Shadow work, core wounds, and the path to transformation: Exploring your inner landscape
Have you ever noticed how small events in daily life can trigger intense emotions - far stronger than the situation seems to warrant? Like … a friend forgetting a message, a colleague taking credit for your work, or even a casual joke can send us spiraling into shame, anger, or despair.
These reactions often aren’t about the present moment. They are echoes of core wounds - deep, early emotional imprints that shape how we see ourselves, how we relate to others, and how we move through the world.
Understanding and working with these wounds is central to shadow work, a process of bringing the unconscious parts of ourselves into awareness, integrating them, and reclaiming the energy locked within. It is also a foundational element in the work we do - for example - at Black Butterfly, our immersive retreat that creates a safe, held space for deep inner transformation.
In this post we want to give you an overview on the five basic wounds we know and we focus on in our work.
What are core wounds?
Core wounds are early emotional injuries that often originate in childhood but continue to influence our lives. They are the unhealed places that shape our perceptions of ourselves and the world.
The five basic wounds are:
Abandonment: Feeling unsafe when others leave or distance themselves.
Rejection: Believing you are unworthy of love or recognition.
Betrayal (Trust): Feeling that people cannot be relied upon.
Injustice: Experiencing the world as unfair or feeling overlooked.
Humiliation: Feeling shame or exposure when criticized or judged.
How core wounds show up in daily life
These wounds often manifest in ways that can feel disproportionate to everyday events:
Abandonment: Panic or anxiety when plans are canceled or messages go unanswered.
Rejection: Deep hurt when your ideas, feelings, or work are ignored.
Betrayal: Anger or mistrust when promises are broken or boundaries violated.
Injustice: Intense frustration when others are favored or situations feel unfair.
Humiliation: Shame or the urge to disappear after teasing, criticism, or embarrassment.
While the triggers seem small, the emotional response is amplified because it taps into an old, unresolved wound.
Healing core wounds through shadow work means…
Shadow work is the practice of observing, feeling, and integrating these unhealed parts of ourselves. It is a process of acknowledging our reactions without judgment, understanding their origin, and transforming the energy into wisdom, strength, and freedom.
Here’s how shadow work can help with each wound:
Abandonment: Cultivating inner security and learning to comfort and support yourself.
Rejection: Reclaiming your worth, independent of external validation.
Betrayal: Building trust with yourself first, and gradually with others.
Injustice: Honoring your sense of fairness while releasing the burden of fighting alone.
Humiliation: Meeting yourself with compassion and reclaiming your authentic presence.
Shadow work isn’t just intellectual - it’s embodied, which we approach through exercises that awaken awareness, release old pain, and reconnect with their vitality and creativity.
The Black Butterfly Retreat: A space for transformation
The Black Butterfly Retreat is a seven-day immersive experience designed to hold you safely as you engage with your shadows, heal your wounds, and step into a renewed version of yourself. Black Butterfly is a rite of passage, a space to dissolve old patterns and awaken new consciousness.
As one participant described:
"There are moments in life when a single experience shifts your entire inner landscape - for me, the Black Butterfly Workshop with Pele & Katara was exactly that."
Participants come carrying layers of old beliefs, ancestral pain, or the silent weight of expectations. Through the retreat, they learn to face, feel, and release what no longer serves them, reconnecting with their creative essence, their body, and their freedom.
"This journey was honestly life changing. I got in touch with so many beautiful souls, we held space for one another, we were brave showing what lives inside of us and brought it to the surface. We laughed, screamed and cried together. What a healing experience this was to not only know but feel that life is always FOR you."
The retreat combines somatic practices, ritual, emotional processing, and the creation of an advanced, supportive community which allows participants to experience both autonomy and togetherness - a critical dynamic for healing relational wounds.
The butterfly metaphor: Transformation in action
Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, transformation requires struggle and internal work. Inside the chrysalis, old structures dissolve and new cells emerge. There is tension, resistance and a period of consolidation before the butterfly can fly.
Similarly, shadow work and core wound healing require effort, patience, and courage. The resistance isn’t a barrier - it’s a sign of growth and the emergence of a higher self.
At Black Butterfly, you are supported in this process, learning to cluster your inner resources, embrace your shadow, and integrate new consciousness into your daily life.
This is what awaits you at Black Butterfly:
Embodied practices: Combining emotional, somatic and creative work to heal on multiple levels.
Safer and braver space: Facilitators model vulnerability and authenticity, creating a container for shared transformation.
Community support: Participants hold each other as much as they are held, amplifying the healing process.
Integration of shadow & pleasure: Work with the body, emotional pain, and desire to reclaim vitality and presence.
Participants consistently report profound shifts…
Join Us
If you feel called to explore your shadows, release old wounds, and step into a renewed, embodied self, the Black Butterfly Retreat offers the space, guidance and support for deep transformation.
Dates: November 27 – December 4 | Cyprus
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