Are you avoiding love? It’s likely because you’re afraid of losing yourself; of being engulfed. I’ve spoken before about the Drama Triangle (Victim, Rescuer and Persecutor), developed by psychiatrist Steven Karpman. When you avoid intimacy, it’s easy to become the victim—why won’t he/she love me? And when you’re not in that role, you can quickly slide into being the persecutor or rescuer. But where does the drive to play these roles (and avoid love) come from? The fear of abandonment.
Any position that makes you feel powerless puts you on the Triangle. If you find yourself caught in this cycle, feeling you can’t trust yourself yet unable to let go of this way of operating, listen in to learn one thing you can do right NOW to change it. It’s time to get off the Triangle.
Related podcast:
The Not-So-Rare Anxious/Avoidant