Latest / Stories From The Lost and Found: The Journey Back to Self / The People Pleaser
Transcript
- 0:00SPEAKER_00: Welcome to Stories from the Lost and Found.
- 0:02SPEAKER_00: I'm Krishna Evelon, subconscious therapist, breakthrough coach, and acupuncturist, someone who spent 24 years helping people change from the inside out.
- 0:11SPEAKER_00: I bridge neuroscience and ancient medicine together to show you what's actually driving your life because it's almost nut but what's on the surface.
- 0:19SPEAKER_00: Each week we'll go deep into the patterns, wounded parts, and the real stories behind why we get stuck and how we find our way through.
- 0:26SPEAKER_00: If you're ready for honesty, depth, and tools that actually work, you're in the right place.
- 0:31SPEAKER_00: I am so glad you're here.
- 0:34SPEAKER_00: Good evening, everyone, and welcome to the podcast.
- 0:37SPEAKER_00: The pattern we're going to talk about today is the people pleaser.
- 0:41SPEAKER_00: It looks on the outside like a lot of kindness.
- 0:44SPEAKER_00: What is it actually costing you on the inside?
- 0:47SPEAKER_00: Let me paint a picture.
- 0:49SPEAKER_00: We'll see if this lands.
- 0:51SPEAKER_00: You say yes to something, a request, a favor, a commitment.
- 0:56SPEAKER_00: And somewhere in the moment of saying it, you already know that what you really mean to say is no.
- 1:01SPEAKER_00: But the yes comes out anyway, automatically, before you've even had a chance to think about it.
- 1:07SPEAKER_00: And then comes the resentment.
- 1:09SPEAKER_00: Quiet at first, but then it becomes louder.
- 1:13SPEAKER_00: And then right on the hills, guilt.
- 1:16SPEAKER_00: Guilt for being resentful because you're someone who cares about people.
- 1:20SPEAKER_00: It's not a big deal.
- 1:21SPEAKER_00: They needed you.
- 1:23SPEAKER_00: So you push the resentment down and you do the thing and you do it well because you always do.
- 1:29SPEAKER_00: And nobody around you has any idea what's happening inside of you.
- 1:35SPEAKER_00: And if that's familiar, this episode is for you.
- 1:39SPEAKER_00: People pleasing is one of the four core patterns that I work with.
- 1:43SPEAKER_00: See this running in a lot of my clients from the outside and often from the inside.
- 1:48SPEAKER_00: It looks like generosity.
- 1:50SPEAKER_00: It looks like care.
- 1:52SPEAKER_00: It feels in the moment like the kind thing to do, the right thing to do.
- 1:57SPEAKER_00: But underneath, it's something very specific: a fear, a belief in a nervous system that has learned deeply and subconsciously that keeping other people happy is what keeps you safe and connected.
- 2:12SPEAKER_00: And so today we'll get at the root of that.
- 2:14SPEAKER_00: I'll explain it from the models that I use to guide clients in breakthrough coaching and subconscious therapy.
- 2:21SPEAKER_00: Those frameworks are called IFS, which is internal family systems and psych K.
- 2:28SPEAKER_00: And it's the subconscious program that I get to use.
- 2:31SPEAKER_00: Both of these frameworks were created by psychologists who were not able to serve their patients in the ways that they wanted to.
- 2:39SPEAKER_00: They weren't able to get deep enough.
- 2:40SPEAKER_00: They weren't able to help their patients create the changes that these clients, their patients, were trying to make.
- 2:58SPEAKER_00: And I'll also talk to you about the subconscious programs that we get imprinted often at the time of birth, maybe even pre-conception and utero, just what's passed down from our DNA, from our cells, what our mothers are going through when they're pregnant with us.
- 3:18SPEAKER_00: And the subconscious mind is where we create 95% of our lives.
- 3:21SPEAKER_00: So it's deeply valuable to have the tools to work at the subconscious level.
