When Being “Good” Hurts: The Doormat Syndrome

When Being “Good” Hurts: The Doormat Syndrome

Setting Boundaries and Protecting Your Peace of Mind: Yes, because of my CPTSD, I was a people-pleaser. This was like a survival-mode I learned as a child. And that doormat syndrome was often painful for me, for many years. Until one day, I had had enough and decided...
Do I Tell Them? Sitting with the Weight of Sharing Your Story with Your Parents

Do I Tell Them? Sitting with the Weight of Sharing Your Story with Your Parents

There comes a point on the healing journey when the question doesn’t whisper. It roars. Do I tell my parents?Do they deserve to know what happened to me?Would they believe me?Would they hold it with care, or would it break me all over again? If you’re here, standing...
Fawn Response: The Trauma Survival Pattern That’s Mistaken for Kindness

Fawn Response: The Trauma Survival Pattern That’s Mistaken for Kindness

It often looks like compassion. It often gets praised as loyalty. But for many trauma survivors, the behavior known as the fawn response isn’t about kindness—it is about survival. The fawn response is the least recognized of the four primary trauma reactions: fight,...