The Somatics of Shame

The Somatics of Shame

When:  Friday, September 26, 2025 9:30-11:30 AM

Where: Zoom - * This event will be recorded and distributed to registrants so if you cannot make the event live, but want the recorded version, please register here*

Presented By:  Craig Penner, LMFT / 2 CE Credits

Shame is a complex “dilemma,” holding varied emotions, beliefs and somatic reactions behind dynamics of hiding and disconnecting. It all feels so awful that it makes it hard to self reflect, no less expose shame with others effectively. A compromised ability to self-reflect well is often a hallmark of dynamics that keep us from working through shame. Thus, shame is a developmental inhibitor. We try to live around it, and yet we live with its constrictions, sometimes for our entire lives. There is often a powerful dynamic that prevents certain beliefs and reactive patterns from ever truly being questioned. When this is exposed and addressed first, it can open the door to examining what has never been able to be seen. The physiology of shame can point us to moments of nervous system activation that require sustained awareness to effectively work through - on somatic, emotional and cognitive levels. We need to notice these pivotal points as they arise in order to pace the activation that drives such strong avoidance. 

This presentation is designed to help therapists identify dynamics that make shame difficult to approach, including somatic and physiological aspects. A somatic approach facilitates our ability to observe shifts in activation that are not presented verbally. This allows us to pace the work and create collaborative agreements with our clients to address shame in the midst of powerful urges to hide and avoid.

Objectives:

• Participants are able to list 2 ways our nervous systems are engaged in shame dynamics
• Participants are able to describe 3 challenges for clients in addressing shame
• Participants are able to describe how disconnections are a factor in how shame persists
• Participants are able to identify 2 advantages of holding a somatic focus when working with shame
• Participants are able to explain 3 disconnecting dynamics that are helpful for therapists to pay attention to

Speaker Bio:

Craig Penner, LMFT, is a psychotherapist and trainer in private practice in California since 1982, currently in Cambria. He brings a process-oriented approach to therapy, with a strong somatic (body/nervous system) focus, and integrates the use of “bilateral stimulation” from EMDR. He has always believed that we have a natural drive to completion and resolution. This has inspired his commitment to develop “Natural Processing,” which is an integration of ways to utilize our own awareness to facilitate that drive. He has been training therapists in this approach across the US and Canada since 2014, and has led consultations and other trainings for over 25 years.