- 3:26SPEAKER_00: And then at the end of this podcast, we will end with a practice so that you don't just understand where the people pleaser comes from, but you'll actually have the space and the time to integrate and to work with the people pleaser part.
- 3:40SPEAKER_00: And I feel like that is one of the most valuable things that I can bring for you is to have the tools in the moment, but also create this space right now that you are here and can work with this part.
- 3:53SPEAKER_00: What people pleasing actually is.
- 3:55SPEAKER_00: So here's the first thing that I want you to understand.
- 3:59SPEAKER_00: People pleasing is not a personality trait.
- 4:02SPEAKER_00: It's not who you are, it's a strategy.
- 4:06SPEAKER_00: A very old protective strategy.
- 4:09SPEAKER_00: It's well practiced.
- 4:10SPEAKER_00: Your nervous system developed this to keep you connected and safe.
- 4:15SPEAKER_00: On the surface, it looks like a relational habit.
- 4:18SPEAKER_00: You say yes when you need to say no.
- 4:21SPEAKER_00: You avoid conflict.
- 4:22SPEAKER_00: You're very accommodating.
- 4:24SPEAKER_00: Making yourself smaller so others feel comfortable.
- 4:28SPEAKER_00: Anticipating what other people need before they ask and providing it, because providing it feels safer than waiting to see what happens if you don't.
- 4:37SPEAKER_00: It looks like niceness and uh often feels from the outside like care.
- 4:43SPEAKER_00: Underneath the behavior is actually specific fear.
- 4:47SPEAKER_00: Underneath the fear is a specific subconscious belief, and that belief is almost always some version of this.
- 4:54SPEAKER_00: If I stop making people happy, if I disappoint, disagree, or inconvenience them, they will withdraw their love, approval, or presence.
- 5:03SPEAKER_00: And that loss is unbearable.
- 5:07SPEAKER_00: That belief is not irrational.
- 5:09SPEAKER_00: In the context in which it was formed, usually in childhood, in relationships where love felt contingent on behavior, where approval had to be earned, where conflict meant real consequences, it was completely accurate.
- 5:23SPEAKER_00: Connection was conditional.
- 5:26SPEAKER_00: A child's job is to figure out how to maintain it and people pleasing was the answer.
- 5:32SPEAKER_00: As the adult, you continue that job automatically, even in relationships and contexts where the original contingency no longer exists.
- 5:41SPEAKER_00: Even with people who've given you every reason to trust that they can handle if you say no.
- 5:48SPEAKER_00: But the knowing is in your head and the fear lives in your body.
- 5:54SPEAKER_00: This is a piece that explains everything about why boundary setting as a skill on its own almost never works.
- 6:02SPEAKER_00: Willpower can't touch it.
- 6:04SPEAKER_00: People pleasing is at its root an attachment strategy.
- 6:08SPEAKER_00: It developed in the service of connection, which is one of the most fundamental human needs.
- 6:13SPEAKER_00: Not a nice thing to have, it's a survival need, especially for a kid.
- 6:19SPEAKER_00: Which means that every time you approach the edge of saying no, every time you start to disappoint someone, set a limit, or let a need of yours take up space, your nervous system fires a threat response.
- 6:32SPEAKER_00: Not a small discomfort, an actual threat signal.
- 6:36SPEAKER_00: Because you've learned that people pleaser has learned at the subconscious level as well that this kind of behavior risks connection.
- 6:46SPEAKER_00: And the nervous system doesn't distinguish between the boss you've worked for for six months and the parent whose love felt conditional 20 years ago, 30 years ago, 40 years ago.
- 6:57SPEAKER_00: It reads the situation through the old lens, the old program, the imprint.
- 7:05SPEAKER_00: The yes comes out before you've consciously decided anything.
- 7:09SPEAKER_00: And this is not a weakness, it is not a lack of self-awareness.
- 7:14SPEAKER_00: You probably understand this pattern very well.
- 7:18SPEAKER_00: Might even have perfect clarity on it.
- 7:20SPEAKER_00: Can trace it to where it comes from, which relationship.
