Quotes from Glenn R. Schiraldi

Severe early childhood trauma creates a child with equally intense coping mechanisms—these children are often seen as "mature for their age" and "old souls." While maybe true, it often negates the fact that their innocence was taken away at an early age and they are in survival mode. —Azia Archer

Greater ability to trust and connect with other people. Others and the world are viewed as safe and predictable, consistent with early experiences with the primary caregiver(s) (Snyder and Lopez 2007). A greater likelihood of viewing God as loving (Granqvist et al. 2007).

By contrast to the above views, people with self-esteem believe they are neither more or less than human. Knowing their faults and rough edges, they still are deeply and quietly glad to be who they are (Briggs 1977). They are like the good friend who knows you well and likes you anyway because they recognize the goodness, excellence, and potential that coexist alongside imperfections.

The journey toward developing healthy self-esteem, starts with the recognition that people are born with unconditional human worth that is independent of the way people treat us.

Self-awareness, the basic sense of self, and implicit memory (discussed below). To a great degree, self-esteem is imprinted as a felt sense in the right brain by the first three years, and stored implicitly below conscious awareness (Wilkinson 2010). Such imprints are usually not responsive to logic or words.

Later on, we'll address how imprints from the early years can be rewired, not through logic and words, but through strategies involving imagery, emotions, and body-based skills.