This practice can be found in the book, Walking Each Other Home (2018), by Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush. It has been modified by Dr. Chris Germer to help us work with the difficult emotion of shame.
Start by bringing to mind a difficult or challenging person in your life, perhaps even someone who makes you feel ashamed. Let it be a person who is moderately challenging, not your worst enemy. Visualize this person clearly in your mind.
As you think about this person, please consider the following phrases:
This person has a body and a mind, just like me.
This person has feelings, emotions, and thoughts, just like me.
This person has experienced physical and emotional pain and suffering, just like me.
This person has at some time been sad, disappointed, angry, or hurt, just like me.
This person has felt unworthy or inadequate, just like me.
This person worries and is frightened sometimes, just like me.
This person will die, just like me.
This person has longed for friendship, just like me.
This person is learning about life, just like me.
This person wants to be caring and kind to others, just like me.
This person wants to be content with what life has given them, just like me.
This person wishes to be free from pain and suffering, just like me.
This person wishes to be safe and healthy, just like me.
This person wishes to be happy, just like me.
This person wishes to be loved, just like me.
Now, allow wishes for well-being to arise:
I wish this person to have the strength, resources, and social support they need to navigate the difficulties in life with ease.
I wish this person to be free from pain and suffering.
I wish this person to be peaceful and happy.
I wish this person to be loved . . . because this person is a fellow human being, just like me.
