Befriending Our Shame
Monday, June 5th, 11am-1pm MDT via Zoom
About the webinar: In the world of pop psychology, shame is seen as an enemy trying to hinder our success, and thus we must defeat it. This way of viewing shame positions it as a negative feeling that we should avoid at all costs — and, when we can’t, we shame spiral about our shame. It becomes clear that framing shame in this way actually creates a barrier to our healing.
A trauma-informed perspective can help us see that shame is often just trying to protect us. If we want to move from shame to self-compassion, we must learn to listen to what our shame is afraid of, without taking its stories as truth. When we befriend our shame, its hold on us loosens and we can gain access to the wounds that are calling to be healed.
In this workshop, participants will:
Gain a trauma-informed understanding of shame, and the importance of shifting from a pathologizing framework to a compassionate one better supports our healing process;
Learn some somatic tools for returning to our window of tolerance when shame shows up;
Explore what's underneath shame's stories, so that we can create new stories that are more compassionate and that speak to the wounding that shame has been trying to protect.
What this Webinar isn’t:
A therapeutic container for processing trauma;
A formal training for therapists or others in the mental health professions (only because Margeaux is not a trained therapist — please see their credentials and training below);
A space to question the validity of peer-to-peer learning.
About the Facilitators:
Varia Erochina is a somatic teacher and practitioner dedicated to personal and collective healing. Queerness, immigration, class struggle, and lived experience of complex trauma orient their work towards justice for all. Varia takes an integrated approach to long term healing combining their training in Alchemical Alignment trauma resolution, Gestalt psychotherapy, spirituality and somatic parts work. Her popular course How to Feel offers practical education and embodied practice for feeling your feelings. She is the creator of Cards for Self-Care and offers 1-1 and group support, leading workshops, retreats, classes and more. Varia lives with their wife and their cat as a settler on Dish With One Spoon treaty territory, and spends their free time making ceramics, taking road trips, walking in nature, and pulling tarot cards. Learn more at their website.
Margeaux Feldman is a writer, educator, and artist who believes that when we heal ourselves, we heal the world that we live in.. They hold a PhD in English Literature and Sexual Diversity Studies from the University of Toronto, and since completing their studies, Margeaux has had the honor of learning from some of the most world renown trauma specialists through The Embody Lab. Margeaux has self-published over 10 zines about the intersections of intimacy, trauma, chronic illness, and poverty. They’ve completed their first book manuscript and will be working on their second during the MFA in Creative Writing at CalArts. They currently spend their time between Edmonton, Alberta and Los Angeles.
There are TWO OPTIONS for purchasing this webinar:
Attend live (recording included)
Receive the recording, which will be sent out within 1 week of the live webinar.
Please be mindful of the fact that there is limited space in the live session. If you know that you will not be able to attend live, please select the recording option when you check out.
Workshop Cost:
I strive to make my offerings accessible for everyone, regardless of income. I've created sliding scale options with the hopes that those who can contribute more will do so, thus enabling me to offer free/low-cost spots to those who need them.
Level 1: $0 for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. 50 spots available for the live session; unlimited for the recording only.*
Level 2: $25. For those who’re low income, no savings, have minimal expendable income each month, and couldn't otherwise afford to attend without this option. If you are a white person and cost is an access barrier, please email jaime@margeauxfeldman.com, the amount you can pay, and they will issue you a discount code.
Level 3: $45. For those who’re low to mid-income, with some money in savings and/or financial support from family; has some expendable income each month.
Level 4: $65. For those who’re mid- to high-income/stably employed, with savings account and financial safety net; can afford to take vacations and make other large purchases with relative ease.
Level 5: $85. For those who’re upper class and/or have benefited from intergenerational wealth and who would like to help balance the scales for the low cost tickets.
*No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Please contact Jaime (info below) for a discounted rate.
Given that the majority of customers are based outside of Canada, the prices are in USD. If you live in Canada and the exchange rate is an access barrier, please reach out to jaime@margeauxfeldman.com for a discount code.
