Sharing my deepest shame helps me break out of my sense of isolation and disconnection from others. Secrets that I carry in the silence of my mind and heart divide me from myself and others. When I break my own silence, I crack the hard shell surrounding me and let in the light. I take a chance and trust other people with the banished contents of my mind, and being willing to trust another deepens my trust in myself. I learn that I can survive knowing and allowing others to know. Spirit cannot shine in darkness – it casts darkness away. A dark night of the soul can actually be part of letting in the light. Refused darkness is not light. Refused darkness actually blocks light from coming through. Honest pain and anguish are part of the process of soul growth, they are part of a willingness to grapple with and face the angst that blocks the spirit.

I will share with another what I hold in silent shame.

Confession is good for the soul. Scottish proverb