Can you relate?

• Low sense of self worth

• codependency in relationships

• fear of being abandoned

• prioritizing others’ needs while sacrificing your own

• innate sense of shame

• craving for external validation / people pleasing

• feeling as if “the other shoe is gonna drop”

• resisting change

• tolerating abusive behaviors in relationships or in the workplace

• lack of assertiveness

• being overly agreeable

If you answered yes to one or more of these statements, this could be a manifestation of trauma. You may have been told by others to “just be positive” or “stand up for yourself,” but you already know that it’s just not that simple. These maladaptive behaviors are deeply rooted within our core beliefs of the world and of ourselves. Untangling this “mess” is no simple feat! A trauma-informed therapist can help you break down some of these behaviors to explore where they first originated. You can become empowered to reprogram yourself with positive beliefs. One of the most evidence-based practices for this is Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR). If you have more questions about his process, take a look at my EMDR blog post.