Becoming Shameless
Encounters with Humiliation in the Therapeutic Relationship
Recorded Saturday 3 July 2021
With Dr Doris Brothers, Jane Haberlin and Professor Andrew Samuels
CPD Credits: 3.5 hours
Shame is often felt to be one of the most excruciating emotions, perhaps because it threatens one’s deepest sense of being loveable. For many, a sudden sense of having been inappropriate is embarrassing.
But for someone who has never felt certain of their worth, a minor encounter with personal limitations can feel like a catastrophic reminder of one’s supposed inadequacy: of being insufficient, not quite what’s wanted, unacceptable.
READ MORE...Where that sense of self has origins in early childhood, any ensuing self-repulsion may be hard to transcend. A viable defense against shame is, understandably, to avoid intimacy.
When shame occurs in the therapy session, the intensity of that experience is greatly amplified. Shame, of course, is shameful in itself. To feel exposed, uncovered or found out by the therapist, especially when there is an idealized or parental transference at play, can be deeply humiliating. Furthermore, when a shaming event is experienced in the context of a countertransference enactment – in a momentary lapse of empathy or even an attack on the patient – such moments can rupture the therapy. When they overlap with inequalities of power and privilege, that injury is compounded. How can moments be worked through and turned into an opportunity for self-acceptance? Will our speakers agree that one of the goals of therapy is to become shameless?
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) credits for 3.5 hours are available as part of the course fee. You will need to fill out an evaluation form and pass a multiple choice questionnaire related to the content in order to receive your certificate.
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