Dr. Kimberley Taylor's video: WHAT IS SHAME AND WHY IS IT SO HARD TO TALK ABOUT

EVERYONE EXPERIENCES SHAME TO SOME DEGREE, IT SEEMS INEVITABLE. BUT, WHAT EXACTLY IS SHAME AND WHY IS IT SO HARD TO TALK ABOUT? THE FEELINGS OF SHAME ARE CERTAINLY UNIVERSAL, YOU FEEL OR BELIEVE THAT SOMETHING IS REALLY WRONG WITH YOU AND THEREFORE YOU FEAR THAT YOU WILL EVENTUALLY BE FOUND OUT TO BE UNWORTHY OF BEING LOVED AND ACCEPTED. THE FEELING OF SHAME COMES FROM THE BELIEF THAT, "I AM BASICALLY FLAWED, BAD, WRONG, INADEQUATE, UNIMPORTANT, UNDESERVING OR JUST PLAIN NOT GOOD ENOUGH." WE CAN DEVELOP SHAME AS A CHILD AS A RESULT OF NOT BEING LOVED OR ACCEPTED BY OTHERS AND CONCLUDING THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG WITH US BECAUSE OF THE WAY WE WERE BEING TREATED. AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES WHEN OUR OWN SELF-TALK CHIMES IN. YOU KNOW THAT VOICE, IT’S THE ONE IN YOUR HEAD THAT PLAYS NON-STOP 24/7 ON THE TICKER TAPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE SCREEN OF YOUR BRAIN FORECASTING THE WORST AT EVERY TURN. BUT THERE ARE ALSO MANY OTHER WAYS THAT SHAME CAN DEVELOP, THE POINT IS, IF YOU LEAVE IT HIDDEN IN THE SHADOWS AND NEVER TAKE IT OUT AND EXAMINE IT, SHAME CAN HAVE A DEVASTATING EFFECT ON YOUR RELATIONSHIPS, YOUR CAREER, AND SELF ESTEEM. WHEN YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE ORIGIN OF SHAME OR HOW TO CHALLENGE IT AND OVERCOME IT THEN SHAME BECOMES A VERY POWERFUL AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EMOTION IN YOUR LIFE. SHAME CAN BE A POWERFUL, PAINFUL, AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS EMOTION - ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND ITS ORIGINS OR KNOW HOW TO MANAGE IT AND LEARN TO OVERCOME IT. MY GUEST IS SUSAN WARREN WARSHOW, LCSW AND MFT. SHE IS A LEADING EXPERT ON THE ISSUE OF SHAME. WE WILL BE TALKING ABOUT HOW SHAME AFFECTS ALL OF OUR LIVES AND HOW TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH IT AND FEEL GOOD ABOUT OURSELVES.