09/30/2021
Fawning is people pleasing. It is a way of making yourself small, inoffensive, submissive, so as not to invite any kind of threat or aggression from others. It is a trauma response and it's reflexive, automatic.
Fawning is inherently a strategy that's based on relationship. It is something that relies on having proximity to the person or situation that is bringing you threat. And the fawn response does not come online in response to threats that aren't interpersonal in nature.
If people pleasing is something you struggle with in present day, know this: though it may cause you suffering, people pleasing is a wise strategy suited to the circumstances in which you first learned it.
It may be that nowadays your system is bringing this strategy online when it doesn't have to, and your inner community may just need some updating. With support, you can flexibly choose the strategy in the present moment that's actually responsive to your circumstances.
Change is possible, and it starts with self-compassion, with understanding why you do a thing and how it made sense in the beginning.
Learn more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwTcmkV898Q
Today, I want to talk to you about people pleasing as a trauma response. People want to know, "Where does this come from? Why am I doing it? Why can't I stop...
