Trust Issues

The Scar Tissue of Betrayal

Trust is a Prediction Mechanism. The brain predicts that “Person X will act in my best interest.” When that prediction is violated (betrayal), the brain creates a “Prediction Error” record. “Trust Issues” are essentially the brain’s attempt to prevent that error from happening again.

Hyper-Independence

People with trust issues often develop Hyper-Independence as a defense mechanism.

• The Wall: The brain decides that “Dependency = Danger.” Therefore, it refuses to delegate, share emotions, or rely on others. This protects against betrayal but ensures isolation and burnout.

• Suspicion: The brain applies a “guilty until proven innocent” filter to everyone, exhausting the Prefrontal Cortex with constant threat scanning.

Rebuilding the Mechanism

• Graded Exposure: Trust cannot be switched on; it must be built. Start with low-stakes trust exercises.

• Disconfirming Evidence: Actively look for evidence that contradicts your fear. “He said he would call, and he did.” You must manually feed the brain positive data to overwrite the old trauma file.