Releasing Shame
Hey SuperSTAR!
If you are a human being who, like the majority of us, can feel the difference between right and wrong (ie: NOT A SOCIOPATH), you dance with shame on a regular basis. Some of us do it more than others, but truly, if we are feeling human beings, one of those feelings that cycle through is shame.
Shame is a SUPERPOWER. If we could harness the potency of shame we could probably quit worrying about renewable energy all together. Especially since shame just does not seem to go away, no matter how many self-help books we read or inner work we do.
The problem is, shame is not helpful. In fact, it is incredibly harmful to us, not just as individuals, keeping us small and disconnected from ourselves. Shame is, according to Brene Brown (and I am definitely summarizing here), at the heart of what seems to be eating away at the human spirit: depression, apathy, cynicism, isolation and all that keeps us separate from our fellow human beings.
So, what do we DO about it? If it’s something that’s so common and being a feeling human being means we are vulnerable to it?
Check out this week’s Goddess Diary, and then keep reading because I have some tips for getting that stuff OUT of the system.
Secrecy keeps it stuck and is unhelpful. The silence and judgment team up to amplify the shame. So, letting it out is ESSENTIAL. Not just letting it go from the mind, but from the BODY. Childhood issues, or even something that happened last week can get lodged in the body if it isn’t given it’s proper flow. Challenging experiences, like shame, tend to get trapped in the contractions of fear and self-judgment (“I can’t let anyone know about this.” or “I’m just going to pretend that didn’t happen.”). But what do we do? It actually isn’t safe to share some of these things with just ANYBODY. And some of us don’t really have that trusted friend or ability to seek professional help to let it out. So what are the options?
1) Let it out verbally – If you don’t have someone who can listen with empathy and compassion, write it out in a journal. You don’t need to keep the written words around. It can be really helpful to burn it or destroy it somehow to really let yourself witness it moving on.
2) Get it out physically – There are LOTS of options here. Exercise & singing have been practices I’ve used even before I had the Goddess Superpower Tools. When I was doing child welfare, feeling overworked, stressed, traumatized by the abuse I was constantly surrounded by, sometimes I’d roll up the windows on my car and scream out to Hole or some other angsty music. It was REALLY HELPFUL! Also, I would get on my bike and just go until I could feel the stress was pumped out of my system. Some other ideas: tapping (here’s a link to my friend, Sonya Sophia’s powerful work in this realm), dance, yoga, martial arts . . . you get the idea. Some sort of MOVEMENT while consciously inviting the stories of shame to release.
3) Come to my workshop this Sunday, September 14th in the East Oakland Hills where we will not only learn how to unwrap the stories of shame and guilt so we can access that energy to fuel us through our challenges, we’ll also activate and awaken the Kundalini Life Force Energy in the body, which will help keep that potent energy flowing and bringing in vibrant health. DISCOUNTED TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE FOR A LIMITED TIME. GET YOURS NOW
That’s it for this week.
May you find yourself free of the shame that has kept you from your joy, and until next week, May the Source be with YOU!
x & o & <3
