UNashamed Teaching Series

This week we completed the keynote lessons from Elijah House A-School. Next week we start a 7-week long series on SHAME, how to recognise it & how to heal it.

1. The Weight of Shame: Shame is a powerful emotion. It often feels heavy, like an anchor tied to our self-worth. When we experience shame, it can affect our thoughts, decisions, and even physical sensations. Shame is stored in the gut, and interestingly, there’s some scientific basis for this. The gut-brain connection is real, and emotions can manifest physically in our bodies.

2. Guilt vs. Shame: There's an important distinction between guilt and shame. Guilt is related to our actions—it’s about feeling remorse for something we’ve done. In contrast, shame goes deeper; it’s about our identity and self-perception. Feeling like “I am a mistake” rather than “I made a mistake” can be incredibly damaging. Recognising this difference allows us to address shame more effectively.

3. Healing from Shame: Dealing with shame involves both self-awareness and self-compassion.

SHAME kept me stuck in trauma because I wouldn't ask for help, both because of my inner vow not to ask for help, the shame associated with my issues & the fear of rejection & abandonment if people saw the real me. It causes us to wear the "I'm fine!" mask even when deep down we're falling apart. I've been there & mastered that for most of my life. Only when the pain outweighs our shame will we be willing to deal with our issues.