08/26/2025
When trauma makes you feel
“small,” it’s often a deep emotional and psychological response that reflects feelings of powerlessness, shame, vulnerability, or fear, especially if the trauma occurred during childhood or in situations where you had little control.
You may emotionally regress to a younger state—like a child-because your nervous system is trying to protect you in the way it did when the trauma first happened.
You might feel: Like your voice doesn’t matter, and have feelings of helplessness, and just being uncomfortable and even afraid of rejection.
Look for guidance, reassurance, or protection from someone you respect. When your needs are unmet from emotional abuse or neglect, it can draw up feelings of shame and worthlessness inside you. Emotional Trauma- can lead to toxic shame, where YOU feel bad about yourself. “I’m not enough.” “I’m invisible.” “I don’t deserve to take up space.” This can create a “small” sense of self. And your Survival Response to feeling “small” is sometimes part of a freeze or fawn trauma response:
Freeze: Your body shuts down, you go numb or still, can’t think clearly.
Fawn: You try to please others to stay safe, ignoring your own needs.
These are protective mechanisms your brain uses when fight or flight doesn’t seem possible.
Your nervous system can default to old, familiar survival patterns that made you feel “small” then — and still do now.
Mind-body practices like grounding, breathwork, yoga, qigong, meditation and even journaling, can meet you with self-compassion. Where you and your body can feel safe, heard and validated.
Please know, feeling “small” after trauma isn’t weakness-it’s a sign of survival. Your body and mind did what they had to do to protect you.
With self-awareness, and the right support and daily self-care rituals, you can reclaim your voice, and your worth- to take up your divine space in this world, and be all that you are authentically meant to be.✨🫶🏻
