Rethinking Shame & Beliefs of Toxicity

As a survivor of trauma and adversity it is all too easy to carry feeling of deep shame and badness within oneself. These feelings can have a profound effect on someone's experience of therapy, making it difficult to look a... [ view full abstract ]

As a survivor of trauma and adversity it is all too easy to carry feeling of deep shame and badness within oneself. These feelings can have a profound effect on someone's experience of therapy, making it difficult to look a therapist in the eye for fear that they see into your rotten core. Whilst experiences of shame may be turned inwards, held within the body, with beliefs of toxicity they threaten to spill out and infect others no matter what you do. The belief that ones very existence is dangerous to anyone who might truly connect with you can be a huge block to establishing safe and supportive personal and/or therapeutic relationships. At times, these feelings and beliefs can lead to frustration, confusion and a feeling of stuckness in client, family and practitioners - appearing to be an immovable barrier.

This workshop, from the perspective of someone who has been both sides of this situation, explores different ways of understanding and working with feelings of shame and toxicity. Rather than framing them as the enemy to be dispelled, it considers the diverse relationships we can all have with such feelings and beliefs. It explores how we might work alongside these experiences to find a way through intense distress. This workshop will be interactive, encouraging participants to draw on their own experiences and resources to help explore these phenomenon in a creative and useful way.