Videos and Podcasts

Guilt vs. Shame: Understanding the Real Difference

Do you ever feel weighed down by a heavy emotion but can't quite put your finger on what it is? Guilt and shame are two of our most powerful and difficult emotions, but they are incredibly easy to tangle together. In this video, Sausalito couples therapist Jacob Brown breaks down the crucial differences between the two.

Understanding the root of what you're feeling is the first step toward feeling better. Here is a quick look at what you will discover in this short, focused video:

• The Action of Guilt: Why guilt is tied directly to your behaviors—the things you did or failed to do—and how it triggers that sharp, twisting sense of regret.

• The Weight of Shame: Discover why shame is far more complex, operating as a deeply held inner belief that you are somehow flawed, broken, or simply "not enough."

• The "Shame Trap": Learn the psychological reason why guilt feels like a passing emotion, but shame is often experienced as an undeniable fact about who you are.

Whether you are wrestling with a specific regret or carrying a lingering sense of unworthiness, identifying whether you are dealing with guilt or shame completely changes how you heal from it.