The Shadow is You Too. Accepting Yourself Wholly, Not Just the Good Parts

This book is about how to accept your "dark side" and learn to use its resources. It explains the mechanism of the split between how we present ourselves and what we hide inside.


If you feel like you are not living... your own life, are tired of pretending, stuck in conflicts, and not managing your emotions—these are signs of a suppressed shadow. Desires, fears, aggression, and power go into the shadow, which we hide under the mask of the "right person." Uncontrolled manifestations of the shadow can have a destructive impact on relationships, health, and career. At the same time, "shadow talents"—what makes us truly unique in work and life—end up in the shadow.


Working with the shadow is the path to maturity and authentic self-acceptance. As long as we deny our shadow, we distance ourselves from ourselves.


Maria Salikhova is a crisis psychologist, a full member of the OPPPL, a supervisor, and a psychology teacher. Her author method allows recognizing one's own psychological defenses and triggers, working with projections, and flexibly using masks. Step-by-step practices will help explore the roots of the shadow, eco-living the "dark" impulses, and transform shadow energy into power.