Shame through New Eyes – European Center for Mindfulness, Freiburg, Germany

EUROPEAN CENTER FOR MINDFULNESS

Shame is probably the trickiest human emotion. It’s everywhere so we barely see it. It’s also the glue that makes other emotions stick around longer than they should – fear, anger, guilt—and it hollows out the observer in a way that there’s no one home to work with the emotions. The mere mention of the s-word usually sends people packing. However, seen through the eyes of compassion, we discover some surprising new insights about shame that loosen its grip in our lives. They are:

• Shame feels blameworthy, but it is an innocent emotion
• Shame makes us feel alone, but it connects us to the rest of humanity
• Shame feels old and all-encompassing, but it’s a temporary state like all emotions.

These 3 insights, or paradoxes, correspond to the 3 components of self-compassion as defined by Kristin Neff (2003) – self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.

Please join Chris Germer, a leader in the burgeoning field of self-compassion and co-developer of the Mindful Self-Compassion training program, for a daylong experiential workshop including talks, meditation, research, exercises, and discussion.

In this program, we will explore the nature of shame, its causes (including prejudice and cultural exclusion), and learn simple skills to detect shame in our daily lives and transform it through the power of self-compassion. Meditation practitioners will be able to integrate these tools into their contemplative practices and psychotherapists will learn new skills to work with shame in clinical settings.

Everyone is welcome. Participants can expect to touch difficult emotions in this workshop, but they will also learn how to transform the stickiest and trickiest of human emotions through mindful self-compassion.

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe the theory and research on self-compassion
   2. Understand shame conceptually and recognize it experientially
   3. Apply the three components of self-compassion to the experience of shame
   4. Use self-compassion skills to address shame in daily life.
   5. Teach simple practices to clients to alleviate shame