ABSTRACT

Chronic shame is painful, corrosive, and elusive. It resists self-help and undermines even intensive psychoanalysis.  Patricia A. DeYoung’s cutting-edge book gives chronic shame the serious attention it deserves, integrating new brain science with an inclusive tradition of relational psychotherapy. She looks behind the myriad symptoms of shame to its relational essence. As DeYoung describes how chronic shame is wired into the brain and developed in personality, she clarifies complex concepts and makes them available for everyday therapy practice. 

Grounded in clinical experience and alive with case examples, Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame is highly readable and immediately helpful. Patricia A. DeYoung’s clear, engaging writing helps readers recognize the presence of shame in the therapy room, think through its origins and effects in their clients’ lives, and decide how best to work with those clients. Therapists will find that Understanding and Treating Chronic Shame enhances the scope of their practice and efficacy with this client group, which comprises a large part of most therapy practices. Challenging, enlightening, and nourishing, this book belongs in the library of every shame-aware therapist.

part I|72 pages

Understanding Chronic Shame

chapter 1|15 pages

Chronic Shame: An Unspoken Problem

chapter 2|15 pages

Shame Is Relational

chapter 3|9 pages

Shame and the Relational Brain

chapter 5|16 pages

Assessing for Shame

part II|101 pages

Treating Chronic Shame

chapter 6|9 pages

Prerequisites for Working with Shame

chapter 7|15 pages

Fostering Right-Brain Connection

chapter 8|13 pages

Narrative as Right-Brain Integration

chapter 9|18 pages

Giving Shame Light and Air

chapter 10|24 pages

The Challenge of Dissociated Shame

chapter 11|15 pages

Lifetime Shame Reduction