Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson People Pleasing and the Fawn Response with Meg Josephson
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Sep 8, 2025 
Meg Josephson, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and author of 'Are You Mad at Me?', dives into the fawn response—a survival strategy rooted in people-pleasing. She shares how this behavior can transform from childhood self-protection into adult challenges like hypervigilance and self-abandonment. The discussion spans recognizing unconscious habits, the emotional fallout from silencing one's needs, and the journey to authenticity. Meg emphasizes the importance of setting healthy boundaries and cultivating self-compassion for better relationships.
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Fawning Starts As Protection
- The fawn response is an unconscious survival strategy that once protected you by pleasing others.
- It can persist after danger ends, showing up as overthinking and hypervigilance in safe contexts.
Interrupt The Automatic Loop
- Slow the automatic response by bringing the unconscious fawn into awareness.
- Notice the trigger, pause, and choose a different response without shaming yourself for slips.
Doing More Feels Like Safety
- Fawners believe they must do more or be perfect to be loved and safe.
- That belief fuels rumination, reassurance-seeking, and attraction to emotionally unavailable people.
