[Dennis Slattery]

Hi Shaahayda. I saw your additional response so I thought to respond. I like these exchanges so do not feel that I am too busy to engage good thinking.

James will respond to your rich question. What your shaming/crucifixion makes me remember is C.G. Jung’s observation that no process of individuation can begin without an initial crucifixion. That condition can arrive in the form of an illness, a loss, a breakup of an intimate relationship and of course so many more.

Shame is a form of self-laceration, which is in part why it needs no audience or participation from others. It can arise from feelings of unworthiness, of being dirty, of being enlsaved to many forms of addiction. One needs assistance in order to free oneself from shame; its other side is anger and fear. I find it a very complex emotion and detrimental way of self-imagining. Your equating it with a crucifixion is not off the mark, for becoming conscious of shame’s presence can lead to action, often in the form of a change in attitude towards oneself and others. Thank you for your question, Shaahayda