Working with Shame in Psychotherapy: An Eclectic Approach

Abstract

Shame as an emotion is a deep rooted one. Being a widely felt emotion, its presence in the context of psychopathology and psychotherapy with clients is of special importance. Shame as experienced by clients, often hides under the façade of secondary emotions of pain, embarrassment, grief or anger. Uncovering shame therefore requires great skill, patience and knowledge on the part of the therapist. At times, it is through the client’s repetitive experiences and narratives that inklings of shame may be revealed. The repertoire of other emotions makes shame so distant for the client that it can take a long time accepting it as one’s own. Working with shame in psychotherapy effectively has found to alleviate symptoms, decrease distress thus creating opportunities for accepting the self as it is. The current chapter aims at understanding shame from different theoretical perspectives, it’s link with psychopathology and how it showcases in therapeutic settings. Selected cases of shame and working with it have been presented in the Indian context. Conclusions on effective possibilities for healing shame in psychotherapy in addition to suggestions for future research have been discussed.