If you grew up with childhood emotional abuse and neglect, relationships of all kinds may baffle you. In romance you skip the getting to know you phase and propel yourself into a future of undying devotion. That’s one example of a fantasy relationship. However, this future exists only in your mind because your love interest …
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Do you have trouble asking for what you want without feeling guilty? There are likely some good reasons for that which extend back to childhood. If you grew up in a home where you learned that your needs burdened others, you would suppress them. You internalized the idea that your needs were your problem and …
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Have you been told “you ruin everything”? Perhaps not in so many words. But expressing honest thoughts or feelings got you maligned or punished. You may have grown up in a family where speaking the truth, any truth, got you silenced. “You ruin everything” is family code for “your truth telling threatens to expose my …
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Mindfulness has played a pivotal role in helping me overcome the symptoms of my unmet childhood needs. Many think of silent meditation when they hear the word. But it is far more accessible than that. Mindfulness simply means nonjudgmental acceptance of the present moment. Jon-Kabat Zinn has been credited with bringing this Buddhist concept to …
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Many of us feel lonely even in a crowd of people. In fact, you might withdraw because you feel more lonely with others than you do on your own. This is why the common advice to get out there and make connections isn’t always best for complex trauma survivors. If you grew up with emotional …
Read more “How to stop feeling lonely even when you’re not alone”