Overcoming Guilt and Shame

Book excerpt: DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN FIND FREEDOM FROM GUILT AND SHAME Do any of the following apply to you? I need forgiveness from God, but I don't know how to find it. It's only a matter of time before people find out I'm not good enough. I am disconnected and lonely. How can I figure out when I am guilty and when I am innocent? I don't think I'm worth being loved. I don't want to be so angry, jealous, and judgmental. I need to have a stronger connection with God. If these statements sound familiar to you-you are not alone. Even the most emotionally healthy people today experience degrees of the anguish brought on by shame and guilt. The heavy burden of shame and guilt can often keep us from connecting with others and enjoying the freedom of living in Christ. In "Overcoming Guilt and Shame" Dr. Daniel Green and Dr. Mel Lawrenz discuss the many ways in which guilt and shame both subtly and overtly manifest themselves in our lives. Using pastoral counseling and illustrative psychological case studies, they uncover the causes of and healthy responses to shame and guilt. Daniel Green (Ph.D., University of Arkansas) is clinical director of New Life Resources, Inc. in Brookfield, WI. Mel Lawrenz (Ph.D., Marquette University) is minister at large for Elmbrook Church in Brookfield, WI, and director of The Brook Network (www.thebrooknetwork.org).