Exploring Shame with Ben Tannahill & Ryan Hassan

Exploring Shame

Workshop: Future of Healing — Day 1
Facilitators: Ryan Hassan & Ben Tannehill

Ryan and Ben open the Future of Healing 3-day workshop by diving into one of the most misunderstood and deeply rooted emotional experiences: shame.

What is Shame?

• Shame is a protective mechanism that inhibits authentic self-expression in order to maintain a sense of safety and belonging.

• It can attach itself to emotions, behaviours, desires—essentially, any part of ourselves.

• It often underlies emotional struggles such as addiction, anxiety, and depression.

Why Addressing Shame Matters

• Shame is a foundational imprint beneath many mental health and life challenges.

• It drives patterns of isolation to avoid being seen, judged, or rejected.

• True healing requires meeting shame with awareness, presence, and compassion.

Healthy vs. Toxic Shame

• Healthy shame helps regulate behaviour in a way that maintains social connection.

• Toxic shame becomes internalised, creating beliefs like “I am wrong” or “There’s something wrong with me.”

• This can lead to patterns of self-disgust, self-hatred, and a fixed identity of being broken or deficient.

The Physiology of Shame

• Shame expresses itself through physical postures—shrinking, closing in, avoiding eye contact.

• Exploring these physical sensations and postures in a safe, embodied way can be profoundly healing.

Inquiring Into Shame

• Engage in mindful inquiry to uncover shame-based beliefs and internal narratives.

• Recognise shame as just one part of the self—not your entire identity.

• Explore what this part of you is trying to express and what it truly needs.

Working with Shame in Embodied Processing

• Begin by establishing a resourced, safe internal space to return to during the process.

• Invite the experience of shame into conscious awareness with compassion and curiosity.

• Trace the origin of the shame imprint—when and how it formed.

• Use embodied, somatic techniques to process and integrate the experience, allowing transformation.

Key Takeaways

• Shame is a core emotional wound that must be addressed for genuine healing to occur.

• Compassionate, curious inquiry can shift how we relate to shame.

• Embodied Processing provides an effective pathway for transforming toxic shame into wholeness and self-acceptance.

Stay tuned for Day 2 of the Future of Healing workshop in the next episode.