This paper explores how shame acts as a switch between psychotic process and non-psychotic personality. It is argued that shame dynamics get overlooked, owing to the fact it is shameful to feel ashamed, leading to a corresponding lack of awareness of psychotic process. Thoughts about the significance of shame and its link with psychotic process are then applied to group work with defiant prisoners, where to overlook shame in the counter-transference would put people in danger, owing to the fact psychotic process is accompanied by physical violence in this setting.