Most people don’t realize they’re still carrying pain from childhood. They know they struggle with trust, or overthink every text, or can’t quite feel safe in love—but they don’t always know why. It’s not because they’re broken or weak. It’s because at some point, something broke inside them—and they didn’t have the language, tools, or support to understand what was happening.
Core wounds are the hidden injuries that form when our emotional needs go unmet, especially in childhood or adolescence. They aren’t just about what happened. Often, they’re rooted in what didn’t happen—comfort that never came, affirmation that was never spoken, safety that was never established. And from those gaps, we learn to protect ourselves. We shut down our voice to avoid rejection. We stop reaching out to avoid being left again. We control everything we can so we’re not caught off guard. These behaviors helped us survive—but over time, they become the very things that sabotage our ability to thrive.
In psychological terms, a core wound is a deeply ingrained belief or emotional imprint formed through repeated experiences of pain, shame, fear, or neglect—often during the formative years when our identity and attachment patterns are still developing.
These wounds usually stem from five primary experiences: abandonment, rejection, betrayal, humiliation, and injustice. Each one leaves behind a narrative—a subconscious message we begin to believe about ourselves and others.
For example:
The problem is, once these beliefs are formed, the nervous system reinforces them. The brain becomes wired to anticipate pain, rejection, or abandonment—even in healthy situations. This is why a small trigger in adulthood can activate a disproportionate emotional response. It’s not just about the moment. It’s about the wound underneath.
Scripture shows us that Jesus didn’t just come to forgive sin—He came to heal the heart. ISAIAH 61:1 (AMP) says He was sent “to bind up the wounds of the brokenhearted.” That means He sees the places where you’ve been hurt, silenced, or overlooked—and He calls those places worthy of healing, not shame.
The enemy often uses these wounds to distort our identity. If he can’t stop God’s love, he’ll do everything possible to stop us from believing we’re loved. He’ll plant lies in the pain, hoping we’ll live from the wound instead of from the truth. But God offers something better. He doesn’t shame us for adapting. He invites us to surrender what protected us so He can restore what was lost.
You are not what happened to you. You are not what you didn’t receive. You are not the defense mechanism you built to survive. You are the beloved of God—and He is more committed to your healing than you are afraid of facing it.
In this blog series, we’ll walk through the five core wounds most people carry—often unknowingly—and explore how they affect our emotions, behaviors, and relationships. More importantly, we’ll look at how to begin healing each one from both a clinical and spiritual perspective.
Here’s what’s coming:
Each post will unpack the root cause, the emotional and relational patterns it creates, how it shows up in adulthood, and how we begin the healing process—with truth, with grace, and with God at the center.
If you’ve ever felt like something’s wrong with you but couldn’t explain why…
If you’ve ever tried to change your reactions but keep falling back into the same cycle…
If you’ve ever longed for connection but feared it just as much…
This series is for you.
Not to fix you. But to give you language for what’s already been true:
You’ve been protecting yourself from pain for a long time.
But now—it’s time to let healing begin.
This is just the beginning. These wounds may have shaped your story—but they don’t get to define it. Your healing is holy. And your heart was made for wholeness.”
Rejection doesn’t just hurt—it shapes the story we tell ourselves about who we are. In this post, we explore how rejection wounds form, how they show up in adult life, and how to heal using biblical truth and emotional insight.
When you’ve experienced emotional abandonment—even subtly—it changes how you relate to people, to God, and to yourself. This post breaks down what the abandonment wound is, how it shows up in adulthood, and how healing begins through nervous system repair, emotional honesty, and spiritual presence.
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This blog and podcast are a reflection of my journey as a follower of Christ, a disabled combat veteran, and a lifelong seeker of personal growth, faith, and resilience. Through radical honesty and authentic conversations, I share my struggles, victories, and lessons learned in overcoming fear, trust issues, and self-doubt. My mission is to inspire, encourage, and empower others to live with faith, purpose, and intention—embracing challenges, breaking strongholds, and pursuing the life God has called us to live.