Rebuilding Trust
Blog series Part 5 - Thriving beyond Trauma
Trust is one of the deepest wounds left behind after domestic violence. It doesn’t just affect how you see other people it often makes you doubt yourself too. The betrayal, the manipulation, the constant questioning of your reality can leave you feeling as though your ability to make safe choices has been stolen. Rebuilding trust can feel overwhelming, but it is possible and it begins with small, intentional steps.
The first step is to trust your body’s signals. So often in abuse, your body screamed warnings tightness in your chest, knots in your stomach, a sudden rush of unease but those signals were ignored, dismissed, or silenced. Part of healing is learning to listen to them again, to honor the wisdom of your own nervous system.
The second step is to trust your intuition. Abuse conditions you to doubt yourself, to second-guess every thought and decision. But deep down, your intuition never left you it was only buried beneath fear and survival mode. When you start to lean into it, you’ll find it stronger than you remember.
The third step is to trust your ability to make safe choices. You’ve already proven your strength by leaving what was unsafe. That alone is evidence that you can protect yourself and create a life that honors your well-being. Each new boundary you set, each healthy connection you build, reinforces that trust in yourself.
Over time, trust becomes less about the fear of betrayal and more about the quiet confidence that you are resilient. It’s no longer about placing blind faith in others but about believing in your own ability to see red flags, to make empowering decisions, and to surround yourself with people who honor your healing.
Rebuilding trust is not quick, and it doesn’t happen all at once. But little by little, trust transforms from a fragile hope into a grounded truth: you can trust yourself to walk forward, and that is where true freedom begins.
Journal Prompt
Where in my life can i beging practicing trust again, within myself, my body or in a safe connection with others ?
Affirmation
“I trust myself to listen to choose and to create a life that honors my healing”