** This thread discusses the Content article: Healing Shame **

Love this article, Karen. Shame is one of my major issues and I haven't come across an energy exercise for it before. I'll try it out and see how it goes!

The mechanics of shame, makes sense. I now have a handle on what exactly is happening whenever I feel odd moments of shame; and how to deal with it. The depth of perception, as always is deeply appreciated! Dealing with waves of over whelming energy is what arrogance is about, so shame as a champion feeling makes sense. Thank you

What a great article!, I found that very insightful. I now recognise that negative energy exchange that I felt with certain people,growing up and occasionally now, is shame! I wouldn't of necessarily been able to identify that, but with that description of the movement of energy and associated feeling, I can identify with that easily. Yes, I also will be using those techniques,next time!

I'm rereading it after most of a year now. It seems to relate to the CF of martyrdom (www.polarisrising.com/martyrdom-chief-fe...m-consciousness.html) because it's about going smaller and putting yourself aside. But it doesn't have to be just that.

For me, a lot of "submerging" as mentioned in that article is about moving away from what I'm actually feeling, even it doesn't look outwardly like shame. Sometimes I can act out and distract myself and it doesn't look like I submerge myself. I can appear confident and knowing what I want. But I'm acting in a way which is disconnected, so it's a way of doing that too. For men, I guess there's shame in a lot of feelings; in a group, I sometimes feel something like shame when there's some emotion in me which seems that culturally shouldn't be there.

I've been listening to Pema Chodron lately (a buddhist teacher), and really practicing about just staying with whatever's there. Making friends. To me that's similar to putting myself "out there", even if energetically. Experiencing being one's self, whatever that is. There are a lot of words which seem very different (different traditions) which are in essence almost the same thing.

Hi~

I am glad you started this thread Matthew, as it gave me a chance to read the article on martyrdom as well as respond to shame!

Even though my CF's somehow do not include (via channeling) martyrdom, ironically I have used it ALOT in my life, and also subsequently have felt very shame-based as well.

What has so often happened is I actually have self-dep and impatience as my chief features and I must get impatient with my impatience and "quickly" slide to matryrdom! Interestingly, with the kind of work I have done and how I've needed to operate, impatience was thought to "help'; ie. move faster, multi-task, be more productive. Well, practicing impatience was constant at work; of course its never fast enough or worse-running behind would trigger more impatience, guilt, shame and then martyrdom. My childhood feelings of not feeling worthy or good enough has made me more susceptible to that guilt, shame and martyrdom.

But what struck me so much to even bring on an "ah ha" moment or two was the mention of how martyrdom affects the 2nd chakra....WOW!
That void has been felt in my lower back and I can see that in experiencing so much overwhelm,
especially at work (but yes, I grew up with that loud, overbearing energy) trying to get smaller was an almost automatic response. Then of course, tightening my body and my lower back was the physical response but adding emotional stuff to the situation adds insult to injury. So what we resist, persists and I can see where my void was like a neon sign saying "c'mon, GET her", or so I thought!
Well, it certainly attracted exactly what I was trying to resist.

I too, have had a "crisis of consciousness" which resulted in my 3rd back surgery that really has leveled me. In the process of healing my body and having the time for alot of reflection, its allowed me to heal alot of my self worth issues and (I think)complete my 4thIM positively. I am no longer working which has certainly kept me out of some of those more "dangerous" environments. But another big thing that's helped is really 'getting it' that I am worth it to set limits with people, places and things that are overwhelming, negative and trying to control me.

Its an ongoing process and I live with my (now elderly) parent who has been the biggest influence in my development and use of my chief features. He is not nearly as big and imposing as before but he still can trigger some of those old patterns in me. All I know is, I am more than what I used to think of myself, and I have let go of alot of that shame and guilt. Being finally able to stand up straight, I can now hold my head up high, and feel grounded in my body. I'm "not done" but I AM getting there!

~Mari Lynn