Dear Lisa, you don’t need hope; you only need perseverance. You can fight back the shame by becoming aware of it and purposely battling it, day after day without giving up. I hope you’ll fight the battle.

Dear Miri, shaming others is not a part of the pure CEN picture. But I do think that people who are actively shamed by their parents can certainly internalize that tendency to shame others. They may not realize it’s not healthy or normal because they grew up with it. I’m glad you are protecting yourself from being treated this way.

Dear Yvonne, everyone does stupid things. It’s a part of being human. I think having any undiagnosed condition can make you feel different and damaged, so I’m sure this might have happened for you with undiagnosed Asperger’s. I encourage you to keep working toward connecting with your emotions. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

I feel shame regularly because I do such stupid things. I have difficulty in forgiving myself for being so stupid. Maybe this is because I have Asperger’s Syndrome and was not diagnosed until I was 50 years old.

I would be grateful for any comments you may have.

All my best to you Sahndra!

Hi Fleur, in this sentence I’m suggesting that we listen to the healthy messages some emotions are sending to us. But after we discern the message of shame, we must then put the shame aside, as if we let it persist, it will drain and damage us. I hope this explains it.