The Unshaming Way

A Compassionate Guide to Dismantling Shame--Heal from trauma, unlearn self-blame, and reclaim your story

By: David Bedrick

Narrated by: A'rese Emokpae

“In this astute work, David Bedrick provides a deep investigation of shame, the most debilitating of our mind states, and offers a workable, practice-based, and accessible path to divesting ourselves from it.”
—Gabor Maté, MD, New York Times best-selling author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

An empowering, stigma-free approach to dismantling shame—a trauma-informed guide to restoring our authentic self

Shame affects us all…often in ways we might not expect.

Author, mental health expert, and professor David Bedrick helps us understand how shame shows up—and offers a revolutionary, stigma-free model to help us unshame and release its hold on our happiness.

Shame is more than feeling guilty, sad, or responsible. It develops when we experience a trauma but can’t access the tools or freedom to express how we feel—or are denied the ability to ask for the care we need. It shows up when we aren’t witnessed—whether by a loved one, our community, our culture, or anyone from whom we need to hear: whatever happened to you, these parts of you that you think are unlovable or wrong—you’re not broken. I see you.

Bedrick helps readers bring shame out of the shadows, inviting us to get to know it and listen to its wisdom without minimizing our traumas or pathologizing our experiences. He helps us move from seeing shame as a feeling toward holding it as an internal viewpoint—and offers us practical tools and exercises to dismantle the narratives that hold us back from living our lives whole, free, and in alignment with our most authentic selves.

Critic reviews

“In this astute work, David Bedrick provides a deep investigation of shame, the most debilitating of our mind states, and offers a workable, practice-based, and accessible path to divesting ourselves from it.”
–Gabor Maté, MD, New York Times bestselling author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts

Must read in this field

David Bedrick leaves no stone unturned in shadows of shame. He brings his whole heart and lifetime of wounds and wisdom to his work. I think the most important point is the concept of the “unshaming witness”…how can you heal the wounds in the dark if you don’t know that part of you internalized an automatically shaming reflex that’s running unconsciously? So grateful to David for bringing this work to the world.

Must read.

This book is incredible. I cannot recommend it enough. David’s work is vital. I cannot recommend this book enough.