The Voice of Shame

Toxic shame,

the internalized sense

of badness and unworthiness

that lies at the root of childhood trauma.

Shame tells me that the horrible things

that happened to me were my fault,

that I was mistreated because

I am bad and unworthy of love.

This is the biggest lie,

and it is triggered in me over

and over again in endless ways…

When others mistreat me, I blame myself.

When things go wrong, I blame myself.

When things go well, I cannot accept credit.

Shame tells me that I am unworthy of love,

and that if people saw the real me,

they would want nothing to do with me,

so I keep my true self hidden away,

even from myself.