Compassion is something we all strive for and often the last thing we show ourselves.  Often this is because we were shown so little.   It is a learned skill.  This week we begin learning how to see ourselves through compassionate eyes and begin caring for ourselves the way we would a beloved child.

Guilt is a reasonable response to things I have done wrong.  Shame is the response that says I am those bad things.  We talk about the difference in this episode and how to keep our healthy guilt from becoming toxic shame.  The 12 steps can be useful in leading us down that path.  We create a mindful and meditative space to discern the difference between these two emotions as they arise within us.In the effort to rid ourselves of toxic shame.

Hanging on to resentment keeps us in bondage to our trauma and addictions.  Through forgiveness we find freedom from that bondage.  We do not excuse behavior but decide that we will no longer allow it to control us and move forward past it by finding forgiveness.  Come with me in this episode on a journey through forgiveness and find the release it offers through our directed mindfulness exercise.