10/22/2025
You didn't always have the words for what you needed and your nervous system was always picking up cues for what felt like, and sometimes what it cost you. From your earliest connections, your nervous system built it's own rules for survival from your experiences.
If love was unpredictable, you learned to stay alert. If love felt overwhelming, your body learned to create distance. And if love was both comforting and dangerous, then your body learned to chase and retreat.
Every pattern you developed was out of protection. Your body wasn't trying to make connection harder for you, but instead making the pain less unbearable.
As an adult, those same strategies and adaptations that once kept you safe and keep you stuck in cycles of relationships you don't actually want to be in.
Every attachment style needs to learn new cues of safety that teach the body that things are different now. That's what these words are meant to sound like. This is the voice of a safe partner who can be a calm presence with a nervous system that can hold yours while it's scared.
Your attachment wounds didn't happen in isolation and your healing can't either. Healing often requires another person's calm body to help yours remember that safety can exist in connection.
But here's an important truth: not everyon has the capacity to hold that space for you or can be that kind of partner right now. Everyone carries their own wounds and capcity, and even the most loving person can struggle to meet you in the exact way your nervous system needs.
If your partner isn't able to hold that space, that doesn't mean you can't heal. It just means your system may need other anchors of safety, like a therapist, coach, friend, or community that can help you feel seen and supported.
Safety is built anywhere your body can finally exhale.
Sometimes, a good starting point is a guide to help you begin to understand your patterns, learn the neuroscience behind your reactions, and begin retraining your nervous system. My new book, SAFE, can be that for you.
To pick up your copy and get some free gifts for pre-ordering, visit jessicabaumlmhc.com/safe.