What Shame Drives Us To Do PDF

A psychoeducational handout that helps clients see the common behaviours shame pushes them towards, and why those behaviours keep it going. It describes six familiar shame responses (hiding, withdrawing, perfectionism, people-pleasing, lashing out, and numbing) and frames them as protective rather than character flaws. By naming the moves they reach for most, clients can start to notice them as they happen, which loosens shame's hold over time.