Episode 221: When You Can’t Think Your Way Out of Shame
Ever feel trapped in a shame spiral that logic just can't break? That overwhelming feeling where no matter how many reasons you list for why you shouldn't feel ashamed, the emotion persists and paralyzes you? This is exactly what I'm addressing in today's episode.
Shame is more than just a feeling—it's a full-body response that impacts multiple systems and often operates below the reach of rational thinking. When we experience deep shame, especially around pornography use, we can "flip our lid" where our prefrontal cortex goes offline and our lower brain takes control. This is why simply trying to think your way out of shame often fails.
In this episode, I share a training I conducted on treating shame as "offline work" and provide practical, body-based techniques to help you break free from shame spirals. You'll learn why traditional thought work sometimes isn't enough and discover powerful somatic practices that create safety in your nervous system. These tools can help you regain your rational thinking capacity when shame has taken you offline.
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What You'll Learn from this Episode:
How to recognize when shame has taken your brain "offline" and why rational thinking alone won't work in these moments.
The science behind shame as a trauma response and why it creates a physiological reaction in your body.
How to use Havening techniques to create safety signals in your brain through self-touch.
Why Tapping on acupressure points can send calming chemicals to your amygdala during shame responses.
How to incorporate offline movement to temporarily interrupt shame spirals.
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Full Episode Transcript:
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