Hello!
I have some thoughts on the mass shootings and the part shame plays in those shootings.
As many of you who have read my book found out, I talk about shame and rage as the same thing. Rage differs from anger in that it always is destructive. Anger is not destructive. It is a response to an invasion of ones boundaries and is a red flag that a boundary needs to be established.
If I feel shame, a sense that I am unimportant, inadequate, unworthy, unlovable, less than in some way, or a fraud, that will be extremely painful. Many people live in this experience of themselves. Others experience it at certain times and in certain situations. If my shame gets tapped or triggered, my first response is to shut down, become defensive, detach from myself and my feelings and move into a destructive, self-defeating behavior. Most of us who move in and out of that cycle do not get so destructive that we shoot and kill others, but we do hurt others in many ways.
I believe the mass shootings are indicative of the amount of shame people in our world are carrying. This world is shame based. In my book I talk about that in great detail. For now I will just reference it.
We will not be able to get to the bottom of the shootings and the shooters without addressing the shame in our world. That is something we each get to take responsibility for in our own way. I get to become aware of how I shame others and myself and step into the hard work of changing that behavior.
It is not the guns that are the problem. It is the shame that gets triggered in an individual that causes an immediate and destructive response.
More to come.
My book can be purchased on Amazon or Create Space under the name:
Barb Tonn
Title: Shine the Light of Truth on Shame: Daily Reflections