Seattle-area therapist talks about shame and addiction in Asian cultures

Being an Asian kid in Seattle meant bullying and discrimination outside the home and shame-based teachings inside, says local psychotherapist Sam Louie in his third book .

Why it matters: Asian American Pacific Islanders looking to unravel cultural trauma, shame and the wounds it leaves behind will connect with the memoir, one reviewer writes .

What's happening: " Passport to Shame: From Asian Immigrant to American Addict " examines the role of ethnicity and culture as contributors to toxic shame, now recognized as a bedrock of addiction and other disorders.

• In Chinese culture alone, more than 100 different ways exist to describe shame, says Louie, who emigrated to the U.S. with his family from Hong Kong as a 4-year-old.
• Shame intended to encourage conformity and collectivism is often built into the fabric of many Asian child-rearing practices, he told Axios.

Feeling he was more of a target when in a group of Asians, Louie distanced himself from his younger brothers at school.

• He began speaking to his parents in English rather than their native language and, alone in the shower, tried to scrub himself white, he wrote.

Between the lines: It was only when he sought recovery from addiction that he learned the "level of cultural and societal shame I was carrying," Louie said.

• The former PBS journalist began pitching so many stories about addiction and mental health to his news director, his boss finally said, "Have you considered going into this full-time?"

What they're saying: "Not everybody can afford therapy, not everybody is comfortable with it," Louie said.

• "I wrote this book to be a tool or a vessel to help someone recognize their shame and trauma and get the help they need."