Some people avoid apologizing because it feels like an attack on their own identity. As if saying “I was wrong” is the same as saying “I am bad.” (and they are probably unaware that they are doing this) Those are not the same thing, and confusing them is what keeps most apologies unspoken. What I find clinically interesting is what happens in the body and mind when shame is held in silence over time. It does not dissolve. It accumulates. It changes how we relate to the people around us and...
5 days ago • 1 min read
[this is a long one...showing one's work means focusing on the transparency of the process rather than just the end result. It's something your math teacher may have required] My mother's husband is now in a nursing home, seven years after being diagnosed with Alzheimers. Here's an abbreviated version of the back story: Since January 2022, she has talked about moving from Maine to Connecticut to be closer to me. She stopped communicating with me in August of 2023 when I decided to stop...
7 days ago • 3 min read
the paradox of shameis shaming shamejust creates more shame.so what if we kissed it instead?let the warmth of being metdissolve every storythat insisted love only arrives after perfection. Christopher Sexton That's it for today. Much, much love, Karen JOIN THE SHAME SCHOOL COMMUNITY
9 days ago • 1 min read
IMPORTANT Pre-S: As of November 1, I will no longer be using Kit to send my Love Notes. Find me here: The Shame Whisperer "Who do you think you are?! The universe doesn't revolve around you!" Did your mother ever say that one? Mine did. Over time, it became part of an internalized, shame-based identity: "I'm a self spoiled brat." I hear it much differently now. I hear projection (putting her own hidden feelings onto me) and resentment (which is a part of envy). To decenter means shifting your...
11 days ago • 1 min read
I once worked with a (physical) pain coach. The quick version of my story is that I have experienced chronic pain since around 2009, which is when I was diagnosed with Lyme disease. Not to mention childhood trauma, hypervigilence, and a previously unchecked desire to prove something (which took the form of being a badass at the gym). Since then I've done all sorts of things: chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, Advil, naturopathic care, alopathic care, exercise, stretching, yoga...all with...
28 days ago • 3 min read
...that you can now join the Shame School Community on a monthly subscription basis ($75/month, cancel any time). Format: Community Zoom calls several times a month at various times to accommodate different schedules and timezones, for connection, coaching, questions, discussion, and celebration Community: The Shame School Community is hosted on the Heartbeat platform, which includes comprehensive course material (see next bullet), a place to gather and share, and a calendar of all calls and...
30 days ago • 1 min read
[Pre-S: THANK YOU to all who answered this survey. It's still available if you'd like to share your thoughts and be entered to win a complimentary 90-minute session with me] Question from a reader: I grew up with a lot of stigma around medication. My mom misused and abused prescription (not her rx) drugs. I'm exploring medicines now, and it's hard for me to untangle her poor choices (using drugs for numbing) versus my actual diagnosed need to treat a mental illness. What comes up is, am I a...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Why haven't you joined the Shame School Community? I created a survey (which you can take anonymously) and because I want a lot of responses, I am offering a chance to win a free 90-minute "no strings" coaching call. Click here to share your thoughts. Much, much love, Karen
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
Shame makes you think you're the only one. I know this. And yet, there I was at an event the other day, feeling isolated and alone with what felt like a shameful secret (a continuation of what I wrote about last week. When I shared what I was grappling with, actually said it out loud, someone said, "me too...half the women here are in that same position." Oh. I am not the only one who thinks I am the only one. You are not the only one who thinks you're the only one. Even when it feels like...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read