Healing from Shame: Walking into the New Year Shame-Free
Healing from Shame A New Path Forward
Walking into the New Year
Shame Free
With grace, truth, and space to breathe
Healing from shame and walking into the new year shame-free begins with understanding how shame shapes identity, faith, and emotional health. As a faith-based therapist, I often work with individuals who carry deep shame rooted in childhood experiences, trauma, or emotional wounds. Many don’t realize how deeply shame influences the way they see themselves, relate to others, or even approach God.
Shame doesn’t usually shout. It whispers. It tells us something is fundamentally wrong with us. And when shame becomes an identity rather than an experience, it keeps us stuck—especially when we are trying to move into a new season.
How Do You Overcome Shame?
Overcoming shame starts with recognizing that shame is not who you are—it’s something you carry. Shame thrives in secrecy and silence, so the first step is awareness. When you can name shame, you can begin to loosen its grip.
From a faith-based and trauma-informed perspective, healing from shame often includes:
Identifying shame-based beliefs and naming them
Replacing lies with truth grounded in Scripture
Learning self-compassion rather than self-judgment
Allowing safe connection with God and others
Scripture reminds us:
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 8:1)
Shame says condemnation is permanent. Grace says healing is possible.
What Emotion Is Behind Shame?
At its core, shame is often fueled by fear—fear of rejection, abandonment, exposure, or not being enough. Beneath shame, there is usually a deep longing for belonging and safety.
When shame forms in childhood or trauma experiences, the nervous system learns to associate vulnerability with danger. This can lead to anxiety, people-pleasing, avoidance, or emotional shutdown.
Jesus addresses this fear directly when He invites us:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
Rest is the opposite of shame-driven fear.
What Is the Toxic Shame Cycle?
The toxic shame cycle keeps people stuck in patterns they don’t fully understand. It often looks like this:
A trigger activates an old wound
Shame-based thoughts appear (“I’m the problem”)
Emotional overwhelm or numbness follows
Coping behaviors emerge (perfectionism, withdrawal, people-pleasing, self-criticism)
Temporary relief is followed by deeper shame
Over time, this cycle reinforces the belief that something is wrong with us, rather than recognizing that our nervous system is responding to past experiences.
Healing interrupts this cycle by addressing identity, not just behavior. When shame decreases, emotional regulation increases, and new patterns become possible.
What Does Brené Brown Say About Shame?
Brené Brown describes shame as the belief that we are unworthy of love and belonging. She emphasizes that shame thrives in secrecy and loses its power when brought into the light with empathy and connection.
This aligns closely with a faith-based understanding of healing. Scripture consistently shows that healing happens in the presence of truth, grace, and relationship.
When Jesus spoke to the woman caught in adultery, He removed shame before calling her forward:
“Neither do I condemn you.” (John 8:11)
Shame isolates. Grace reconnects.
Healing from Shame Through Faith and Therapy
As a faith-based therapist, I integrate trauma-informed therapy with faith because shame impacts the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. In approaches such as EMDR, the goal is not to erase memories but to change the beliefs we carry because of them.
Shame often tells us: I am what happened to me.
Healing tells us: I am more than what I experienced.
Jesus consistently restores identity.
“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” (Luke 8:48)
He names identity before healing.
The Shame Quiz
Could shame be holding you back?
Take this free quiz and find out today!
Walking into the New Year Shame-Free
Walking into the new year shame-free does not mean ignoring the past. It means refusing to let shame define your future.
Scripture reminds us:
“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!” (Isaiah 43:18–19)
Some identity truths worth holding onto:
Shame is not my identity
My past is not my name
I am loved and valued
I am becoming who God created me to be
The new year isn’t about perfection or resolutions. It’s about stepping into the truest version of who God created you to be.
A Gentle Next Step
If shame has been the loudest voice in your life, let this be your reminder: it does not get to define your next season.
If you’re unsure where shame shows up for you, I invite you to take my free Shame Quiz, a simple tool to help you identify shame patterns and begin healing.
You are loved. You are valuable. And you are invited into a new season shame-free.
📍 Eleanor Brown, MA, LPC — faith-based therapist in Central Texas
💻 Serving clients across Killeen, Texas and Miami, Florida via telehealth
