Difficulty Experiencing Connection with Others

When there have been traumatic dynamics or relationships with your caregivers, the human drive for CONNECTION becomes entangled with the drive for SAFETY.

Your brain may have learned that connecting is actually dangerous, and your subconscious mind may be trying to protect you by making it difficult to feel connected to yourself or others. There may be a set of behaviors or symptoms that unconsciously sabotage you in opportunities for connection.

Try this exercise: close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Try to notice any successes or problems in your connection with others. How connected are you to yourself? Do you have a harsh inner critic?

This is very common with early childhood trauma. Do you tend to be overly critical of others? What are you noticing?