Why You Keep Abandoning Yourself to Keep Everyone Else Happy with Jessica Anne Pressler

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If you've ever struggled with people pleasing and wondered why you put everyone else's needs before your own even when it's costing you, this episode is for you.

Psychotherapist Jessica Anne Pressler joins JoAnn to talk about self-abandonment, the pattern of putting everyone else first until you disappear from your own life. They dig into where it starts in childhood, how it shows up as people pleasing and trauma bonding in adult relationships, and how to finally start trusting yourself again.

In this episode, you'll learn:

What self-abandonment actually means, and why most moms do it without realizing it

Why your kids learn more from watching you take care of yourself than from anything you tell them

What a trauma bond is and why it can feel like an addiction

The gray rock method for dealing with someone who wants a reaction from you

A simple script for talking back to the inner voice that keeps you stuck (Jessica calls it "the traitor within")

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Jessica Anne Pressler on Instagram

Jessica's novel, Traitor Within, out now