Kate Ahl's Reviews > Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame: A Relational/Neurobiological Approach

This is an accessibly and engagingly written, comprehensive overview of the phenomenon of shame as understood in a variety of psychotherapeutic and neuroscientific traditions. Exploring the relational roots of chronic shame, the author provides vivid case studies to illustrate the ways shame is often the cornerstone of other behaviours (such as addiction), 'conditions' (depression, anxiety, personality disorder, dissociation, etc), and difficulties in relating that might be a client's ostensible presenting problem. Proposing a relational approach to working with shame in ways that allow it to be spoken about openly, and to give a reparative experience of relationship that encourages a visceral, 'right-brain' experience of being accepted with all their human fallibilities, the author resists the temptation to offer a cure, but suggests ways of 'managing' chronic shame, through knowing how to identify it and understanding how it operates in ourselves and our clients.