Welcome to this meditation on releasing the weight of shame.
Find a comfortable position where you can sit with your spine tall but relaxed.
Take a moment to settle in knowing that this is your time for healing and self-compassion.
Place one hand on your heart and one hand on your belly.
Feel the gentle rise and fall of your breath,
The warmth of your hands against your body.
This simple touch is already an act of kindness toward yourself.
Shame whispers that you are fundamentally flawed,
That your worth is determined by your past actions.
But shame lies.
Shame confuses what you've done with who you are.
Take a slow,
Deep breath and fill your hands on your body,
Connecting you to this present moment where healing is possible.
Imagine shame as a heavy,
Dark cloak you've been carrying.
This cloak was placed on you by old wounds,
By messages that told you that your needs for love and connection were somehow wrong or too much.
Feel the weight of this cloak on your shoulders.
Notice how it has bent your posture,
How it has made you hide.
Now imagine golden light beginning to shine from within your heart,
Beneath your hand.
This light is your true essence,
The part of you that has always been worthy of love,
Even when you couldn't feel it.
This light has been there through every acting out behavior,
Every moment of desperation,
Every time you saw connection in ways that ultimately brought more pain.
The light grows stronger,
Warmer.
It begins to dissolve the edges of that heavy cloak of shame.
You are not your addiction.
You are not your compulsive behaviors.
You are not the pain that drove you to seek love in destructive ways.
You are a human being learning to love and be loved in healthy ways.
Feel the cloak becoming lighter,
The dark fabric transforming into something soft and permeable.
The shame that once felt solid and permanent is revealing itself to be temporary,
Changeable.
Breathe into your belly and feel your worthiness expanding with each breath.
Now imagine yourself standing in a gentle rain,
Not the harsh rain of judgment,
The soft rain of compassion.
This rain washes away the residue of shame,
Leaving you clean and renewed.
You can feel your shoulders straightening,
Your heart opening.
Bring to mind someone you love deeply,
Perhaps a child,
A friend,
A pet,
Maybe even a partner.
Feel the unconditional love you have for them.
Now turn that same quality of love toward yourself.
The same tender acceptance you offer them is available for you.
Your capacity to love others is proof of your capacity to be loved.
Place both hands over your heart now and feel it beating strong and steady.
This heart has survived so much,
Has kept loving even when love felt dangerous.
Thank your heart for its resilience,
For never giving up on your capacity for healthy connection.
Repeat these words silently or aloud.
I am able to separate my actions from my worth.
I am able to treat myself with the same compassion I offer others.
I am able to release shame and choose self-love.
Take three more deep breaths,
Feeling yourself rooted in this moment,
Free from the weight of shame,
And when you're ready,
Slowly open your eyes if they were closed,
And remember you are able to heal,
To love,
And be loved exactly as you are.
