Abstract
In the context of positive psychology, shame is increasingly recognised as a potential resource of well-being, self-development and creativity in the sense of personal growth. Current studies on mindfulness have shown that mindfulness brings about various positive psychological effects such as the reduction of stress symptoms, depression, and shame-based trauma appraisals. It is also able to reduce negative reactions to emotionally charged situations and can reduce psychological symptoms and emotional reactivity, as well as improve behavioural regulation. This chapter combines those two approaches mindfulness and positive psychology and offers exercises to transform shame and explore shame as a resource.
Lorde (2007). Sister outsider (p. 147). Berkeley, Calif.: Crossing Press.
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Notes
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Pattakos (2010). Prisoners of our thoughts: Viktor Frankl’s Principles for Discovering Meaning in Life and Work (p. Foreword). San Francisco, Calif.: Berrett-Koehler.
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Oliver (2004). Wild geese. Tarset: Bloodaxe.
- 3.
Some body scan excercises can be found for example in Amaro & Vallejo (2008) 89–97 or http://www.mbsr-kurs-koeln.de/achtsamkeitsuebungen/ or https://health.ucsd.edu/specialties/mindfulness/programs/mbsr/Pages/audio.aspx.
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Rumi and Barks (2004). The essential Rumi. San Francisco, CA: HarperSanFrancisco.
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Vanderheiden, E. (2019). “Nothing I Accept About Myself Can Be Used Against Me to Diminish Me”—Transforming Shame Through Mindfulness. In: Mayer, CH., Vanderheiden, E. (eds) The Bright Side of Shame. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-13409-9_33
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