Healing Shame and Guilt: The Developmental Roots of Chronic Shame and Guilt and How the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) Can Help You Heal and Reconnect

Healing Shame and Guilt presents a trauma-informed approach to addressing chronic shame and guilt. These emotions can limit intimacy, trust, and connection; fuel anxiety; and contribute to relationship and work difficulties. Often, people are unaware of the self-shaming habits driving their distress. Therapists Laurence Heller, PhD, and Stephan K. Niederwieser provide practical tools for identifying and treating chronic shame using the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM). The first part explains that guilt and shame are not emotions but experiences rooted in the brain and body. The authors show how shame develops in childhood and is processed throughout life, emphasizing that shame does not reflect who a person truly is. The second part, designed for therapists and clinicians, offers an in-depth practical guide for addressing chronic shame through NARM. Originally developed for treating C-PTSD and developmental trauma, NARM identifies and strengthens the core drive for connection and healing. Rather than relying on self-affirmations or esteem-building alone, this approach targets the underlying roots of shame, helping people develop self-confidence and find inner peace.