76 www. AspireMAG. net | December 2025 / January 2026
This directly impacts your relationship to yourself, which then affects your ability to relate to other people. When your emotional experience is opaque in your own awareness you are feeling around in the dark for yourself and end up looking to others to tell you how and what to feel.
For individuals who did experience physical or sexual abuse, often it is the emotional invalidation, minimization or collusion with the abuse that does the most damage. To put it succinctly- emotional trauma is real and is very damaging. Take it seriously. If you don’ t, who will?
4) Release Patterns of Self- Soothing That No Longer Serve You:
When your nervous system is contracted and your body is an unpleasant place to live, it is not uncommon to resort to behaviors and substances that are designed to encourage nervous system release but also have a negative kick back.
The food, alcohol, sedatives or extreme patterns of exercise that provide temporary relief also have untoward physical and psychological effects that end up harming rather than helping the body. Acknowledge that these patterns once served a purpose but now they are standing in the way of your growth. It’ s time to move forward and its okay if you are not sure how to proceed.
5) Allow Yourself to be Supported by Others:
People often turn toward substances and unhealthy patterns of self-regulation to fill the void left by lack of care from others. The process of healing patterns of self-care that are now sabotaging your well-being requires you to return to the scene of the crime. The
76 www. AspireMAG. net | December 2025 / January 2026