Blog
Welcome to my little corner of the internet where I share what I know (and what I keep learning) about trauma, healing, and therapy. You’ll find posts about EMDR, trauma recovery, and what it really means to move through hard stuff with compassion and curiosity. Whether you’re here in Edmonton, or connecting with me virtually from BC, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, or the North, I hope these posts give you something to think about, something that helps you feel seen, or maybe just a reminder that you’re not alone in this. If you read something here that resonates and want to go a little deeper, you can always reach out. I offer in-person counselling in Edmonton, and virtual therapy across BC (Kelowna), Manitoba (Brandon), Saskatchewan, and the North. And yes, we can start with a free consultation.
A Shame-Sensitive Approach to Therapy
There are three major concepts of a shame sensitive approach to therapy:
1) Shame is inevitable (just like trauma);
2) Shame is unpleasant, and because of this, many people avoid it (to a detriment); and
3) Service providers need to respond appropriately to clients shame to mitigate negative impacts and retraumatization (Dolezal & Gibson, 2022).
Shame and its Impact on Mental Health
Experiencing shame can bring up feelings of rejection, inadequacy, inferiority, disrespect, worthlessness, insignificance, failure and even disgrace (Gilligan, 2003, as cited in Dolezal & Gibson, 2022). It is no wonder then, that such a powerful emotion plays a major role and presence after trauma has occurred (Dolezal & Gibson, 2022).
Shame kills our capacity to experience positive emotions
-Ruth Lanius
Shame is an important topic related to mental health but it is not all doom and gloom. We must remember that all emotions, including shame are unavoidable in our lives (Dolezal & Gibson, 2022). Additionally, healthy shame does exist and can act as a very effective stimulus for change in one's life (Dolezal & Gibson, 2022).