@iam_thatfriend: 🧠 Traumatic invalidation is what happens to a child, when their feelings are dismissed so often that the child learns to dismiss them first. It sounds like: That didn't hurt. You're fine. Stop crying. You're making something out of nothing. One comment like that stings. Hundreds of them change the wiring in your nervous system, how you think, how you act. A child depends on the adults around them to make sense of reality. When those adults keep saying the pain isn't real, the child faces an impossible choice: believe their own body, or believe the people they need to survive. Most children choose the adults. They learn to override the ache in the chest, the lump in the throat, the urge to cry. Years later, that override still runs. Something hurts, and the first thought is ""Am I overreacting?"" The question of who caused it comes second, if it comes at all. That reflex isn't a character flaw. It's a skill learned under pressure. Unlearning it starts with noticing the order: doubt first, cause second. Then, slowly, letting the pain be real before deciding whose fault it was. ❤️ Save this for the next time your first question is whether you're overreacting. 💬 What were you told about your pain when you were small? 🔄 Share this with someone who always doubts themselves first. “Understanding Complex PTSD” is free in the Healing Library, link in the About section. You deserve a place to land that no one can take away. Just in case my posts ever stop showing up in your feed, don't wait to realize it. You can go follow me now, on Substack, Patreon, YouTube and TikTok, or find the Healing Library, so we never lose each other. #IAmThatFriend #ComplexPTSD #CPTSD #ChildhoodTrauma #TraumaHealing #troublemakertheresa

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Sunday 25 October 2026 18:05:00 GMT