The Intrusion Wound

Key Elements of The Intrusion Wound

“If I let you in, I’ll lose myself.”

💔 Core Belief

“Others will overwhelm, control, or smother me.”
“I can’t stay connected without sacrificing my boundaries.”
“If I don’t give in, I’ll be guilted, punished, or abandoned.”

🧩 Unmet Need

🧭 The need for empowered autonomy within connection

To feel free and self-directed without disconnecting from others. To know you can express your limits and still be loved.

🛡️ Protective Patterns

To avoid being overrun, you may:

• Withdraw emotionally when others get too close

• Keep strong physical or emotional distance in relationships

• Avoid commitments that feel too binding

• Rely on control, rigidity, or isolation to protect your space

• Say yes outwardly but retreat inwardly

• Swing between self-abandonment and hyper-independence

• Allow boundary violations in some relationships while fiercely protecting others

🧠 Internalized Narrative

“If I get close, I’ll be trapped.”
“People don’t respect my space unless I force them to.”
“I don’t know how to stay in connection and protect myself.”
“I have to choose: closeness or freedom.”

🌱 Healing Path

🧍‍♀️ Rebuild the belief that you can hold boundaries and stay connected
🗣️ Practice expressing your limits clearly without guilt or over-explaining
🌬️ Learn to tolerate closeness without collapsing your sense of self
🔄 Trust that it’s safe to pause, slow down, and ask for space when needed
🤝 Let relationships become co-regulated, not co-opted

🔄 Core Shift

From:

“Connection means I’ll be consumed.”

To:
“I can stay fully myself, even in closeness.”