Reclaiming Your Buried Identity

So what does survival mode really do to your identity? When you live in survival mode long

enough, something subtle and devastating starts to happen. Your identity begins

to reorganize itself around danger. Not around desire, not around truth, not around who you

were meant to become, but around avoiding harm. Complex PTSD doesn't just affect memory

or emotion, it affects identity formation. You start shrinking parts of yourself

to stay safe. You silence instincts that once protected you. You doubt your own

perception because the past trained you not to trust yourself. What looks like

low self-esteem is often a survival strategy. What looks like overreacting is