Let's face it.... we were not created to live on an island or to be isolated from other individuals. We were born into this world with a need to develop relationships. This innate need to develop secure attachments is often disrupted during infancy and childhood. This disruption causes long-term effects that impact our personal and professional relationships. The long-term effects of toxic relationships impact our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.

In these classes, you will have the opportunity to identify and address those fears that are developed throughout your lifespan. Through exploration of the development of these fears, you can begin to identify specific areas of your life that have been negatively impacted and caused a disruption in your emotional development. Learn how you can begin the process of overcoming these fears to live a more fulfilling life!

"The Fear of Abandonment"

Have you ever experienced the feeling that the world is undependable and that people are unreliable?

          Some individuals live in constant fear of emotional abandonment, which results in becoming clingy, dependent, or overly independent. The fear of abandonment comes from entering an intimate relationship that prompts concern about the other person's ability to provide support. The experience of feelings of abandonment can leave one with the perception that people in their lives will eventually go as well. The acknowledgment of the ability or inability to enter a close relationship with someone incapable of mentally, emotionally, and physically being present in needed, wanted, or desired ways is essential to the development of a healthy relationship.

Consider whether you have experienced the following:

• responding in an overly sensitive way to perceived criticism
• demonstrating difficulty trusting others
• having difficulty making friends unless you can be sure they like you
• implementing extreme tactics to avoid rejection or separation
• establishing a pattern of unhealthy relationships
• developing the ability to become attached to people too quickly, then moving on just as quickly
• having difficulty committing to a relationship
• having a practice of working too hard to please the other person in personal or professional relationships
• often blaming yourself when things don’t work out in personal or professional relationships
• demonstrating a pattern of staying in a relationship even when proven to be toxic

Learn more about how this fear was developed and the behavioral tendencies influencing your personal and professional relationships.