Episode 20: The Many Masks of Childhood Trauma and How They Affect Healing

Peggy Oliveira Author

Episode Description:

This episode originally aired on YouTube. The link mentioned is further down in the description

We all do it. Sometimes it’s deliberate and sometimes we aren’t aware at all…

We may have several masks we wear depending on who we’re around or how we believe we “should” behave.

There’s the mask of smiles or humor. The mask of confidence or independence. The mask of perfectionism or containment. The mask of being “fine” or happy. The list goes on.

There are times they can be quite helpful in our lives, like when we need to compartmentalize or protect ourselves from disapproving reactions to what lies under the mask.

But, these masks become such a “normal” part of how we show up, that we lose touch with who we are underneath… the truth of who we are.

And, the people we have in our lives only get to know the mask we choose to show them.

The path to healing requires connection. We can only be truly connected when we allow our true selves to be seen.

In today’s episode, I share more about how and why we wear the masks, the impact it has on our sense of self and our relationships, and how to begin to release the need to wear them.

Link to the poem: https://courageousjourneys.com/blog/the-mask

Don’t want to wait for the next episode? Head over to my YouTube Channel,

PegygOliveiraMSW, with over 300 videos about Impact & Healing from Childhood Trauma.

If you have a question you’d like me to answer related to healing from childhood or emotional trauma, please send to qanda@courageousjourneys.com

This podcast is for informational purposes and is not mental health advice nor a replacement for professional mental health treatment.

Episode Notes:

- Wearing masks is a common coping mechanism, but they can hinder healing and self-connection.

- Childhood trauma often leads to the development of masks for survival and self-protection.

- Wearing a mask continuously makes connecting with our true selves difficult and hinders healing.

- These masks prevent us from experiencing deep connections with others and hinder true emotional healing.

- Healing requires practicing vulnerability, removing the mask, and allowing ourselves to be seen.

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Categories: Podcast