People Pleasing and the Fawn Response

In this episode, Amanda and Tara explore the “fawn” response to trauma—the lesser-known fourth F alongside fight, flight, and freeze. We discuss Meg Josephson’s Are You Mad at Me? (kobo.com/ebook/are-you-mad-at-me-3), a trauma-informed guide to people-pleasing, boundaries, and the fear of disappointing others, before turning to Sally Rooney’s Normal People (kobo.com/ebook/normal-people-2) to explore how fawning, self-worth, intimacy, and class anxiety show up in fiction. Plus, we ask the big question: will Connell and Marianne ever learn to be honest about what they really need?

You can find us:
Instagram, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, SubStack: @booksfromyourtherapist
Podcast: Acast, iTunes, Spotify, wherever you listen!
Work with Amanda (California residents) (amandathrockmorton.com)
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.