Prompts
Shadow work prompts for the repressed self: The Dark
Shadow work prompts for the repressed self ask about the parts of you that you keep on a short leash: the impulses, the desires someone made feel monstrous, and the person you would be if you stopped being the good one. This is the theme closest to Jung's original idea of the shadow, and the one to approach with the most care.
Updated October 2026What is The Dark for?
In Soul Arc, The Dark is one of 12 prompt themes. The app describes it as "Shadow self, repression & impulse". It is carried by the The Shadow Self archetype, which means that if the quiz places you there, the first of your daily prompts comes from this theme.
Jung's shadow is everything a person has no wish to be. Not only cruelty and appetite, but anything that did not fit the person you were told to become. The Dark theme goes there directly. It asks what surfaces when you are alone and exhausted, what you have declared the enemy inside yourself, and what you are afraid people would see if they really looked.
Two warnings. First, looking at an impulse is not the same as acting on it. Writing 'I wanted to walk out of the room and never come back' harms nobody and tells you something true. Second, the answers here can be unflattering. That is the point. A shadow that only contains forgivable things is a persona wearing a costume.
The last prompt on this page, about the quality in another person that bothers you most, is the classic projection prompt. If you only ever do one prompt from this theme, do that one.
Eight shadow work prompts for the repressed self
These 8 prompts are quoted word for word from the Soul Arc app. They are in the order the app keeps them.
- What impulse do you keep on a short leash? What does that part of you need?
- What would you do if you knew you could not be judged, punished, or cast out for it?
- What part of yourself have you declared the enemy? What if it isn't?
- What surfaces in you when you're alone, exhausted, and no longer performing?
- If you stopped pretending to be the good one, who would you be?
- What part of you do you hide, even from people who love you?
- When have you hurt someone and told yourself it was justified?
- What quality in another person bothers you most? And where does it live in you?
These are 8 of the 12 prompts in The Dark. The app has all 12, and 144 prompts across 12 themes. On the free plan you get 3 new prompts a day. Soul Arc Pro opens all of them, with a picker by archetype or theme. See the FAQ for what Pro costs.
How should you use these prompts?
- Start with projection, not confession. What you cannot stand in someone else is the gentler door in.
- Write the impulse, then write what it wanted. An urge to be cruel is often an urge to be heard.
- Do not act on anything you write here. The entry is a place to look, not a plan.
- If you find yourself enjoying the darkness more than examining it, stop. The goal is integration, not a new identity.
- Keep sessions short. Fifteen minutes is enough for this theme.
New to this? Start with what shadow work is, and end every session on purpose with the closing routine. The full set of 144 shadow work prompts covers the other 11 themes.
What does a good answer look like?
Prompt: What quality in another person bothers you most? And where does it live in you?
Entry: "People who make everything about themselves. My cousin at dinner, every story looped back to her. I was seething. Then I noticed I'd been waiting the whole meal for a gap to tell my story. I just hide it better. I want the attention too. I've just made not wanting it part of my personality."
Umbra might ask: "What would you say if you let yourself take the gap?"
Umbra, the companion inside Soul Arc, answers with one question that points back to your own words. It never gives advice, and it never tells you what your entry means.
Which archetype carries The Dark?
In the app, each of the 12 archetypes carries one theme. The Dark belongs to The Shadow Self. The app sums that archetype up in one line:
What you have buried is asking to be seen
Its light and shadow traits, and three of these prompts, are on the archetype's own page. An archetype counts as mastered after 5 of its prompts.
What if a prompt brings up too much?
This theme can bring up shame quickly and, for some people, memories of harm done to them or by them. If an entry leaves you shaken, close it and ground yourself in the room. If you find thoughts of harming yourself or someone else, stop and reach a person now. Material that keeps returning belongs with a licensed therapist.
These prompts are for self-reflection, not therapy. If you are thinking about harming yourself, reach a person now. In the US, call or text 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), or text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line).
Questions people ask
What is the repressed self in shadow work?
It is Jung's shadow in the plain sense: the traits, impulses, and wants you pushed out of awareness because they did not fit who you were supposed to be. The Dark theme in Soul Arc is built around it.
Is it dangerous to write about dark impulses?
Writing about an impulse is not acting on it, and for most people it reduces the pull rather than increasing it. If you have urges to harm yourself or someone else, stop writing and reach a person now.
Why do I dislike certain people so intensely?
Often because they show a trait you have disowned in yourself. Jungian analysts call this projection. The last prompt on this page is written for exactly that.
Which archetype in Soul Arc carries The Dark?
The Shadow Self. If the quiz places you there, the first of your 3 daily prompts on the free plan comes from this theme. Its light and shadow traits are on its own page.