Shame – Master Guide or Destructive Block?

Head spinning, eyes stinging, ears ringing, cheeks flaming, throat tightening, heart pounding, lungs constricting, stomach clenching, bile rising, palms sweating, thighs trembling, skin creeping. Dread descending.

Thoughts pile in, rinse and repeat.

Emotions rise and fall again and again.

Programmed patterns trigger and kick in.

Hide, disappear, dissolve into a puddle of horror.

Not I got it wrong, but I am wrong.

Not I did a bad thing, but I am a bad thing.

Not I made a mistake, but I am a mistake.

Not I made a flawed choice, but I am fundamentally flawed, and others can see it.

Not a measured response, in the moment, but a self-loathing overreaction stretched over time.

Nowhere to hide from the inner torment. Instant gratification calls but it’s a false friend papering over the cracks of the inner split.

Shame can be a master guide, revealing the lies we believe and run our lives from or a destructive block to healing, connection and love.

Shame is more than an emotion; underneath is rooted deep-seated false beliefs. Like perennial weeds, these beliefs can look different on the surface. Anything from depression to overachieving perfectionism, but the underlying theme of the beliefs will be similar. They will have some flavour of I’m not good enough, I'm not valuable, something essential is missing from me and I’m irreparably damaged in some way.

The good news is that these beliefs can be cleared and without disclosure. My work is all about releasing inner limitations, such as shame, so my clients are free to live a life that lights them up.

In 2025, I’m creating my second multi-author book, and the theme is shame. If you are interested in finding out about contributing a chapter, please get in touch.

info@afreemind.co.uk