( HS Siegel 096703 2026) Discovering the Extraordinary Gift of Being Ordinary Overcoming Self-Doubt & Shame with Mindfulness

Course overview

Did I sound stupid? Should I have sent that email? How do I look ? Why do we, and our clients, spend so much time feeling self-conscious and comparing ourselves to others? Why do we struggle to live up to inner ideals or outer standards, only to regularly feel not good enough and either ashamed of our shortcomings or stressed-out trying to keep our self-esteem afloat? The assumption that we can find lasting happiness by being more successful, likable, attractive, intelligent, or morally above reproach is so woven into our biology and culture that few of us notice its not actually true. Sure, having success or otherwise getting to think highly of ourselves feels good but its not a permanent feeling. In this workshop, well zero in on how we and our clients can begin to step off the self-evaluation roller coaster. Well explore: Techniques to help clients navigate the experience of failure, rejection, and shame, and shift toward an experiential rather than narrative self Practical tools to help free clients from addiction to self-esteem boosts Mindfulness and compassion strategies to help clients develop deeper relationships and greater comfort with vulnerability How to help clients understand the evolutionary roots of preoccupation with status, social comparison, and self-evaluation