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What happens when the people meant to protect you are the ones who cause harm? We open a four-part journey into rebuilding trust after childhood trauma, starting with the foundation that makes every other step possible: learning to trust yourself. With Storm joining after a few live tech hiccups, we move past apologies and into the real work—naming how abuse tangles safety with danger and why hypervigilance, people-pleasing, and isolation become default settings.

Together we unpack what trust actually is and how it gets shattered: unpredictable harm, denial of reality, and the slow erosion of self-belief. You’ll hear personal stories that put language to familiar patterns—testing people until they fail, pushing away love before it can hurt you, ignoring your body’s signals, and numbing the scan for danger. Then we shift from theory to practice. We outline small, doable steps that begin to retrain the nervous system: noticing tension and ease, naming feelings without judgment, choosing one calming tool that truly works for you, and building credibility through tiny promises kept. We also talk about boundaries as an act of self-trust and why self-compassion—not perfection—is the engine of change.

If you’re exhausted from second-guessing, craving closeness but bracing for impact, or simply ready to stop abandoning yourself, this conversation offers a clear starting point. Walk away with practical tools to listen to your body, set one honest boundary, and make one small promise you can keep tomorrow morning. We’ll continue this trust series after a brief bye week with how trust falters, practical daily practices, and sustaining trust for long-term healing.

If this helped, follow the show, share it with someone who needs it, and leave a review telling us the one small habit you’ll try this week. Your voice helps other survivors find a safer path forward.

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Picking up from Season 1 Episode 2, Host Alphonso Pelt expounds on Self-Sabotage, some of the self defensive mechanisms we developed as abused children, and how to break the cycle.

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Welcome back to Terror to Triumph. I'm Alphonso Pelt. Last week, we talked about why I'm breaking the silence. Today, we're going deeper—into one of the most painful ways that childhood abuse shows up in our adult lives: our relationships.

If you've ever wondered why you struggle to trust, why you sabotage good relationships, or why you find yourself repeating painful patterns, this episode is for you.

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The hardest part of healing is often the first step: saying what happened out loud. We open a space where that truth is welcomed, not doubted, and where survivors can trade silence for language, and isolation for community. Alphonso shares his story of childhood physical, verbal, and sexual abuse, the defense mechanisms that followed him into adulthood, and the moment therapy began to untangle patterns he once mistook for protection. No quick fixes, no toxic positivity—just honest, practical tools for reclaiming power.

 Across this conversation, we explore how silence gives harm room to grow—and how naming trauma cuts it down to size. You’ll hear why acknowledgment precedes change, how the body keeps the score of what the mind avoids, and what it takes to replace a metaphorical bandage with real care. We talk about relationships that fracture under unhealed wounds, the courage to confront patterns, and the steady work of building safety through boundaries, support networks, and professional guidance. The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is highlighted for those moments when the weight feels immediate and overwhelming.

We also turn toward prevention and advocacy: teaching kids the language of consent and harm, creating trusted pathways to speak up, and becoming adults who believe the first time. Alphonso invites you into a growing circle of survivors and allies, with future episodes featuring expert guests and readings from his forthcoming book, The Terror in My Eyes. If your story has stayed locked away, let this be a gentle nudge toward voice and validation. Subscribe, share with someone who needs it, and leave a review with one insight you’re taking forward—your words might be the bridge someone else needs.

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