Experiences of Shame

Abstract

This paper explores current ideas around shame, with a particular look at current studies of shame in relation to depression and trauma. The topic of recovery from shame is explored from this point of view. The paper also presents a case study of someone who had a significant experience of shame and who recovered. This case study is analyzed, first to see how the shame experience corresponds to ideas regarding shame in the literature, and then to see how the shame experience corresponds to ideas regarding recovery in the literature. The purpose is to see if anything can be gleaned from aspects of recovery that arise, and to suggest that paths to recovery might be more widely studied.