Tag: guilt
-
Why Guilt Can Be So Difficult to Let Go Of in Psychotherapy – Part 6
Guilt does not usually disappear in psychotherapy through one explanation, one interpretation or one moment of insight. Even when the patient understands intellectually that their responsibility has been exaggerated, the emotional experience may continue. This is because persistent guilt is rarely held only as an idea. It is often woven into the patient’s personality, relationships…
-
Why Guilt Can Be So Difficult to Let Go Of in Psychotherapy – Part 5
Working with guilt in psychotherapy is rarely a matter of deciding whether the patient should or should not feel guilty. The experience is usually much more complicated than that. Sometimes the patient has done something they genuinely regret. Sometimes the responsibility has been greatly exaggerated. Sometimes the event itself is unclear, but the patient still…
-
Why Guilt Can Be So Difficult to Let Go Of in Psychotherapy – Part 4
Patients often begin psychotherapy by describing guilt connected with events outside the treatment. They may speak about something that happened within a marriage, a family, a friendship or a working relationship. They may explain how they hurt somebody, failed to act when they believe they should have acted, or remained preoccupied with something they did…
-
Why Guilt Can Be So Difficult to Let Go Of in Psychotherapy – Part 3
People do not all experience guilt in the same way. Some are able to recognise that they have made a mistake, feel remorse, try to repair the situation and eventually move forward. Others can remain preoccupied with guilt for months or years, even after they have apologised or done everything reasonably possible to correct what…
-
Why Guilt Can Be So Difficult to Let Go Of in Psychotherapy – Part 2
One of the first difficulties in working with guilt is establishing where it comes from. Sometimes the patient can point to a clear event and describe exactly what happened. At other times, the guilt is much harder to connect with anything definite. The person may feel deeply responsible, ashamed or frightened by what they believe…
-
Why Guilt Can Be So Difficult to Let Go Of in Psychotherapy – Part 1
Guilt is a fairly common presenting problem in individual psychotherapy. Some patients come to psychotherapy because they are unable to manage a persistent feeling that they have done something wrong. They may feel responsible for hurting a husband, wife or partner, disappointing their children, neglecting a family member, behaving badly at work or causing difficulties…