Next Up: Narcissism4 Juli 2025

Episode 56: Trauma and The Fawning Response with Dr. Ingrid Clayton

Fawning isn’t a flaw to fix. It is a brilliant survival response that can quietly shape your entire identity until you finally have the words for it.

In this episode, I sit down with clinical psychologist and author Ingrid Clayton for a conversation that I know will resonate deeply with so many of you. We talk about fawning, what it is, how it shows up, and why it’s so often misunderstood. If you’ve ever felt like you disappeared in a relationship or lost touch with your own needs just to keep someone else happy, you’re not alone. And chances are, your nervous system was doing exactly what it needed to do to keep you safe.

Ingrid shares her own story as a survivor of complex trauma, and how that experience shaped the work she does now. We explore the difference between trauma that’s tied to a single event and the kind that builds over time in ways that can be hard to name. We talk about what healing actually looks like, how to start reconnecting with yourself, how to recognize the patterns that no longer serve you, and how to hold space for the grief that sometimes comes with change.

This isn’t a conversation filled with quick fixes or five-step plans. It’s honest and validating. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “Why do I keep doing this?” or “What’s wrong with me?” I hope this episode helps you see that nothing about you is broken. There’s a reason for the patterns. And there’s also a way through.

Episode Breakdown:

00:00 Introduction

02:08 How Personal Experience with Trauma Shaped Dr. Ingrid Clayton’s Work

03:17 What Complex Trauma Really Looks Like

10:20 Fawning as a Smart and Adaptive Trauma Response

14:03 Why Codependency and People-Pleasing Miss the Point

20:20 Real-Life Examples of Fawning in Adulthood

27:20 Why Trauma-Informed Therapy Matters

30:10 Rebuilding a Relationship with Yourself

36:09 How Healing Can Change Your Closest Relationships

40:41 Dr. Clayton’s Message to Anyone Who Feels Broken

Links

Book: Believing Me https://amzn.to/4lkulGy

Website: https://www.ingridclayton.com/

Preorder ‘Fawning’ here: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/779579/fawning-by-dr-ingrid-clayton/

https://www.instagram.com/ingridclaytonphd/

Connect with Dr. Z: https://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/

https://www.zgrouptherapy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/dr.z_psychologist/

https://www.tiktok.com/@dr.z_psychologist

https://www.youtube.com/@DrJaimeZuckerman

Get my FREE breathing exercise here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/newsletter

Order my workbooks! *Find Your Calm / Find Good Habits* http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/books

Shop my new Mindfully Messy hoodie here: http://www.drjaimezuckerman.com/apparel

Podcast production and show notes provided by HiveCast.fm

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