Fawning: Learn About This Little Understood Trauma Response with Dr. Ingrid Clayton

In this episode, Dr. Ingrid Clayton, licensed clinical psychologist, transpersonal psychology specialist, and author of Fawning joins us to discuss her groundbreaking insights into an often-overlooked trauma response: fawning.

Most of us are familiar with the three F's of trauma—fight, flight, or freeze—but there's a fourth response, fawning, that's rarely discussed. Unlike codependency or people-pleasing, fawning is a survival strategy that drives us to seek approval, appease, and draw closer to people who may hurt us—even when it's detrimental to our well-being.

If you've ever found yourself apologizing to those who hurt you, obsessing over approval, befriending bullies, or suppressing your voice to maintain peace, this episode is for you. Dr. Clayton offers hope, tools, and compassion for anyone ready to break free from the cycle of chronic fawning and step into their authentic life.

key topics:

· Defining Fawning: Beyond People-Pleasing and Codependency (0:00)

· The Power of Relational Therapy for Complex Trauma (8:59)

· How to Recognize Fawning: It's Not Just 'Not That Deep' (15:05)

· The Unfawning Journey: Building Internal Safety from Within (27:06)

· How to Find the Right Support for Your Healing Journey (43:30)

RESOURCES + BOOKS MENTIONED:

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GUEST INFORMATION Website: https://www.ingridclayton.com/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/ingridclaytonphd/Website/ Book: Fawning: Why the Need to Please Makes Us Lose Ourselves–and How to Find Our Way Back

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*The Good Life with Michele Lamoureux podcast and content provided by Michele Lamoureux is for educational and entertainment purposes only. It does NOT constitute medical, mental health, professional, personal, or any kind of advice or serve as a substitute for such advice. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast or website is at the user's own risk. Always consult a qualified healthcare or trusted provider for any decisions regarding your health and wellbeing. This episode may contain affiliate links.