Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Fwd: 291 - Healing shame by sharing

-----Original Message-----
From: "ken-lewis@kenlewiscounselor.net" [ken-lewis@kenlewiscounselor.net]
Date: 11/10/2009 21:27
To: ken-lewis@kenlewiscounselor.net
Subject: Fwd: 292 - Healing shame by sharing

When we are sharing our feelings with someone and we are intending to heal those feelings, we need to stay engaged with ourselves and the other person in our telling. We also need the other person to stay engaged with us otherwise we will feel the need to repeat the telling over and over and over without feeling really received and heard.
Peace,
Ken
www.kenlewiscounselor.net

Fwd: 291 - Transferral of unacknowledged shame

-----Original Message-----
From: "ken-lewis@kenlewiscounselor.net" [ken-lewis@kenlewiscounselor.net]
Date: 11/10/2009 00:47
To: ken-lewis@kenlewiscounselor.net
When you feel shame you have likely assumed that the shame was about you and that there was something wrong with you. On the whole this is not the case. Most of the shame we have internalized and carried through our lives has been a result of someone unconsciously transferring their unacknowledged shame onto us through various forms of neglect and abuse and emotional/physical abandonment.
Peace,
Ken

www.kenlewiscounselor.net

Sunday, November 8, 2009

290 - When feeling stuck

When you are feeling "stuck" or "uncomfortable" look inside and you will likely notice some unacknowledged shame. The stuckness will move and change if you can share the shame with a safe person.
Peace,
Ken

http://www.kenlewiscounselor.net

Thursday, November 5, 2009

289 - Daily reading on shame

Five minutes of shame reading per day from the recommended book list on shame which can be found on my website is a great help in understanding and accepting shame and speeds up the healing process immeasurably. In a sense this reading provides a new "pair of glasses" with which to see the ubiquity of shame as it is woven throughout our lives.
Peace,
Ken

http://www.kenlewiscounselor.net

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

288 - Compassion

My favorite definition of compassion is "to suffer with". We have all needed compassion from our important others and also needed to have compassion for others as well as ourselves. We need each other in order to heal shame. No blame.
Peace,
Ken

http://www.kenlewiscounselor.net

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

287 - Shame is normal

We have been conditioned to feel ashamed of our shame and using the word can have a normalizing effect. It is important to make friends with our feelings of shame. I mean this in the sense that we need to feel our feelings in order to heal them. It is much easier to feel our feelings when they are met with understanding, acceptance and compassion, first from others then ourselves.
Peace,
Ken

http://www.kenlewiscounselor.net

Monday, November 2, 2009

286 - What is underneath the anger?

When we believe that the "problems" we have with another person are their fault, what we are doing is avoiding feeling our own shame/hurt by transferring the shame to the other by blaming them. No blame. The solution seems to be to allow ourselves to feel the shame/hurt under the anger. Blame destroys relationships and self-esteem.
Peace,
Ken

http://www.kenlewiscounselor.net