Do you find yourself procrastinating or controlling, and then you become enraged? Maybe you view yourself as a victim, or you're depressed. Does your perfectionism leave you feeling as if there is always more to do? Maybe you're abstaining from your initially identified addiction, but have switched to another addiction.

Control, rage, victimization, depression, perfectionism, procrastination, and addictive disorders are pervasive issues that sabotage recovery - be it recovery from family issues or addiction. The thread that connects these issues is trauma - physical and/or emotional. As a consequence of shame-based beliefs, believing that you are not good enough, that you are inadequate, defective, dirty, damaged goods, stupid, or whatever the language is that describes your esteem, these beliefs fuel protective behaviors that ultimately come to interfere in every aspect of your life.

Claudia Black offers the viewer an understanding of how emotional deprivation and faulty belief systems fuel self-defeating behaviors. She reminds viewers that if you have an addiction or are depressed or filled with anxiety, it needs to be treated as a primary issue. Pain and shame are a significant part of what very likely initially fueled those disorders. This is unhealthy and toxic shame, which you internalized a long time ago. Identifying these issues for yourself and recognizing the faulty beliefs that support these behaviors, empower you to step outside this circle of toxic shame and move to a healthier path of healing. She walks through a step-by-step process wherein one can say "No" to shame based beliefs and "Yes" to recovery.

This is one of Claudia's favorite presentations and the issues she discusses are frequently incorporated into her workshops.

Preview

To view the first 5 minutes of this video, click on the View Video Clip. You will need to have QuickTime Media Player installed on your computer. A free download is available here.

Running time is 35 minutes.

Handouts

To further discussion of the issues covered, see Helpful Documents at the bottom of this page for handouts that you are free to use with clients.