The Transformative Power of Owning Shame
– © 2009 by Bob Anderson
At the core of the Men’s Center anger management program lies the subject of shame. It’s a fearsome subject. I remember one guy who hurriedly grabbed his jacket and workbook and exited the room before the check-in got to him the night the topic turned to shame. He apologized the following week, saying he had felt overwhelmed and scared. Till then, he had been one of those guys who rarely disclosed in group, and we facilitators were wondering how to smoke him out, but from that night on he was candid with the other men and committed to the process.
That’s the releasing power of owning shame. For all its fearsomeness, the subject speaks to the men like nothing else in the course. It touches a vital nerve near the core of identity that sparks much of their harmful behavior, and somehow they know this and are willing, even grateful, to be challenged to drop some of their defenses and become more real with themselves and each other.
Continued...
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What's Inside
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