As a human, you have most likely felt shame to some degree. Although it is a normal human protective emotion to keep us safe on a societal level, shame can become toxic when it persists and when we internalize the critical narrative from that shame. Toxic shame shows up in many ways, however, the way it shows up physiologically is understood the least, but the most telling. From posture, dilated pupils, tense muscles, to inflammation in the body, headaches, and diseases, it is possible to visibly see shame on a person’s body. This is a result of the body protecting itself, and there is no shame in that. However once it becomes maladaptive, and absolute “I am” statements start becoming permanent fixtures in rumination, one’s perception of self shifts, which can eventually cause serious mental and physical health issues. On today’s episode, Elisabeth and Jennifer discuss how toxic shame differs from regular shame, how toxic shame shows up, what happens in the body when it does, where toxic shame originates from, how shame and pleasure shows up in those with a history of childhood sexual abuse, and what you can do to recognize and repattern toxic shame with Neuro-Somatic Coaching. Just as toxic shame is developed, it can be undeveloped, by learning how to recognize when and how it shows up in the body, then repatterning the neural pathways in real time using NSI tools, and allowing repressed emotions to mobilize. This episode is filled with knowledge and insight you don’t want to miss. Tune in for this and more! Topics discussed in this episode: The difference between guilt and shame Difference between regular shame and toxic shame How toxic shame affects posture How shame is a protective response What is shame inflammation and its correlation to disease states? Why mobilizing the body is crucial to process emotions What is emotional attunement? Overcoupling of shame and pleasure in the case of childhood sexual abuse The types of body boundary violations What to do if you are having a toxic shame response? Why it’s important for practitioners to understand when a client is in a shame response Repattering shame in real time Contact us about private Rewire Neuro-Somatic Coaching: https://brainbased-wellness.com/rewire-private-neuro-somatic-coaching/ Learn more about the Neuro-Somatic Intelligence Coaching program and sign up for the spring cohort now! https://www.neurosomaticintelligence.com Get started training your nervous system with our FREE 2-week offer on the Brain Based Membership site: https://www.rewiretrial.com Connect with us on social media: @trauma.rewired Join the Trauma Rewired Facebook Group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/761101225132846 FREE 1 Year Supply of Vitamin D + 5 Travel Packs from Athletic Greens when you use my exclusive offer: https://www.drinkag1.com/rewired This episode was produced by Podcast Boutique https://www.podcastboutique.com Trauma Rewired podcast is intended to educate and inform but does not constitute medical, psychological or other professional advice or services. Always consult a qualified medical professional about your specific circumstances before making any decisions based on what you hear. We share our experiences, explore trauma, physical reactions, mental health and disease. If you become distressed by our content, please stop listening and seek professional support when needed. Do not continue to listen if the conversations are having a negative impact on your health and well-being. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, or in mental health crisis and you are in the United States you can 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If someone’s life is in danger, immediately call 911. We do our best to stay current in research, but older episodes are always available. We don’t warrant or guarantee that this podcast contains complete, accurate or up-to-date informatio
The other day I had a conversation with someone where I said something that inadvertently was hurtful to the person and realized that they came to me and told me about it.
And cognitively I understood, like, it's no big deal.
I made a little mistake and repaired the damage and was going to go on about my day.
And then after that conversation, I started to notice and I feel really heavy.
My joints were a little bit swollen, I was having some digestive issues.
I felt like my voice was a little bit tight, a little bit high pitched, my throat was kind of hoarse.
And I realized I was also sitting down to try to work on some stuff and I was getting a lot of brain fog.
And I realized, oh, I'm in a shame response.
That's what it feels like somatically to experience shame in your body, even when you don't know cognitively that you're moving into that shame response.
Shame is just this really human emotion that we all experience, but with complex trauma, it can become toxic, chronically dysregulating, and because of that chronic dysregulation, harmful to our health.
Welcome to Trauma Rewired, the podcast that teaches you about your nervous system, how trauma lives in the body, and what you can do to heal.
I'm your co host, Elizabeth Christoph.
I'm the founder of Brainbase.com comma, an online community where we use neurosematic tools and emotional processing to create behavior, change trauma resolution, and improve resilience.
And I'm also the founder of neurosomatic intelligence coaching.
And I'm your co host, Jennifer Wallace.
I'm a neurosomatic intelligence practitioner that works in the realms of peak somatic experiences and bridges that with your nervous system.
I am also an educator for the neurosomatic intelligence coaching certification.
And today we are exploring toxic shame, one of the elements of classic CPTs, and we hope you enjoy this conversation.
One of the first important things I think to start to distinguish is just the difference between guilt and shame.
Right.