Certain triggers—like a sound, a smell, or a thought—might snap you back to the original event, bringing with it intense fear, sadness, panic. Living on this edge, bracing for possible triggers, wondering when the past might come crashing back into the present is not only painful but also exhausting and disruptive to daily life.

Early childhood trauma shapes many aspects of our personality development, including how we see ourselves, navigate relationships and select our partners. Many who have experienced early childhood trauma- and have related core abandonment wounds- find themselves repeatedly drawn to emotionally unavailable partners with narcissistic tendencies.

Finding a therapist is hard. Here some suggestions to get you started!