or forgotten.

Stay steady,

Jordan

P.S. Food psychology has became so popular in The Shadow Work Library that I dedicated one of our weekly 90-minute group seminars to the shadow of eating. It was excellent. Imagine 20 mature adults sharing their stories. The conversation was rich and rewarding, I saw real-time healing taking place, and you can get involved if you tap the pinned comment.

No more floating, no more unnecessary suffering: let’s level-up your shadow work together this Sunday.

1 week ago | [YT] | 163

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

Abraham Maslow, at the end of his life, privately admitted to his friend that only 1% of people achieved self actualisation.

That’s a low number: only 1 in 100 people reach their true potential during their lifetimes.

I was shocked when I learned this.

It seemed too low… too elitist.

Do you think Maslow was right?

Do most people fail to reach their potential?

More importantly… are you the 1 in 100?

Comment down below,

Jordan

P.S. I don’t know if Maslow was precisely right, maybe only approximately. Ken Wilber estimates it’s no more than 10 in 100 reaching Integral Level, and other consciousness researchers consistently estimate around the 5-10% mark. I want to read the comments here… will be interesting.

1 week ago | [YT] | 188

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

Are you thankful for being smart & intelligent?
- It’s a gift, please don’t waste your power.

1 week ago | [YT] | 45

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

Today is my birthday, and I'm feeling grateful.

I'm feeling grateful for you, and grateful for this intentional community of intelligent individuals - there have been many blessings this year, but the most beautiful blessing is the journey we’ve taken together.

I’m always inspired by the authenticity of my clients, students and YouTube audience, and I wouldn't trade the trust we share for anything in the world.

Thank you for being here with me.

Jordan

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 682

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

Did you lose money in the Stock Market this week? I did - thousands of pounds have vanished from my investment accounts - and I know that I’m not alone.

If you’re into money and finance, then you’re probably seeing all sorts of doubt, fear and speculation across your YouTube homepage, but I want to talk about wealth psychology from a higher level of consciousness

I’ll keep this post short.

I’m here for your story.

This is collective economic shadow, and I want to help.

Here are two questions I want you to answer:

- Do you feel safe? How are you honestly feeling about your financial safety and the safety of the economic situation?

- More broadly, what have you noticed about your moods and your inner voice now that your money has been challenged by a sudden financial force?

Yes, the stock market is sliding right now, but please take the time to get involved in our comments section - this community is smart and sensitive, and I know we’ll discover some higher-level solutions to financial wounding if we work together.

Stay steady,

Jordan

P.S. This photo is what I look like when I’m reading the helpful pinned comment below this post. Maybe you should do the same?

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 129

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

BE HONEST: what is your priority right now?

Vote below & comment your reasoning

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 53

Jordan Thornton - Inner Work

You’re fighting yourself, and your anguish tastes like ashes. I see you shooting at your shadow, wrestling with your worries, and it’s starting to feel like shadow work is a war against yourself?

Your inner world is conflict, more combat than curiosity.

Sure, you remember what you’ve read sometimes - you start the process of calm and steady inquiry towards a shadow part or shadow behaviour that troubles you - and sure, it works, for a while: you succeed in your sincere attempt at auto-educational, auto-therapeutic inner work and how wonderful to feel the reward of fear subsiding into a respite from the battle within…

But the pain always returns, doesn’t it?

Minutes, hours, days, or weeks - it doesn’t matter.

Another wave of doubt, another wave of confusion.

Another wave of shame, another wave of self criticism.

Your shadows are marching, your shadows are charging, and I’m watching you bolster yourself against the sweat and strain of confronting your bruised, rejected, and undiscovered self time after time.

I see you in the mud.

You’re fighting in the trenches.

Firing from your foxhole, screaming at your shadows, you’re trapped in a defensive war as if your inner children were an undead army advancing from the darkness of your yet-to-be reconciled family trauma.

Screaming. Searching. Cowering. 

You’ll do what it takes to survive.

My language is war-like in this post because this is what I’m seeing, it’s literally what I’ve been seeing because I’ve just woken from an onslaught of fractured sleep and half-dazed active imagination.

I’m writing these words in the middle of the night on five hours sleep after a series of back-to-back dreams on the theme of war and self confrontation, and the truth is that they didn’t feel like my own dreams - they felt like they were your dreams.

I wasn’t the one fighting in the foxholes, I was the officer moving between and behind the trenches. It wasn’t my fight - these ‘enemies’ didn’t feel like my ‘enemies’ - but I saw you struggling, and I tried my best to offer guidance and encouragement about how to best defeat your shadow self.

It’s true that I know what you need for victory, but it’s also true that you’re going about your shadow work in the wrong way.

The victory you seek cannot be found in the filth of the churned earth.

Your victory will be drafted through discussion, and your serenity will be secured in the citadel of your soul.

It is by diplomacy, not violence, that you will reconcile your internal conflicts and find peace within yourself.

Truthfully, I had forgotten what it feels like to be at war with myself.

I no longer suffer from the crippling addictions and shame attacks of my youth. I have a general sense of clarity about who I am and my role in the world, but I wasn’t born this way.

It took hundreds of books, dozens of authors read, re-read and patiently applied, and a series of patient and practical shifts towards sobriety and consciousness in order to stop fighting myself.

Ninety-five percent of the time, I’m not at war with myself - I used to suffer with angst, depression and apathy but it seems that my inner work ultimately worked - the majority of my ‘problems’ are appropriately on the outside rather than inappropriately on the inside in 2025 - but my heart remembers your pain, and this recent series of combat dreams reminds me that the collective unconscious is defined by a feeling of conflict, not a feeling of play.

In summary: Jordan might be safe and playful, but most people aren’t, and it shames me to forget that shadow pain is the default state for most people, even aspirational individuals.

It feels like hell. It’s so unnecessary.

Maybe it’s not gunshots and explosions, maybe your style of self conflict is sabotage and espionage, little words of self criticism that erode your confidence in subtle poison, or maybe you want to dismiss my perhaps low vibe use of warring metaphors, but I am nonetheless reminded that damage and conflict is the defining tone of how most people relate to themselves… they’re always at war with themselves, but it seems that they’ve learned to keep it secret.

Violence is the texture, and I see my people suffering upon themselves.

You’re struggling with shame, addiction, confusion, and all manner of inner conflicts.

My client’s, students and audience don't need saving - I can’t do that for them and I’m not trying to win their battles either - but we appear to have found ourselves trapped in an internal war, and I see no alternative but to fight at your side until you grow tired of the violence.

Maybe one day you will be ready for peace talks.

In the meantime, if you insist on internal conflict, then I will teach you how to fire your weapon and ruthlessly destroy the enemy with psychological tricks and tactics… I will teach you how to wage psychological warfare until the sobering moment when you recognise your own eyes reflected in the shadow you despise.

You were fighting yourself the whole damn time.

When will the white dove fly?

Jordan

P.S. These photos are significant: this is the car where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in June, 1914, a monumental event which triggered the eruption of World War 1. You can see the famous bullet hole in the final photo. I stood in this room in Vienna’s military museum for a long time, reflecting on the immensity of history, and the violence we do to ourselves and others…

Skip the Carousel

1 2 3

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 247