Self-Loathing as Survival Strategy: How Toxic Shame Hijacked Your Brain cover art

Self-Loathing as Survival Strategy: How Toxic Shame Hijacked Your Brain

Self-Loathing as Survival Strategy: How Toxic Shame Hijacked Your Brain

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 If you’ve ever wondered why it feels easier to hate yourself than to have needs, this one’s for you. We’re talking toxic shame, the tragic logic of self-rejection, and the inner critic who just wants you to “do better” by disappearing. This is where compassion meets neuroscience - and maybe, finally, where you start treating yourself like someone worth surviving for.

This Week's Worksheet

Sources Referenced:

Brach, Tara. Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha. Bantam, 2004.

Brown, Brené, PhD. The Gifts of Imperfection: 10th Anniversary Edition: Features a New Foreword and Brand-new Tools. Simon and Schuster, 2022.

Dana, Deb, LCSW. Anchored. Vermilion, 2024.

Durvasula, Ramani, PhD. It’s Not You: How to Identify and Heal from NARCISSISTIC People. Random House, 2024.

Emerson, David, and Elizabeth Hopper PhD. Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body. North Atlantic Books, 2012.

Ferguson, Anna, CCTAP. The Vagus Nerve Reset. Random House Australia, 2023.

Gibson, Lindsay C., PsyD. Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents: How to Heal from Distant, Rejecting, Or Self-Involved Parents. New Harbinger Publications, 2015.

Gilbert, Paul, and Choden. Mindful Compassion: How the Science of Compassion Can Help You Understand Your Emotions, Live in the Present, and Connect Deeply with Others. New Harbinger Publications, 2014.

Heller, Laurence, PhD, and Aline LaPierre PsyD. Healing Developmental Trauma: How Early Trauma Affects Self-Regulation, Self-Image, and the Capacity for Relationship. North Atlantic Books, 2012.

Levine, Peter A., PhD. Trauma and Memory: Brain and Body in a Search for the Living Past: A Practical Guide for Understanding and Working with Traumatic Memory. North Atlantic Books, 2015.

Neff, Kristin. Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. Harper Collins, 2011.

Porges, Stephen W., PhD. Polyvagal Safety: Attachment, Communication, Self-Regulation. National Geographic Books, 2021.

Porges, Stephen W., PhD, and Seth Porges. Our Polyvagal World: How Safety and Trauma Change Us. W. W. Norton and Company, 2023.

Rosenberg, Stanley, PhD. Accessing the Healing Power of the Vagus Nerve. North Atlantic Books, 2017.

Walker, Pete, MA. Complex PTSD : From Surviving to Thriving: A Guide and Map for Recovering from Childhood Trauma. Createspace Independent Publishing Platform, 2013.

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