One thing we hold closer than even our most prized possessions is shame. Shame is one cat we don’t want to let out of the bag. It is more common than we realize because it’s rarely shared…something I’ve learned through providing Reiki services.
The thing about shame is that it serves no purpose really. It’s the lowest vibrational feeling we can carry. Even shame’s vibrational neighbors, fear and anger, can serve a purpose in that they create motivation to change or take action. The only option with shame is to eliminate it. Get rid of it.
If we don’t, we continue to receive less than we deserve in life. Like attracts like. The universe wants to give us what we want in life, and often we are blocking it through our own walls. Shame is a wall that prohibits the good from entering and the ugly from leaving. If we don’t open our vault of shame, we can’t begin the healing process.
One way to release shame from your energy body is through Reiki. In a Reiki session, shame appears to me as an image of fire at a person’s feet. An energetic fire stoked over time, used as a method of a self-punishment. During the session, energetic cords associated with shame are removed. In other words, the energetic shame flame is extinguished.
Another way to release shame is through sharing. Sharing with a safe, trusted resource also begins the healing process. If you’re taking that path, I like the guidelines Brene Brown provides in ‘The Gifts of Imperfection.’
If you’re not ready for either of those steps, simply answer the following question. How many seconds, minutes, days, weeks, years or decades have you been carrying the burden of shame? Ah-ha! A self-imposed life sentence created over a thirty year old ‘parking ticket.’
Answering that one little question had a profound impact on my own releasing process. In some cases, when I realized the craziness of my answer, I started laughing! The self-punishment waaaaaaay exceeded the ‘crime.’ In other cases, amazingly, I felt self-compassion, which gave me permission to extinguish my shame flame. I repeated the question with any area of my life that I felt shame, which provided an incredible sense of freedom and release.
The process of releasing isn’t easy, but it’s a heck of a lot easier than the other option, which is being weighed down by it for the rest of your life. Imagine what you can do with all of the energy you’re currently spending on shame?
