Perfectionism: A Trauma Response

Nov 22, 2022

Explore the intriguing connection between perfectionism and trauma. Discover three types of perfectionism and their origins rooted in childhood experiences. Learn how this relentless pursuit of perfection can lead to harmful health consequences, including burnout and chronic stress. The hosts share personal stories and practical strategies to distinguish between excellence and perfectionism. Uncover maladaptive coping mechanisms and the importance of self-regulation in healing. Dive into the surprising organizational costs of perfectionism on workplace culture.

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INSIGHT

Perfectionism As A Trauma Shield

Perfectionism is a protective trauma response formed to avoid rejection and secure care.
It becomes a chronic, unattainable standard that intensifies stress and self-criticism.

ANECDOTE

Landing Pages Triggered A Freeze

Jennifer described freezing on building landing pages due to unrealistic time goals and inner-critic loops.
Procrastination, activation around money, and eventual shutdown followed her perfectionism spiral.

INSIGHT

Chronic Stress And Health Costs

Perfectionism fuels chronic physiological stress via persistent adrenaline and cortisol.
Over time this increases exhaustion, burnout, anxiety, depression, and lowers trauma resilience.

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Our society rewards those who work hard, appear to never make mistakes, and seem to have everything under control. We've collectively decided on what perfect looks like and attributed perfectionism with the ideal person. What if we told you that perfectionism is actually a protective measure used to prevent oneself from feelings of rejection, abandonment, and worthlessness? These words don't quite scream "perfect" do they?

Trauma Rewired hosts Jennifer and Elisabeth have touched upon this trauma response before, but today's episode is a deep dive into how it can develop and lead to harmful avoidance behaviors. They deconstruct perfectionism, including defining the three types of perfectionism and how it interplays with CPTSD elements like the inner critic.

You'll learn the many health consequences that the chronic stress of perfectionism can cause, and how to distinguish excellence from perfectionism. Jennifer and Elisabeth also share their experience with perfectionism, and how it can push us into burnout or freeze states.

Perfectionism is not an attainable goal, which makes it debilitating and a hindrance to healing trauma. To take the first step towards moving out of perfectionism, tune in!

Topics discussed in this episode:

Defining the 3 types of perfectionism
Perfectionism as a trauma response
Jennifer's example of setting yourself up for failure
The effects of perfectionism on our health
Maladaptive coping mechanisms for perfectionism
How to recognize perfectionist behaviors and thinking
Jennifer on taking action against her perfectionism
Trauma healing, neurosomatic intelligence, and integration
Limiting beliefs push the loop of perfectionism
Elisabeth on the importance on self-regulation tools in her life
How perfectionism negatively affects organizations and employees
Steps Elisabeth has taken to heal her perfectionism and workaholism

Learn more about Elisabeth Kristof and her company, Brain-Based Wellness, here: https://brainbased-wellness.com/about/

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Head to https://calendly.com/traumarewired/consultation for a consultation to identify trauma responses in your own life and learn how to train your nervous system to move out of behaviors that aren't serving you!

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