Family Trauma & Cycles
You don’t have to repeat the patterns you were handed.
Sometimes the hardest wounds to name are the ones passed down quietly—generation to generation. If you grew up walking on eggshells, feeling like your needs were too much, or carrying emotional burdens that weren’t yours to hold, this section is for you. Here, we’ll explore the impact of family dynamics, inherited trauma, and how to break painful cycles with compassion.
You’re not broken—you’re carrying a story that deserves to be seen.
I Have to Keep Everyone Happy - The Lie Trauma Taught You Love Is Earned
You didn’t learn to keep everyone happy because you’re weak or codependent. You learned it because, at one point, it helped you stay safe, connected, and loved. This post explores how people-pleasing is a trauma response rooted in the nervous system—and how EMDR Therapy in Phoenix can help your body unlearn the belief that love has to be earned.
The Lies Trauma Taught You: How Survival Roles Shape the Way We Show Up in the World
Trauma often teaches us to survive by playing roles — the peacemaker, the fixer, or the quiet one. These patterns once kept us safe, but now they lead to burnout, anxiety, and disconnection. In this three-part series, trauma therapist Kandace Ledergerber, LPC/LMHC, explores how EMDR Therapy in Phoenix and Tempe helps you unlearn these roles, rebuild safety in your body, and reconnect with your authentic self.
Boundaries for Trauma Survivors: A Step-by-Step Guide to Feeling Safe While Setting Limits
Boundaries can feel impossible for trauma survivors, but they’re essential for healing. If saying "no" makes your heart race or guilt creeps in, you’re not alone. Trauma often wires us to prioritize others over ourselves—but you can rewrite that pattern. This guide walks you through why boundaries feel so hard, how to set them step by step, and ways to regulate through the discomfort. Because you deserve relationships that feel safe and sustainable.