Nathanson (1992) presents a fabulous tool to show us how shame shows up. When we look at the middle axis of withdrawal and avoidance, we see two different behaviours. With withdrawal, there is hiding and disconnection. We know from research …
Category: Healing
How Shame is Different to Guilt
Shame sounds like, ‘I reversed into a pole, I am such a loser, I can’t get anything right’ Guilt sounds like, ‘I reversed into a pole, I wasn’t looking properly, that was silly, I’ll start double checking from now on’
Shame & Disconnection
“Shame is a painful emotion that is created because of a sense of failure to meet a certain standard. It sounds like: “I’m a failure, I’m a terrible person, I’m useless”. They are absolute statements about the self that make …
Making Your way From Passive to Assertive
Being assertive is NOT being bossy or selfish. Being assertive is knowing what you need for self-care and being able to create effective boundaries. It is having the confidence to speak up in the face of injustice. The world needs …
Normalising Despair
“Despair is the price one pays for self-awareness. Look deeply into life, and you'll always find despair.” ― Irvin D. Yalom, When Nietzsche Wept
Working with YOUR Passive-Aggressive Behaviour
Most passive-aggressive people have usually learnt this form of communication /behaviour from their parents or a parent. I find one of the major reasons for passive-aggressive behaviour is essentially conflict avoidance. The thought of getting into a fight that you …
How To Work With Passive Aggressive People
Let’s not beat around the bush. Dealing with passive-aggressive people can be REALLY tricky. I know because I grew up with some, and I have been one at different times in my life. When someone is being passive-aggressive, they are …
Detecting Passive-Aggressive Behaviour.
A lot of passive-aggressive communication comes from a difficulty with communicating assertively. It can be challenging for passive-aggressive people to share things they think might be received negatively. They might find it difficult to: say ‘no’ put boundaries in place …
Tips for Being Assertive
TEXT The first step in being assertive is to know our needs. If we are uncertain about our needs, we will find others are too. We will find it challenging to communicate our needs, and when we do, we will …
Taking Time Out from Your Family
It can be terrifying when you just think of the responses. You already know the tyranny of attacks coming your way, the talking about you behind your back, the guilt-tripping. Oh, yes, the guilt-tripping! Finding the right words that will …