A Journey Inward

Introduction

Many of us carry wounds from childhood. When we speak about trauma, what we mean is that the natural rhythm of our nervous system was in a state of overwhelm, and our innate survival mechanism (our limbic system) was activated in order to keep us safe. Where this becomes difficult in adulthood is when this survival mode becomes locked in the body as memory. This happens because the support just wasn’t there in childhood to process it. The survival pattern becomes deeply ingrained, keeping us stuck in anxiety and fear, and patterns of behavior that are not in support of our growth. This impacts how we engage with the world and how we remain disconnected from our authentic self.

To self-abandon is one such survival mechanism or coping strategy. This is where we place the needs of others before our own to try to maintain connection, acceptance and validation in order to feel safe. This is a survival mechanism practiced and perfected since childhood and can often be outside of our awareness. This is problematic because it leads us to abandon the heart of ourselves, our authentic selves. When we over-value the needs of others before our own we are eroding a sense of self and our sense of worth. This is because at the core of this wound is the unconscious belief that “I am not worthy of love and care”.