You ever find yourself wondering, “Was it really that bad?” even while your life still carries the scars of a childhood you can’t fully name? That’s the fog of emotional neglect — the kind of trauma that doesn’t leave bruises, just a lifelong ache of being unseen.
Laura K. Connell is a trauma-informed author, coach, and the creator of The Self-Parenting Solution.
She grew up in a deeply chaotic and emotionally neglectful home, spent decades trying to earn her parents’ love, and eventually went no contact after one final, brutal conversation with her father.
In this episode, we explore:
🔹 How emotional neglect warps your sense of self — and why it’s so often overlooked as “real” trauma
🔹 The connection between self-abandonment, people-pleasing, and feeling invisible in relationships
🔹 What it actually means to reparent yourself (and why it’s not just an Instagram trend)
🔹 How inner child work can transform self-sabotage into self-trust
🔹 Why healing often requires stepping away from the very people you’ve spent your life trying to save
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