A Therapist’s Handbook to Dissolve Shame and Defense

The effort to surmount shame and formidable defences in psychotherapy can trigger shame and self-doubt in therapists. Susan Warren Warshow offers a user-friendly guide to help therapists move past common treatment barriers. This unique book avoids jargon and breaks down complex concepts into digestible elements for practical application. The core principles of Dynamic Emotional Focused Therapy (DEFT), a comprehensive treatment approach for demonstrable change, are illustrated with rich and abundant clinical vignettes.

This engaging, often lyrical handbook emphasizes shame-sensitivity to create the safety necessary to achieve profound interpersonal connection. Often overlooked in treatment, shame can undermine the entire process. The author explains the therapeutic transfer of compassion for self, a relational phenomenon that purposefully generates affective expression. She introduces a three-step, robust framework, The Healing Triad, to orient therapists to intervene effectively when the winds of resistance arise. Chapters clarify:

• Why we focus on feelings
• How to identify and move beyond shame and anxiety
• How to transform toxic guilt into reparative actions
• How to disarm defences while avoiding ruptures

A Therapist’s Handbook to Dissolve Shame and Defense is essential reading for both advanced and newly practising mental health practitioners striving to access the profound emotions in their clients for transformative change.