Personal Relationship Counseling & Consulting | Alpharetta, GA | 30009

Eddie Reece in Alpharetta, GA specialized in helping individuals improve their daily relationships in work, life and love. Sign up today

Text Size:+-
Eddie Reece, MS, LPC, BC-TMH
A Concierge Counseling Practice
(770) 671-1814 | eddie@eddiereece.com
  • Home
  • Find Relief
    • Relationship Struggles?
    • Stress & Anxiety?
    • Mid or 3/4 Life Crisis?
    • Feeling Down?
    • Stuck in Grief or Loss?
    • Improve Your Sex Life
    • My Concierge Services
    • Business Consulting
    • Sports Enhancement
    • Celebrity, High Profile Client?
    • Speaking Engagements
  • Contact Eddie
  • Location, Fees & Insurance
  • About Eddie
    • Learn More About Me
    • Testimonials
  • Reviews
    • Leave A Review
  • Resources
    • Helpful Books & DVD’s
    • Articles
    • Community Resources
    • Support Groups
  • Blog

5 Signs of Childhood Emotional Neglect

Posted on 03.7.20

For many, childhood is a time of wonder and adventure; a time when all needs are met and comfort is merely a whimper away.

And yet for others, childhood never feels quite safe or secure. For these people, emotional neglect was something that colored their early years and affects them as adults.

Childhood Emotional Neglect (CEN) is the result of parents not responding enough to the emotional needs of their children. While it is an invisible form of suffering, as opposed to bruises and broken bones, it has lasting ramifications. And adults that have suffered from CEN have no idea that their current world is being created from a place of lack.

What Makes CEN Invisible?

There are a couple of specifics that make CEN invisible to the victim:

  • It can happen in otherwise loving families that have no material needs.
  • A parent’s failure to respond to your emotional needs is not something that happens to you as a child. It is something that doesn’t happen to you, and therefore, your brain has nothing to record as “proof.”

These adults find themselves creating lives that don’t quite feel right. They may investigate their childhoods, looking for clues, but usually come up with nothing, which can add to their sense of stress and anxiety.

In the end, they feel that something must be innately wrong with them. They take the blame, assuming that they are simply flawed and different from other people who seem to have their acts together.

If you identify with this feeling, here are 5 signs you grew up with Childhood Emotional Neglect:

1. Fear of Being Dependent on Others

Independence is a good quality to have. But having a deep-seated fear about depending on anyone for anything, never asking for help or support, is not healthy.

2. You Don’t Really Know Yourself

When you meet new people and have to tell them about yourself, do you find it difficult? Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? What you like and don’t like? Victims of CEN tend to not know themselves as well as they should.

3. You’re a People Pleaser

You spend a lot of time trying to meet other people’s needs and pay little attention to your own. You’re hard on yourself but soft with others.

4. You Feel Empty

This can feel different to different people. Maybe you feel an empty sensation in your gut, throat or chest. For some it comes and goes, for others, this feeling is there 24/7 – 365.

5. You Have Trouble Feeling Your Emotions

When your emotions were ignored as a child, you never learned how to feel them and express them in healthy ways. As an adult, do you find it hard to identify the feelings you feel, let alone express them to others?

 

If you’ve just had an A-ha moment and think you may have suffered CEN and would like to explore treatment options, please be in touch. There is hope and you CAN heal from the invisible wounds and start creating the life you were meant to live.

Categories: Children

Leave a Comment Cancel

List of Posts

  • Understanding The Duality Of Life
  • Understanding Your Inner Parts: Discovering The Multiple Selves Within
  • Do We Have A Mental Health Crisis?
  • Show Stoppers – Money, Sex, & Death
  • Boosting Immunity Through The Mind-Body Connection
  • The Power Of Empathy In Relationship Building – Relationships, Part 2
  • Building Stronger Bonds Through Relationship Therapy – Relationships, Part 1
  • Freedom From Holiday Stress: Rethinking Traditions And Finding Meaning
  • How Fantasy Shapes Our Lives, Part 1
  • Breaking Down Trauma: What It Is And How To Heal
  • Overcoming Division: Finding Common Ground In A Divided World
  • Beyond Hungry Ghosts: Letting Go Of Unmet Expectations
  • Who Needs Therapy? Maybe You (And Why It’s Awesome)
  • Therapy 101: What It Is & Why It Matters
  • From Psychotherapy Networker: Were You Raised by a Four-Year-Old?
  • How to Leave a Review
  • Benefits of a Mental Health Day from Work or School
  • Creating a Parenting Plan
  • Sex Therapy for Performance Anxiety in Men
  • The Power of Vulnerability
  • Knowing When to End a Relationship
  • 3 Reasons Why Men Should Try Therapy
  • How to Navigate Challenging Life Transitions
  • Therapy for Divorce
  • Tips for Coping with Social Isolation
  • Does Therapy for “Baby Blues” Work?
  • Normative Male Alexithymia: Let’s Talk About It
  • Recognizing the Signs of Postpartum Depression and Getting Help
  • Dealing with Painful Intercourse
  • Lean on Me: Why People with a Mental Health Crisis Need a Support Network
  • Sex Therapy for Intimacy Issues
  • The Benefits of Online Therapy
  • What is Positive Parenting?
  • How Counseling Can Help You Reach Your Goals in the New Year
  • How Sex Therapy Can Lead to More Intimacy
  • Understanding Sexual Desire Issues
  • Does Online Couple’s Therapy Work?
  • Communication Tips for Couples in Recovery
  • Therapy vs. Antidepressants – Which One is Better?
  • Can Long-Term Isolation Lead to an Addiction?
  • What is Therapeutic Mediation?
  • The Mental Health Impact of COVID-19 on Families
  • Benefits of Therapy for Erectile Dysfunction and Sexual Anxiety
  • Mental Health Therapy for Frontline Workers
  • Are You Doing Self-Care All Wrong?
  • Fighting Loneliness During Quarantine
  • Is it Safe to Go Back to In-Person Therapy Sessions?
  • 5 Strategies to Calm Your Anxiety Quickly
  • The Best Medicine is a Treadmill: How Daily Exercise Can Treat Depression
  • The Amazing Benefits of Meditation

Here's my blog post, "What is Love?" https://t.co/wTrmpxP9my Define love wrong & your relationships will be a struggle #rethinklove&romance

— Eddie Reece, MS, LPC (@EddieReeceLPC) April 1, 2016

Daniel is a Premium WordPress Theme Built on Genesis

Getting Along | A WEBSITE BY BRIGHTER VISION