You might be carrying more than just your own pain. The guilt that sneaks in when you try to set a boundary.

The shame you feel when you want something different than what your family taught you was “right.”

The emotional numbness or overwhelm that leaves you stuck between not feeling anything—and feeling everything all at once. If you’re here, maybe a part of you knows this didn’t start with you. And you’re ready for it to stop with you.

“That’s not how we do things in this family.”

And yet—something inside you is asking for a different way.

In families shaped by survival, trauma, and silence, emotions often had no space to exist. You may have learned that feeling was unsafe, weak, or just inconvenient. Maybe you grew up in a home where productivity, obedience, or endurance were prized—but emotional expression was shamed or ignored.

There might be stories you never heard, secrets that were never spoken, or pain that was passed down in the form of expectations, silence, or fear. These burdens often live in our bodies and spirits, showing up as anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, emotional distance—or an inner voice that tells you you're never enough.

You may be conflict-avoidant in your own life, yet fiercely protective of others. You might struggle not to “fix” the people around you, or find yourself repeating old patterns—even when you swore you wouldn’t.

Maybe anger feels like the only safe emotion to express, because the others—grief, shame, sadness—feel too vulnerable. Maybe you’re scared of what you’ll find if you slow down and really feel.

When you try to live life on your own terms—set boundaries, ask for what you need, raise your kids differently—you’re met with guilt trips, tension, or quiet disapproval. It's confusing. Painful. And often, it leaves you questioning whether you’re the problem.