“I Feel Guilty”. Exploring Guilt-Related Dynamics in Family Caregivers of People with Dementia

Figures & data

Table 1. Examples of exercises carried out during the intervention sessions.

Exercise	Basic content
Contacting with our guilt emotion (session 1)	I want you to think about a situation that has happened to you that made you feel guilty …, what kind of thoughts came to your mind?
Reflecting about guilt (session 1)	What is guilt? Where does it come from? What consequences does it have in our life? Is it always bad?
The origins of guilt (session 2)	Are there norms or principles that guide your way of thinking or behaving?
Thinking about mistakes (session 2)	Is it possible to not make mistakes? Are we perfect?
Emotions diary (session 3 and others)	Searching for the reasons that make us feel guilty, and how others may have felt
Introduction to personal values (sessions 3 and 4), through the garden metaphor	If our life is a garden, and each plant is something very important (good or bad) for us: Which are our main values and how are we caring for (watering) them? What has guilt to do with these values?
Watering can metaphor (session 4 and others)	Have you watered all your important values? Are you satisfied with the distribution of water for each value? Guilt derived from the distribution of water.
Analyzing guilt as a barrier toward the values (session 5 and others)	Did you avoid any action because of guilt? Guilt as a sign of changing behavior
What is meant by being a good caregiver? (session 6)	The impossibility of always doing things right, and the need for acceptance
We make mistakes (session 7)	Coping with mistakes, thinking about self-compassion