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Self-Compassion and Childhood Trauma Recovery
Self-love Changes Everything
Many people identify as having survived childhood abuse of some sort and, as a result, often lack self-compassion. Self-compassion is being kind and understanding with oneself instead of mercilessly criticizing and sitting in judgment of all your shortcomings.
This article will explore how self-compassion can change your life after experiencing childhood trauma.
The Greatest Barrier to Healing, Fear of Self-Compassion
Moderate to severe levels of childhood abuse is associated with a greater fear of self-compassion and psychological inflexibility.
Childhood maltreatment survivors often show a marked fear and resistance to self-kindness and warmth. These survivors have become psychologically inflexible, with a strict dominance of psychological reactions over guided actions. In other words, those who experienced childhood trauma often choose to attempt to avoid past events that they have internalized by reacting to triggers rather than acting to minimize them.
Research has shown that psychological inflexibility worsens the negative effect of fear of self-compassion. Psychological inflexibility added to complex post-traumatic stress disorder makes an emotional soup keeping the survivor mired in…
