Support for fawning, people-pleasing, childhood emotional neglect, and emotional abuse
Growing up in an immigrant or high-expectation household often means learning to survive by adapting — staying quiet, being “good,” meeting expectations, and putting your needs last.
As an adult, this can show up as fawning, people-pleasing, guilt, difficulty setting boundaries, or feeling disconnected from yourself. Therapy can help you gently unpack these patterns and reconnect with who you are beneath survival.
👉 Book a Free 15-Minute Consultation
Virtual therapy across Ontario • Culturally humble • Trauma-informed
Does this resonate with you?
- You feel responsible for other people’s emotions
- You struggle to say no or set boundaries without guilt
- You grew up needing to be compliant, successful, or emotionally self-sufficient
- You minimize your pain because “others had it worse”
- You feel torn between your needs and family expectations
- You experience chronic anxiety, self-doubt, or emotional numbness
- You were not overtly abused — but felt unseen, unsupported, or emotionally alone
- You’re exhausted from constantly adapting, pleasing, or performing
Understanding fawning & emotional neglect
Fawning is a trauma response — not a personality flaw.
In many immigrant and collectivist families, emotional neglect or emotional abuse can be unintentional, rooted in:
- Survival stress
- Migration trauma
- Intergenerational expectations
- Cultural beliefs about emotions, obedience, or sacrifice
Therapy offers a space to explore this without blaming your family and without minimizing your pain.
How therapy can help
Together, we can:
- Identify fawning and people-pleasing patterns with compassion
- Explore how childhood emotional neglect or emotional abuse shaped your nervous system
- Build boundaries that feel safe and culturally aligned
- Process grief for what you didn’t receive
- Strengthen your sense of self beyond roles and expectations
- Learn to recognize and honour your needs without shame
- Develop healthier relationships rooted in choice, not obligation
My approach
I offer trauma-informed, culturally humble therapy that honours the complexity of immigrant identity.
In our work:
- Your culture is respected, not pathologized
- We explore systemic, familial, and relational contexts
- We move gently — especially if you learned to suppress emotions
- There is space for anger, grief, love, loyalty, and conflict to coexist
What clients often experience
- Greater emotional clarity and self-trust
- Reduced guilt around boundaries
- Relief from chronic people-pleasing
- A stronger sense of identity and belonging
- More authentic, reciprocal relationships
Book a free consultation
If this speaks to your experience, you’re welcome to book a free 15-minute consultation.
We can explore what you’re navigating and whether working together feels right.
Krishna Vora Therapy 