The Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous: We are all in a continuous flux, always learning and constantly changing. Step ten tells us to do an ongoing self-assessment and own up to our offenses, “Continued to take personal inventory and when…
A “Higher Power” is something greater than ourselves. It’s a term used in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith. AA was inspired by another Christian organization called the Oxford Group, which was founded…
“The LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows, he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.”Psalm 23:1-3…
Jack learned at a young age that feelings were not safe to express. He couldn’t be authentic with his feelings without shame reminding him, “Only sissies cry, so buck up.” The internal voices of criticism and shame became loud enough…
From the clutches of shame that held him in bondage to a porn addiction he had many years before and into his marriage. After many years of meetings and mentoring other men, he longed to enjoy his marital relationship, be…
“Becoming real requires tolerating discomfort even when your natural inclination is to quit.” The History and Philosophy of Your Emotions The exercise on this page is meant to help you understand where some of your feelings and thoughts originate. Few…
One way to better understand ourselves and our shame is through parts work, a theory called Internal Family Systems, or IFS. Richard Schwartz is the founder of this unique modality. In IFS, Schwartz teaches that parts of us are there…
How does your shame, shame you? Do you shut down, freeze, fight, or flee? What is your pattern? Know how to restore a fully engaged self, one that can be clear, concrete, and concise in difficult moments, or when triggered….
Our brain reacts to shame as a threat, shutting down parts of our nervous system. It threatens to activate the frontal lobes that control our executive functioning because it feels like we are in imminent danger. These vital organs monitor…
dreamstime.com Shame is how addictions survive. Shame has no limits or boundaries. It affects us all, men and women, regardless of who we are, or what we do. Left untouched, it will align itself with a fundamental feeling of being…