Comments on: The Neuroscience of Shame https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/ The Foundation for Post-Traumatic Healing and Complex Trauma Research Sun, 10 May 2026 09:45:19 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: Journey to self-empowerment | - curemap https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-54276 Sun, 10 May 2026 09:45:19 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-54276 […] Chronic body shame can manifest in the form of stress-related health problems, including high blood pressure, fatigue, and digestive problems. The emotional burden of these negative feelings triggers the body’s stress response, keeping you in a constant state of stress “Fight or flight.” […]

]]> By: A Journey to Self-Expansion | - skillupmap https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-54273 Sun, 10 May 2026 08:31:17 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-54273 […] Chronic shame can manifest in your body as stress-related health problems, including high blood pressure, fatigue, and digestive problems. The emotional burden of this negative emotion triggers your body’s stress response, keeping you in a constant state “fight or flight.” […]

]]> By: A Journey to Self-Empowerment | - msglogic https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-54264 Sun, 10 May 2026 07:48:57 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-54264 […] Chronic shyness can manifest itself in your body as stress-related health problems, including high blood pressure, fatigue and digestive problems. The psychological burden of this negative emotion triggers your body’s stress response, keeping you in a constant state. “Fighting or Flight.” […]

]]> By: Margaretta https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-34724 Sat, 07 Jun 2025 08:26:50 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-34724 I am grateful for your article and the important contribution to our understanding of shame and impact on brain regions. I am always looking for ways to differentiate CPTSD from neurodivergence and some of the prevalent and obnoxious diagnoses such as borderline personality disorder, Bipolar etc that can be so overwhelmingly detrimental to survivors of childhood trauma but it is quite a journey with new directions at every turn. I will continue reading with great interest and personal and professional curiosity thank you.

]]> By: Jen https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-26735 Thu, 25 Jul 2024 12:20:06 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-26735 In reply to Blush.

This sounds like a possible fawn response. IFS therapy could be very helpful for this. When healing the fawn response it’s important to have realistic boundaries around what is and isn’t your responsibility….starting with the reality that other people’s feelings are not your responsibility, that you can only manage and be responsible for your own feelings, whilst every other person can only manage and be responsible for theirs.

]]> By: Suzanne Newnham https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-26500 Sat, 13 Jul 2024 05:05:24 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-26500 Thank you Shirley for a wonderful article. I was exploring synonyms for humiliation and shame was one of them. Your connecting of shame to the ANS, and the chronic over-activation to toxic shame makes a lot of sense. My SNS is triggered by high and low pitched sounds, droning mid-range/general background noise, loud sounds, and vibration which goes through my feet and central chest. The SNS produces the hormones and I have an anaphylactoid (not anxiety or panic/hyperventilation) response to the quantity of those chemicals. Since an acoustic shock trauma 17 years ago, and as my cholesterol levels increased I had a severe reaction to a statin (5 days low-dose) which sent my health spiralling downwards from which it has never recovered – despite many treatments. I have spent the last 17 years trying to find how to move out of this debilitating condition (my specialist on a recent report classified my health situation as a very rare complex combination of chronic conditions). I am still alive. I have seen others either with being continually traumatised by their deteriorating condition they die; or suicide because their coping mechanism and resilience has been tested to a point where life is not worth living. My suicidal thoughts started in 2010 as a result of severe side-effects from various medication and at the same time I was not being believed by my primary medical practitioner until it was nearly too late. It’s only that I have a very supportive husband and family, and pain specialist, that I have learned to embrace their joy in life – especially when mine is absent – that I am still here. I live moment to moment throughout the day and night being triggered to various degrees (pain wakes me during the night). Your article on the emotion of shame and its effect on the ANS will give me alternative focus to what I (and my specialist) have been researching for many years. Again, thank you Shirley for your article.

]]> By: Jennifer Lock Oman https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-25656 Sun, 19 May 2024 20:20:49 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-25656 Excellent article, and thank you for your reference to Silvan Tomkins. He was an American Einstein, little understood in his brilliant thinking and dense prose, but a major source in our understanding of toxic shame. You may also want to look at the work of Donald Nathanson, M.D. who took Tomkins’ work and made it accessible for the rest of us!

]]> By: Laiah https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-25602 Wed, 15 May 2024 23:15:08 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-25602 Thank you, you are one of the only people I have read who actually encourages the reader, and doesn’t just say cliche things like ‘talk to your therapist’. Thank you for seeing me.

]]> By: Blush https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-25123 Fri, 19 Apr 2024 13:02:22 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-25123 In reply to Shirley Davis.

Hi,

Can someone help me with this. I go to social events
And when I am there I feel a huge pang of guilt for leaving the person I’m talking to and speaking to other people. I know it’s illogical but I can’t help it.
Is there a way I can soothe my mind or a mantra I can tell myself.

]]> By: What Is the Purpose of Shame? - Courtney Medical Group https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/#comment-23380 Thu, 01 Feb 2024 13:30:33 +0000 https://cptsdfoundation.org/?p=1889#comment-23380 […] https://cptsdfoundation.org/2019/04/11/the-neuroscience-of-shame/ […]

]]>