Daniela Sieff PhD

Shame is part of being human, and so healing from chronic shame does not mean getting rid of it. Instead, it means learning how to recognise it and steady ourselves when it arises.

#DanielaSieff #ChronicShame #HealingShame #TraumaHealing #DepthPsychology #EmotionalResilience #SelfDiscovery

Shame can isolate, yet it’s always relational. It can be healthy or harmful. My book explores both through lived experience - mine and others’ - and research in anthropology, evolution, depth psychology, and emotion. Join my free newsletter to learn more: danielasieff.com/sign-up/

Emotional resilience is not emotional control. It’s the ability to notice when we’re overwhelmed and hold our feelings before acting on them. Like learning to swim as an adult, it develops slowly - we practise, falter, and try again, and over time it changes how we relate to ourselves and others.

Chronic shame may never fully disappear - but healing changes how we relate to it.

For me, the shift came when I stopped silencing shame and learned to recognise it, endure it, and return from it.

I explore this in my forthcoming book, to see more of this topic - danielasieff.com/sign-up/

Thank you so much - really appreciate that.

I offer an on-demand presentation on the Archetypal Death Parent and toxic shame, exploring how internalised beliefs of unworthiness form through early caregivers and distort relationships

To learn more please see link here -

courses.danielasieff.com/store/arch-d...

When I interviewed Daniel Siegel for my first book, he talked about how rigidity and chaos contribute to mental suffering.

Do you notice yourself pulled more toward rigidity or chaos?

#DanielaSieff #DanielSiegel #TraumaHealing #EmotionalHealing #HealingJourney #SelfCompassion

I first read Sam Keen’s book more than twenty years ago. These words spoke to me then, and they still talk to me now. I return to them again and again – especially at the start of the year.

#DanielaSieff #SamKeen #ReflectiveInquiry #QuestionsThatMatter #InnerQuestions #SelfReflection

These words from Marion Woodman always strike a chord, and in particular, they come to mind as I approach the New Year and reflect on change.

“Change means change. Stark honesty, however painful, is needed... We must be willing to face many cruel truths”

#MarionWoodman

A brief message to wish you all the best over the holidays ✨

#DanielaSieff #TraumaHealing #ChristmasReflection #HolidayRealities #GentleChristmas #InnerPeace #EmotionalWellbeing #YouAreNotAlone #ChristmasAndEmotions #EndOfYearReflections

What if your “bad” feelings aren’t bad at all, but evolution’s way of protecting you? Shame, anxiety, and sadness may hurt - but they can also heal.

@randynesse.bsky.social has written about this in his brilliant book: “Good Reasons for Feeling Bad.”

#DanielaSieff #ShameHealing #TraumaHealing

Fear grabs us when danger is near, but some fear runs quietly in the background. Healing means bravely bringing these unconscious fears into awareness.

I explore this in my essay Fear Created by Trauma Often Operates Unconsciously - danielasieff.com/reflections-...

My niece Lottie asked, ‘How many cups of tea do you drink a day?’ Honestly… far too many. Whenever I get stuck writing, tea feels like the answer. My next book on chronic shame is basically fuelled by an alarming amount of tea! 🫖

#WritersLife #TeaLovers #BookWriting #AuthorLife #TeaTime

Working on my book about shame is reshaping how I see resilience. It’s not about bouncing back, but staying present with the pain we’ve avoided - and choosing responses that support growth.

#DanielaSieff #ShameHealing #TraumaRecovery #EmotionalResilience #HealingJourney #TraumaHealing

On World Kindness Day, I’m reminded: healing begins with self-compassion.

It took years to learn, but it changed everything.

#DanielaSieff #WorldKindnessDay #SelfCompassion #TraumaHealing #TraumaRecovery #HealingJourney #EmotionalHealing #InnerHealing #KindnessToYourself #OvercomingShame

Between cave and sky, Macfarlane finds a thin border.

Between light and shadow, so do we.

We slip between the conscious and the hidden self - sometimes gently, sometimes without warning.

#DanielaSieff #DepthPsychology #InnerJourney #ShadowWork #TraumaHealing #SelfDiscovery

Writing this book was so important for my own understanding, and I'm always deeply moved to know it contributes to others. Reviews like this mean so much.

#DanielaSieff #EmotionalHealing #InnerHealing #TraumaHealing #ShameAwareness #EmotionalTrauma #InnerGrowth #PersonalGrowth

The best part of writing?

When it’s done - and it actually says what I meant to say.

That click when the structure works, the ideas land, and I can think, Yes… that’s it!

#DanielaSieff #AmWriting #AmEditing #WritersLife #BookInProgress #AuthorsOfInstagram #NonfictionWriter #ChronicShame

We celebrate what is ‘up’: positivity, achievement, optimism. But in the psyche, as in the earth, the depths hold treasures too. Descent can bring understanding, transformation, and a different kind of light.

#DanielaSieff #DepthPsychology #InnerJourney #ShadowWork #TraumaHealing #SelfDiscovery

Today is World Trauma Day. Trauma shapes lives in unseen ways. The defences that once kept us safe can later hold us back, shutting out connection, growth & joy. Healing means not just dismantling walls, but building new resources to meet life as we are now.

#WorldTraumaDay #TraumaHealing

For World Mental Health Day, I’m sharing an excerpt from my conversation with Allan Schore. As he says, security isn’t automatic. It is something we build through lived experience, self-reflection, and nourishing relationships.

#DanielaSieff #AllanSchore #WorldMentalHealthDay

Imagination can be a lifeline, yet it can also become a prison. For many, retreating inward was once the only way to survive.

#DanielaSieff #Trauma #TraumaAwareness #TraumaHealing #EmotionalTrauma #MentalHealth

One of the themes I’m exploring in my upcoming book on chronic shame is how it takes root, how it distorts our sense of self, and how we can begin to loosen its grip.

#DanielaSieff #ChronicShame #ShameAwareness #ShameHealing #HealingFromShame #TraumaHealing #HealingJourney #EmotionalHealing

Healing from trauma isn’t quick or simple, but it is possible. Over time, we discover new ways to live so that trauma no longer defines us.

#DanielaSieff #ChronicShame #ShameHealing #TraumaHealing #ShameAwareness #HealingJourney #EmotionalHealing #InnerHealing #SelfWorth #SelfCompassion

When life is too much, the psyche makes a trade. It hides our most tender and vital parts, not because they are broken but because they are too precious to risk further injury.

#DanielaSieff #emotionaltrauma #healingjourney #traumarecovery #donaldkalsched #Jungianpsychology

and the lifelong journey of becoming more deeply ourselves.

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Link to subscribe: danielasieff.com/sign-up/

#TraumaWorld
#HealingTrauma
#mentalhealthawareness

If this speaks to something in you, I would love to hear how it lands. Your reflections are always welcome here.

And if you would like to go deeper, I invite you to join my mailing list.

In my newsletters, I share more about these inner dynamics, the roots of emotional pain,

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Link to subscribe: danielasieff.com/sign-up/
#TraumaWorld
#PTSD
#TraumaTriggers

If you are interested in further exploring emotional trauma, toxic shame, healing & well-being then subscribe to my mailing list.
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I currently send an e-mail every 1-2 months. It includes a combination of news, bite-sized reflections, & updates about the new books I’m currently writing.

It can tell us what inner work we now need to do.
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If we turn towards our wounds & shame, & do this inner work, then problematic sensitivity transforms into the sensitivity which is a precious gift.
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