LT—his big thing is sports psychology, right? That’s a very goal-oriented field (like, teach an athlete how not to choke at the big moments or think too much instead of operating on instinct—and I think that could be quite helpful applied to you even as a non-athlete).

So I am wondering if some of this could be reframed with that in mind? For instance, judgment/shame. It’s really your feeling, so it’s kind of like the feeling a pitcher might have after giving up a homer or a tennis player after making an unforced error and they let that throw them off their game. It’s really you who is judging yourself and the feeling is throwing you off your game.

I feel like I’m not making much sense, but I think you’re talking to him as though he were a more traditional talk therapist than is my sense of him. “Meet me where I’m at” is a very common talk therapy phrase, for instance.