Healing Shame and Guilt

“This elegantly succinct book is the most straightforward yet deepest work on shame and its resolution that I have ever read. [Shame is] not a ‘deserved’ consequence of our shortcomings but a process adapted during early development—a process we unwittingly continue to generate throughout life. Chronic shame becomes amenable to healing as guided by the astute advice the authors provide. They grant us the agency to heal ourselves.”
—Gabor Maté, MD, author of The Myth of Normal and In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

“Shame and guilt are often invisible burdens, shaping our lives in ways we don’t always see. In Healing Shame and Guilt, Dr. Heller provides a compassionate and practical guide to understanding and healing these hidden wounds. Having worked closely with him, I know his insights are grounded in decades of pioneering trauma work, and his message offers real hope to anyone seeking freedom and wholeness.”
—Sean Walsh, former CEO of The Meadows Behavioral Healthcare

“In this illuminating book, Dr. Laurence Heller and Stephan Niederwieser guide readers toward a new understanding—and experience—of shame. The authors underline the role of this important emotion, beautifully illustrating the ways chronic shame can become a deeply engrained, recurrent inner process for many people. I believe this book will serve as a timely resource for professionals as they guide their clients to fully express their inner love, compassion, and clarity. In revealing the hidden architecture of how shame and also guilt are structured within each of us, Laurence and Stephan have underlined the critical role shame plays in allowing us as individuals—and collectives—to experience greater freedom and expression, as well as promoting our full agency and innate capacities of intelligence. A tremendous gift to all of us.”
—Thomas Hübl, PhD, author Healing Collective Trauma and Releasing our Burdens