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Shame: The Soul Eating Emotion

May 26, 2016 | Caroline Baerten, RD (Belgium)

Shame: The Soul-Eating Emotion from The Center for Mindful Eating on Vimeo.

We can never touch the depth of vulnerability when feelings of shame and guilt are present. Most people with eating issues are driven by the devastating presence of shame. In mindful eating sessions, participants learn to identify this affect/cognition and how it is expressed in many different ways within themselves. Sometimes shame shows itself as ‘the inner critic (or self-blamer)’ or ‘the pusher (for whom it is never enough)’.

It is clear that the feelings of shame have huge consequences for our wellbeing. In the context of normal development, shame is the source of low self-esteem and deficient body-image. In the context of pathological development, shame is central to the emergence of alienation, loneliness and perfectionism.

When participants abuse food (or their bodies), shame and guilt can get in the way of finding support and thus moving forward.

We believe that mindful eating teachers have an important responsibility to create a warm holding environment in mindful eating program where vulnerability and feelings of shame are embraced without any judgements. If our participants can share their story with someone who responds with empathy and understanding, shame can never survive.

Participants will:

  • Learn the connection between shame and the inner critic
  • Learn how to identify and work with shame in a mindful eating program
  • Understand antidotes for shame and guilt


Caroline Baerten works as a mindfulness-based psychotherapist and nutritionist/RD. She is a Mindful Eating, Conscious Living teacher, a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and a Mindful Self-Compassion teacher.

Caroline is the founder of MeNu, The Centre for Mindful Eating and Nutrition, in Brussels (me-nu.org).

Her mission is to introduce mindful eating in the European health care system and to create a platform for individuals and professionals by facilitating trainings, masterclasses and high quality mindful eating teacher retreats with internationally renowned trainers. She serves on the board of The Center for Mindful Eating (TCME, USA) since 2013 and is a speaker at international webinars and symposia.

Caroline’s personal meditation practice is under the guidance of Vietnamese zen teacher Thich Nhat Hanh (Plum Village). Her long-term meditation background encompasses a wide field of experiences in both Burmese Vipassana tradition and Japanese Zen Buddhism.

In her personal and professional life, she explores the interconnection between food, living beings and the environment. Her interest in mindfulness and sustainability is expressed in her love for urban gardening, foraging edible plants, and her contemplative work as a ceramist.

Caroline can be contacted through info@me-nu.org

www.me-nu.org



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The Center for Mindful Eating


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Columbia, MO 65205


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