"Everything I ever been ashamed of, was part of me, a powerful part of me, because it was my forge, my place of creation and learning to own and love of the disowned and rejected pieces of myself was where my power resided."
Former trauma therapist, Amanda JP Brown, was once a high school drop out and drug user who struggled with shame, self confidence and loving herself. Today, she is an author, speaker, and coach who guides women to walk through their
darkness and reclaim the disowned pieces of themselves so they can stand confidently in their power. Her journey has led her to write her book,You're Brave Enough: 8 Daily Practices to be Your Own HERO.
“No knight in shining armor is coming to save you. Even if he did, how can he save you from the thoughts and beliefs you use to belittle and judge yourself? You hold all the power to change your life. No one can do it for you”
In this episode, we have a lively and meaningful conversation about judgement, shame, self-rejection; self-acceptance, self-love and personal power.
We all have shadow parts to ourselves, it’s part of being human - but it doesn’t mean that we’re meant to suffer with them our whole lives. Plug in those earbuds to absorb the insight on how to heal your shadow self!
Topic Summary:
What is judgement, shame, self-rejection and how to deal with these difficult emotions
How to heal your shadow self with forgiveness and self acceptance
When is it safe to share your story
Story of how Amanda was called to write Brave Enough
Key Nuggets:
What does it mean to be Brave Enough?
To look at all the dark places within yourself and be ready to ground yourself to move through it.
Shame, Rejection & Judgement
Shame: personal experience of feeling so bad that you don’t want to talk about anything so that you don’t get hurt. Constrict yourself off and you really don’t want to feel it or experience it but don’t want to or don’t know how to talk about it
Rejection: really is about lack of acceptance and being heard or if it’s self rejection it’s about not wanting to accept parts of ourselves
Judgement: you don’t reject things you don’t judge. When you find yourself judging ask yourself “where’d it come from?” and “what do I need to let go of?”
Healing the Shadow Places
Starts with owning what it is that you think
We reject the parts of ourselves that we’re actually afraid of
Forgiveness “it’s okay, you tried your best”
Accept all parts of yourself - Everything that you ever wanted to get rid of within yourself is exactly where your power is.
Sharing your story
It can be powerful to share your story in a supportive environment as a way to get through the dark places.
Some stories don’t need to be shared out to the world ever and it’s just meant to be witnessed by you.
One of Your Biggest Lessons So Far:
"Everything I ever been ashamed of, was part of me, a powerful part of me, because it was my forge, my place of creation and learning to own and love of the disowned and rejected pieces of myself was where my power resided."
What is one nugget of wisdom that you would share with fellow seekers who are on this journey of growth and transformation?
"You have to look within yourself for the answers you seek and be open to exploring all the pieces of who you are including your past experiences, what you think and believe and start asking new questions. And I believe You're Brave Enough to do just that.
Resources:
Episode 73: What does it really mean to live your truth?
Links:
If you have any questions for Melanie or want to learn more, connect with her through:
Website: www.amandajpbrown.com
Email: hello@amandajpbrown.com