Lurking deep within each of us is a nasty spiritual infection – a wretched disease seeking to choke out our relationships, isolate us, and starve our well-being. It goes by the name of shame. Psychiatrist Curt Thompson tackles this topic and takes an in-depth look at every aspect of it in his book Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves.
Not your casual, weekend read, Soul of Shame forced me to pause my reading on more than one occasion to reflect on and digest what I’d just read. Thompson shares various stories from his years of counseling and throughout each narrative we are able to connect and identify with the pain and brokenness shame has placed on his patients and have placed on us. He explores shame from a theological standpoint so we can pinpoint its beginnings in the garden of Eden and see its ugly evolution into our personal lives, careers, relationships, and innermost being. Given his career background, Thompson also approaches shame from a neurobiological angle to explore its effects on the brain and how that permeates through our actions. While sometimes a challenging read, the scientific and theological insights enable us to separate who we are from who shame says we are.
Able to detach ourselves from shame and use knowledge of this spiritual disease to push shame into the light, Thompson teaches we can rid ourselves of its darkness and chains. He’s compassionate and knowledgeable as we walks the reader through the process of mending the pain and wounds caused by shame (an idea we can really stand behind here at MendedLife). Ultimately, Thompson seeks to reconnect the reader (you and I) with our true identity in Christ. As I read this book, I repeatedly was drawn to Romans 8:1, “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Soul of Shame encourages us to rewrite our own stories – to be cured from a disease never intended for us. Thompson reminds us of the hope Christ offers and affirms the chains He broke. Remembering that Christ’s name is the antidote for shame, we are told to carry our shame into the light where it can be forever dispelled.