Скачать или смотреть How toxic parents steal your childhood

Parentification happens when children become their parent's emotional support system instead of receiving care themselves. A 3-year-old's brain isn't developed enough to handle adult emotional problems, but the child adapts by becoming hypervigilant to the parent's moods and needs. This creates long-term psychological consequences that affect all future relationships.

When you're forced to be someone's therapist as a child, your nervous system learns that other people's emotions are dangerous and overwhelming. You develop protective mechanisms that shut down your natural empathy because feeling too much becomes associated with being drained or used. This isn't coldness - it's intelligent self-preservation.

The tragedy is that your capacity for genuine connection gets buried under layers of protective numbness. But this also means your empathy is still there, just hidden. When you remove yourself from energy vampires, those natural compassionate instincts can slowly emerge again without the fear of being exploited.

Your emotional shutdown around toxic people isn't a character flaw - it's your childhood survival system still protecting you. And if you want to read the full article for free, check out my Substack. Link in bio.

#parentification #emotionalhusband #childhoodtrauma #narcissisticparents #boundaries