The Art of Self-Abandonment

What happens when keeping the peace becomes more important than staying connected to yourself?

In Episode 5 of Wild Child Summer, we go deeper into self-abandonment—what it looks like, where it comes from, and why it can be so difficult to recognize while we’re doing it.

Building on the previous episode’s exploration of conformity, this episode introduces psychotherapist Pete Walker’s concept of the “fawn response”: a trauma-related pattern of seeking safety by becoming agreeable, accommodating, helpful, and attuned to other people’s needs. Rather than fighting, fleeing, or freezing in response to perceived threat, the fawn response attempts to neutralize that threat through compliance and connection.

We explore how patterns developed in childhood can follow us into adu ...