If you grew up feeling emotionally unsafe, unseen, or like your feelings didn’t matter, you may have unknowingly developed codependent behaviors rooted in childhood emotional neglect. In this powerful episode, Lisa A. Romano, codependency recovery expert, breaks down how early life experiences shape your nervous system and self-worth—and why the "invisible child" often becomes an adult trapped in patterns of people-pleasing, self-abandonment, and toxic relationship cycles.
How childhood trauma, emotional instability, or neglect programs the brain for codependency
Why feeling unsafe as a child rewires your nervous system to seek external validation
How beliefs like “I’m not enough” become subconscious blocks to self-esteem
The hidden link between early emotional trauma and compulsive rescuing or caretaking
How to start reclaiming emotional safety through boundaries, self-awareness, and nervous system regulation
Codependency is not just about behavior—it’s about the emotional blueprint you were given as a child.
If no one ever mirrored your worth or made space for your needs, you may now unconsciously look to others for permission to feel safe, lovable, or whole.
But healing begins with visibility—recognizing your patterns and rewiring the beliefs that keep you stuck.
Journal Prompt: When was the first time you felt emotionally unsafe or invisible? How is that experience still influencing your relationships today?
Self-Awareness Practice: Next time you feel the urge to fix or please someone, ask yourself: “Is this about honoring me—or avoiding rejection?”
Discover Lisa’s neuroscience-based system for codependency recovery in the
👉 12 Week Breakthrough Method:
https://www.lisaaromano.com/12-wbcp