Shame Quote by John Bradshaw

“Family secrets can go back for generations. They can be about suicides, homicides, incest, abortions, addictions, public loss of face, financial disaster, etc. All…

— John Bradshaw

“Toxic shame, the shame that binds us, is experienced as the all-pervasive sense that “I am flawed and defective as a human being.” Toxic…

— John Bradshaw

“The major problem in our lives is to decide and clarify our responsibilities. To truly be committed to a life of honesty, love and…

— John Bradshaw

“Because the exposure of self to self lies at the heart of neurotic shame, escape from the self is necessary. The escape from self…

— John Bradshaw

“A person with internalized shame believes he is inherently flawed, inferior and defective.Such a feeling is so painful that defending scripts (or strategies) are…

— John Bradshaw

“When we are exposed without any way to protect ourselves, we feel the pain of shame. If we are continually overexposed, shame becomes toxic.”

— John Bradshaw

“A toxically shamed person is divided within himself and must create a false-self cover-up to hide his sense of being flawed and defective. You…

— John Bradshaw

“Toxic shame, with its more-than-human, less-than-human polarization, is either inhuman or dehumanizing. The demand for a false self to cover and hide the authentic…

— John Bradshaw

“Once an emotion is toxically shame bound, one feels numb. The emotional avoidance is sealed by learning to avoid the avoidance.”

— John Bradshaw

“Shame is the bane of my existence both as a trauma therapist and as a survivor, as it is one of the most difficult…

— Amanda Ann Gregory

“Toxically shamed people tend to become more and more stagnant as life goes on. They live in a guarded, secretive and defensive way. They…

— John Bradshaw

“Toxic shame results from the unexpected exposure of vulnerable aspects of a child’s self. This exposure takes place before the child has any ego…

— John Bradshaw