Being Human with Steve Cuss Justin Heap: The Rollercoaster of Growing Up in a Traumatic Family Situation
Mar 9, 2026
Justin Heap, Enneagram coach, creative consultant, and founder of Curious Human, talks about growing up in a turbulent, move-filled household and how that shaped his sense of safety. He describes using fun to hold family together and the protector role he adopted. Conversation covers recognizing childhood trauma, nervous-system triggers, and the slow work of healing through therapy and faith.
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Fun As A Survival Strategy
- As an Enneagram Seven, Justin connected his drive for fun to survival: fun signaled family cohesion and prevented abandonment.
- That drove him to create excitement and avoid stillness so he wouldn't trigger the pattern of leaving.
Protector Role Toward Younger Sister
- Justin felt like a protector to his five-years-younger sister, who sometimes slept on his bedroom floor during parental fights.
- Leaving for college was heartbreaking because he worried about abandoning her to ongoing family chaos.
Therapeutic Role Play That Broke Him Open
- Justin described a breakthrough at a developmental psychology retreat where role-play triggered a physical shaking and an 'outer body' experience.
- That moment was the first clear realization that his childhood had been traumatic despite mixed memories of love.