The Exploitation Wound

Key Elements of The Exploitation Wound

“People will take too much from me — and I won’t be able to stop it.”

💔 Core Belief

“Others will use me, drain me, or take advantage of me.”
“If I’m not careful, I’ll be depleted or manipulated.”
“I can’t afford to trust people with my needs.”

🧩 Unmet Need

🧷 The need for reciprocal care, energetic protection, and fair treatment

To feel safe giving and receiving without fear of being depleted, coerced, or overrun.

🛡️ Protective Patterns

To avoid being used or drained, you may:

• Say yes reflexively, then feel resentful or exhausted

• Avoid asking for help (fearing debt, control, or dismissal)

• Keep others at a distance to avoid hidden expectations

• Distrust kind gestures, assuming they come with strings

• Oscillate between people-pleasing and rigid boundaries

• Exploit yourself (overwork, overextend) to avoid being "a burden"

🧠 Internalized Narrative

“My value is in what I give — not in who I am.”
“If I don’t give enough, I’ll be punished or abandoned.”
“If I don’t stay in control, people will take too much from me.”
“It’s safer to carry the load myself.”

🌱 Healing Path

🔍 Rebuild your ability to feel and trust your limits
🧭 Learn the difference between giving and self-sacrifice
✋ Practice saying no without guilt — your energy matters
🪞 Hold the belief: “I am not here to be used — I am here to be met”
🤲 Invite and receive support gradually, from safe people
💪Develop balanced self-reliance: protect your energy and let yourself be supported

🔄 Core Shift

From:

“If I open up, they’ll take too much from me.”

To:
“I can protect my energy, and I choose when and how to give.”