Many of us have learned to see ourselves through vicious eyes - eyes that criticize, find fault and lack, eyes that compare us to others, eyes that demean and condescend, eyes that humiliate and belittle.
Eyes that harm and injure.
These visions of ourselves keep us looking for positive reflection and then criticize us for seeking affirmation.
These visions of ourselves keep us thinking we have confidence and esteem problems, when actually we are being abused and violated.
These visions of ourselves cripple our life project, convincing us that we are NOT ALL THAT - that we are not the BEST, that we are not ONE-OF-ONE.
This is BAD ENOUGH for sure. But here's what's worse: for the most part, WE DON'T KNOW IT'S HAPPENING.
That's right! The criticism we can identify is almost always just the surface of a greater iceberg of tremendous power with insidious intent.
What is the nature of the medicine for this ill?
Developing a Loving Witness
First, a loving witness must actually SEE what's happening. We can't apply the salve of compassion if we don't know what's happening.
Second, we must STOP pathologizing ourselves by caring a narrative that says "somethings wrong with me" or "It doesn't really matter if I suffer, lose my voice, or don't flower into the magnificence that my soul carries.”
Third, we must learn to respond to this inner assault. We may have need to develop INNER BOUNDARIES - ways of saying NO to parts of ourselves.
Fourth, we must be clear about the roots of this inner vision - roots in early experience or internalized oppression. When we do this, we understand "what has happened" instead of "what is wrong with me."
What Past Students Are Saying…
“David’s medicine is powerful and I am grateful.”
“David is a catalyst for so much greatness.”
"Unveiling our stories in a safe space shatters the chains of shame. My conversation with David was a total game-changer for me, marking a pivotal moment in my life. I'm now fuelled with an unwavering determination to let my voice be heard, sparking positive change worldwide."
“David has a lovely wisdom and skill for liberating a truth you didn't know was there! I'm in the process of my third workshop with him and it's changed my life in ways I could've never imagined.”
Access the Class Recording Instantly for $43
“So grateful for one the teachers I've cherished the most in this journey @david.bedrick
I was blown away by his latest workshop on unshaming the inner critic, where he single-handedly shone a light on the inner violence that desperately needs our addressing. The shadow work space he holds is incredible, it got me facing some of my most badass demons and introducing my most vulnerable side to hundreds of souls I had just met. What a gift, what an initiation. Thank you for your magic dear David!”
Why such a low cost? Not only because I don't want you to suffer this pain, but because your gifts and love are SO VERY NEEDED and I CAN'T STAND the fact that these gifts and loves are muted and drowned out by the violence we have all internalized.
I am also offering partial scholarships for those who truly cannot afford it. Email us at info@davidbedrick.com to inquire.
My hope for us all is that your beauty, power, gifts, intelligence and divine worthiness find their rightful place and the sovereignty of your soul and being are restored.
What Past Students Are Saying…
“LOVED it, love you and loved the journey you took us on. What an inspiration and deep being you are, and you model, and you host. Glorious. Your way of working with process was superb.”
“We're moved eternally. So Brilliant!!!”
“Working with David absolutely blew my mind. David is compassionate, deeply skilled, and able to support massive shifts if you are ready and willing to make them.”
David, thank you for such a truly life-altering experience. Even two days later, I don't fully have words for the depth of what you offered us. I felt myself in the presence of an energy that I can only describe as divine. The preciousness of what moves through us, the beauty and poignancy of what can at first seem so disturbing... You held it so gracefully in class!! Being with you was a deep, deep reminder of the power of this paradigm, the power of loving presence, the gift of coming into ever greater contact with what it means to be alive with these wild bodies and minds. Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!
“Dear David, your session yesterday was so brilliant!!! I had the feeling that all your ancestors spoke through you adding to your own voice.”
Access the Class Recording Instantly for $43
“This [the inner criticism class] one was life changing. Thank you @david.bedrick”
David Bedrick, JD, Dipl. PW, is a teacher, counselor, and attorney. He was on the faculty for the University of Phoenix and the Process Work Institute in the U.S. and Poland and is the founder of the Santa Fe Institute for Shame-based Studies where he offers facilitation training to deepen the skills and awareness of healers as well as workshops for individuals to further their own personal development. David’s embodied way of teaching is far more than informational, students are often brought to tears and face to face with their beauty, power, life path and soul.
David’s passion for studying shame arose from his childhood, growing up with a father who used fists and belts to express his rage and a mother who coped by denying and gaslighting his experience. Over thirty years of research, teaching and working with individuals awakened his heart and mind to how the dominant healing paradigm pathologizes people - seeing our sufferings and ills as something to fix and cure, instead of messages to be understood and invitations to deepen our relationships with ourselves and the world around us. In this way, David understands our difficulties to be “dreams” - invitations to insight, soul, and the divine unfolding of our lives.
David writes for Psychology Today and is the author of three books: Talking Back to Dr. Phil: Alternatives to Mainstream Psychology and Revisioning Activism: Bringing Depth, Dialogue, and Diversity to Individual and Social Change. His new book is You Can’t Judge a Body by Its Cover: 17 Women’s Stories of Hunger, Body Shame and Redemption.
His upcoming book, The Unshaming Way, will be published by North Atlantic books in 2024.
