Paul Conti

But we're talking across society, right?

How are we setting the odds, right?

We're setting the odds towards a higher sense of vigilance, a decreased sense of

self-confidence, an increased sense of vulnerability, a decreased comfort interacting with others.

What we're doing is we're pushing towards isolation and misery and depression and resentment.

I mean, those factors push towards that.

We know that the research is so strong that adverse childhood experiences, these things that happen, the more the worse, the more prolonged, the more that person is up against as they try and navigate life.

Yeah, if you're taught a lesson that says the world is not safe, and you're not good enough for someone to keep safe, and you're not strong enough to keep yourself safe,

That's a final common pathway of the vast majority of child abuse is telling those lessons to people.

Then how can that not change the lay of the land against openness, against the ability to rationally consider trust and mutuality and to protect oneself, but also take chances and do the things that we have to do to create the greatest happiness in our lives.

We set the odds so much higher

against that.

There's a word for it.

It's called isolation of affect.

It's a defense mechanism.

Well, isolation of affect can cut both ways.

So if there's been a major trauma, let's say someone has seen something terrible, and they're isolated from their affect.

And at one time it was thought, well, maybe that's good, right?

They're not hysterical, they're not distraught.

But we see that is not good, right?