144. Do You Have an Abandonment Wound? Signs It's Affecting Your Relationships

Have you ever wondered why relationships can feel so emotionally intense?

Why you find it difficult to leave someone, even when you know they're not right for you?

Or why emotionally unavailable partners seem to become a recurring pattern?

In this episode, I explore one of the most important psychological patterns I see in my work with women - the abandonment schema (or abandonment wound).

Drawing on nearly 30 years of experience in psychology and schema therapy, I explain how early experiences of inconsistency, loss, emotional absence or disrupted attachment can quietly shape our expectations of love, influence who feels familiar, and make it much harder to walk away from relationships that aren't meeting our needs.

You'll learn:

• What an abandonment schema actually is
• How it develops during childhood
• Why it often shows up most strongly in romantic relationships
• How it influences attraction and partner selection
• Why emotionally unavailable relationships can feel strangely familiar
• The link between abandonment and overriding red flags
• Why this schema can keep you hoping, waiting and staying far longer than is healthy
• How understanding your abandonment pattern can become the first step towards creating healthier, more secure relationships

If you've ever found yourself repeatedly attracted to emotionally unavailable, avoidant or narcissistic partners, or you've wondered why leaving unhealthy relationships feels so incredibly difficult, this episode will help you understand what's happening beneath the surface.

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