Episode 8: Can You Forgive Yourself? The Truth About Shame, Survival, and Compassion
Welcome, sacred disruptor. Let’s rise.
This is your invitation to burn the old stories, speak the unspeakable, and come home to the version of you that’s been waiting underneath it all.
You don’t need to be palatable.
You need to be free.
You’ve forgiven people who never said sorry.
You’ve made peace with pain that never made sense.
You’ve released what others did to you.
But here’s the real question:
Can you forgive yourself?
This episode is a soul invitation.
It’s not about pretending the past didn’t happen.
It’s about choosing you—your peace, your healing, your homecoming.
🖤 Shame Isn’t the Teacher. It’s the Jailor.
There’s a quiet shame many of us carry:
“I should’ve known better.”
“Why didn’t I leave?”
“I was so stupid.”
That voice? That’s not your truth.
That’s your shame.
As Brene Brown teaches, shame corrodes the part of us that believes we can change.
But here’s what I need you to know:
You were doing the best you could with the tools, awareness, and nervous system regulation you had at the time.
💫 Shame vs. Accountability
Let’s be clear:
Accountability says: “I made a choice. I’ve learned. I get to do better.”
Shame says: “I am the mistake. I’ll never be enough.”
Self-forgiveness is the moment you drop the whip.
It’s when you stop trying to punish yourself into being better—and start loving yourself forward.
🌱 The Self-Forgiveness Invocation
Repeat this out loud or write it down somewhere sacred:
“I forgive myself for what I didn’t know.”
“I forgive myself for how long it took to choose differently.”
“I forgive myself for surviving.”
“I choose to see myself with love.”
“I choose to speak to myself like someone I want to heal.”
“I am not defined by my past. I am a guide to my truth.”
Let that move through your whole body.
This is your reset. This is your return.
🧠 My Moment of Self-Forgiveness
For years, I judged the version of me who stayed.
The one who didn’t protect herself.
Who kept hoping the abuse would stop.
Who called that pain “love” because it was all she knew.
I had done so much healing work… and still felt stuck.
And then it hit me:
I had never actually forgiven her—the past version of me.
The moment I said “I love you, even there,” something inside me softened.
That’s the moment I truly began to return.
🗝️ This Week’s Invitation
Ask yourself:
What version of me still needs my compassion?
What chapter in my story still carries silent shame?
And maybe today… you forgive one piece.
Not everything.
Just one.
I see the Light in you, and it is brilliant. I want you to see it too!
Brightest of blessings,
Dawn xo
Your Contrarian Soul Guide
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