Is Your Emotional Oxygen Running Low? How Trauma Blocks Compassion and What to Do About It

Discover how hidden trauma and self-criticism block your natural compassion. Learn from DIVE Healing® how trauma-informed therapy can help you heal, boost resilience, and cultivate self-compassion for lasting emotional wellbeing.

Is Your Emotional Oxygen Supply Running Low? Exploring the Hidden Blocks to Self-Compassion

Do you feel pressured to stay "well put together" while secretly feeling overwhelmed inside?In today’s world, the stress to appear strong and successful is greater than ever — yet beneath the surface, many of us are quietly struggling with poor self-esteem, self-criticism, and the exhausting belief that we are never "enough."

We crave validation, catharsis, and relief… but often, we look outside ourselves to regulate the discomfort within. This cycle leaves us emotionally drained, disconnected, and searching for a cure — while lacking the self-compassion and patience our healing truly requires.

At DIVE Healing®, we help you uncover and dissolve these blocks, so you can breathe freely again — emotionally, mentally, and physically.

How We Lost Touch With Self-Compassion

Self-compassion is a crucial predictor of mental health, yet in modern society, we’ve forgotten how to offer it to ourselves.Instead, we turn to external validation, substances, or distractions to numb uncomfortable feelings. Over time, this drains our energy and keeps us stuck in survival mode.

But why is self-compassion so difficult? The roots often lie in childhood experiences, trauma, and cultural conditioning that shaped how we respond to stress and illness. These patterns get "wired" into our nervous system, influencing our thoughts, behaviours, and even gene expression.

The Hidden Impact of Trauma on Compassion

Trauma is far more common than we realise — and it shapes how we respond to life’s challenges. As Peter Levine reminds us:"Trauma has become so commonplace, that most people don’t even recognise its presence."

When we’ve experienced trauma (big or small), our nervous system learns to operate from a place of threat and self-protection.This makes compassion — both giving and receiving — feel risky or unsafe. As Dr. Gabor Maté explains:"It’s not the events in our current life that we react to, it’s our perception of the event we are reacting to."

People who struggle with self-compassion often face intense shame and self-criticism, which activates the brain's threat system. This can lead to patterns like:

• Self-attacking (e.g., self-harm, harsh inner critic)

• Emotional collapse (e.g., depression, numbness)

• Avoidance of difficult emotions (e.g., overwork, addiction)

Why Compassion Is Essential for Healing

Compassion is not weakness — it is the courageous act of facing our suffering with wisdom and care.

Research shows that people with greater self-compassion:

✔ Bounce back more easily from setbacks

✔ Are less likely to suffer from depression and anxiety

✔ Engage in healthier relationships

✔ Are more open to seeking help and healing

At its core, compassion is about meeting suffering with action — doing what we can to prevent further harm and promote healing, both for ourselves and others.

Ready to Reclaim Your Emotional Oxygen?

If you find it difficult to accept kindness from others or to treat yourself with care, you are not alone — and help is available.

At DIVE Healing®, our Holistic Psychologist Arissa Brunelli offers trauma-informed therapy and somatic approaches to help you:

🌿 Uncover and release the hidden blocks to self-compassion

🌿 Heal the impact of trauma on your body and mind

🌿 Build emotional resilience and inner ease

🌿 Restore freedom, joy, and self-empowerment in daily life

Take the First Step Towards Compassionate Healing

You deserve to feel whole, worthy, and at peace within yourself.

Start your healing journey today - book now.

Let’s breathe new life into your emotional oxygen supply — and rediscover the compassion that has always been your birthright.