Healing Sexual Shame

With Hypnotherapy, Cognitive Behavior Modification, & Regression Therapy.

Does shame torment you?

Over the years, I’ve had many clients who suffer from sexual shame. It could be because they are gay, lesbian, were raped, or maybe they had an abortion.

Whatever the cause, shame about who you are authentically, the choices you made, or something you had no control over, like rape or childhood sexual abuse, can leave long-lasting scars.

Last week, I worked with my tall, handsome, gay client, David, who literally had his “Shadow Side” wake him up!

David, 36, a film director, seems to have it all. He just finished a film and is going off to Cannes, but still, he doesn’t truly accept himself. He comes from a conservative family, and he never felt truly accepted once he came “out of the closet.”

He told me about a dream where a garbage disposal exploded, covering him with Cucumbers, watermelon, and garbage. He woke up with a start and jumped out of bed because a big rat bit him on the shoulder in his dream. Fabulous. As my clients know, I did six years of Jungian Dream Analysis at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute, so I know how powerful dreams can be.

That was Dave’s “Shadow Side,” literally waking him up. He needed to realize that he had to pay attention to and honor his true creative self – that’s his inner rat.

We did a regression to get him in touch with his Inner Rat (a power animal) and to appreciate how amazing it is. At first, David rejected him and called him filthy and disgusting. On a subconscious level, that symbolized how Dave felt about his own sexuality and his own true self. However, once we had his Inner-Rat chat with him and reminded him of how his fierce intelligence, cunning and strength had helped him succeed, Dave reluctantly accepted him. Shadow Side integration takes time.

Healing the shame wound takes more than surface-level solutions; it calls for deep introspection and cognitive change.

This is where cognitive-behavioral modification, awareness therapy, and hypnotherapy can make a huge difference in healing old wounds.

Cognitive-behavioral modification (CBM) helps my clients change negative thought patterns that contribute to feelings of shame. People can change their emotional responses by identifying and replacing these harmful thoughts with more positive and realistic ones. That creates a sense of worthiness and self-acceptance. As Stella Adler used to say, “You must accept who you are; otherwise, you will destroy who you are.”

Awareness therapy emphasizes the significance of mindfulness and self-awareness in understanding and controlling negative emotions. Clients become more aware of shame-triggering situations and learn to respond rather than react.

I teach mindfulness meditation and give them exercises that boost their awareness of their own body, thoughts, and emotions. In turn, that helps clients recognize the cycles of shame, and I teach them the techniques to stop the thought pattern and change their inner shame-filled monolog into loving self-acceptance. For instance, “What would it feel like if everything you did was an act of self-love and self-acceptance?”

Hypnotherapy dives deep into the subconscious to address the root causes of shame. By entering a state of focused relaxation, clients bypass the conscious mind and access deep-seated beliefs and memories.

Regression Therapy & Hypnotherapy can help reframe harmful perceptions and foster self-compassion. It’s a process that allows my clients to visualize scenarios where they react differently to shame-inducing situations, and I give them a toolbox of responses that can be used in real life.

The journey to healing shame is personal and unique, but the integration of cognitive-behavioral modification, awareness therapy, and hypnotherapy can give you a comprehensive framework for healing.

If you are troubled by shame, I can help you. You can use these methods to transform your sense of self. You can create a life of confidence, happiness, and fulfillment.

Reach out if you would like to change anything. Please call me, (323) 933-4377

Sending you love,

Stephanie