Retire the Inner Critic; Heal Toxic Shame
Just that act of paying attention to ourselves, that I care enough about myself, that I am worthy enough to pay attention to, starts to unlock some of those deep beliefs of unworthiness at a deeper level in the brain. – Elisha Goldstein, PhD.
In my clinical experience, the most powerful de-railer of resilience is the “trance of unworthiness,” the feeling unlovable, inadequate, not good enough, that fuels the inner critic and the emotional swamp of shame.
The intensely painful feeling or experience of believing we are flawed and therefore unworthy of acceptance and belonging erodes the part of ourselves that believe we are capable of change.
Reconditioning is the mode of processing the brain that we can use to rewire harsh, negative, judgmental beliefs about ourselves and recover from shame and trauma, often immediately, often permanently. We can recover our capacities to be resilient, to flourish, to thrive.
Click on links to listen to or download excerpts and exercises from Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience by Linda Graham, MFT.
Introduction to Reconditioning
Exercise in Wished For Outcome
Additional exercises are available in Bouncing Back: Rewiring Your Brain for Maximum Resilience and Well-Being.