- 7:24SPEAKER_00: You might even have compassion for that kid in you that had to learn that how to survive.
- 7:30SPEAKER_00: But still find yourself nodding yes to something you desperately want to say no to.
- 7:36SPEAKER_00: Understanding operates at the 5% of your mind.
- 7:40SPEAKER_00: The pattern, the subconscious pattern is running the show.
- 7:44SPEAKER_00: That's 95% of how you create your life.
- 7:48SPEAKER_00: So there's also a paradox here with naming.
- 7:50SPEAKER_00: The more you shape shift to please others, the less they actually know you.
- 7:55SPEAKER_00: The relationships built on your people pleasing are built on a version of you that isn't fully real, which means the connection you're so carefully maintaining is in some important ways not really truly real either.
- 8:12SPEAKER_00: Connection requires your actual self to show up with preferences, needs, opinions, and limits.
- 8:19SPEAKER_00: And your actual self can only show up when you stop subordinating to the fear of disapproval.
- 8:26SPEAKER_00: So in the IFS framework, the parts that are running this pattern.
- 8:30SPEAKER_00: In IFS, internal family systems, people pleasing is never just a part, the system.
- 8:38SPEAKER_00: Understanding the system is what makes working with it so different than trying to override it with willpower.
- 8:45SPEAKER_00: And IFS is very special in that other frameworks might get you to just dismiss or get over something or move on from something.
- 8:54SPEAKER_00: In IFS, we really want to learn what the parts of us need, the ones that are really seeking attention.
- 9:04SPEAKER_00: Often the ones that we don't like are the ones that really need our attention the most.
- 9:10SPEAKER_00: And IFS offers a way to ask these parts of us what they need, what they're afraid of, and to let them know they're not alone, to let them know that they're seen and witnessed.
- 9:21SPEAKER_00: And in all of that, parts can become unblended, is what we say.
- 9:27SPEAKER_00: They can become less extreme in their expression.
- 9:31SPEAKER_00: The people pleaser can rest finely once it gets to know you in your self-energy.
- 9:39SPEAKER_00: And we'll talk about that in a moment.
- 9:42SPEAKER_00: The most visible part of IFS, that people pleaser, we call that a manager.
- 9:49SPEAKER_00: A manager is a protective part, the one who scans every room for what people need, monitors, the emotional temperature, just your words and tone and a behavior in real time to maintain approval and avoid conflict.
- 10:06SPEAKER_00: This part is sophisticated, it's fast, it's also exhausting.
- 10:12SPEAKER_00: It's probably been running since childhood.
- 10:14SPEAKER_00: It probably has a very refined skill set.
- 10:17SPEAKER_00: It genuinely believes that if it relaxes its vigilance, even for a moment something will go wrong.
- 10:22SPEAKER_00: And that's unsafe.
- 10:25SPEAKER_00: Underneath that manager, though, that protective, people-pleasing part, that part is protecting what we call an exile.
- 10:33SPEAKER_00: And the exile is the younger part carrying the original wound.
- 10:38SPEAKER_00: The child who learns that her needs were too much, that love was earned through accommodation, that being fully herself was risky.
- 10:49SPEAKER_00: The exile is carrying a belief that she's only lovable when she's useful, when she's giving, when everyone around her is okay, that it's her job to fix, because she's so good at it.
- 11:03SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it makes me want to take a deep breath.
- 11:05SPEAKER_00: I know that one well.
- 11:07SPEAKER_00: And because the exile carries that much pain and that much fear, the manager works tirelessly to make sure she never gets activated.
- 11:15SPEAKER_00: Every yes, every accommodation, every moment of erasing yourself, abandoning yourself, the manager is doing that to protect the exile from ever having to feel what she felt when connection was threatened.
- 11:31SPEAKER_00: And I really think that that probably lands with a lot of people listening.
- 11:36SPEAKER_00: This is why telling the people pleaser to just say no isn't effective.
- 11:42SPEAKER_00: You're not dealing with a habit.
- 11:44SPEAKER_00: You're dealing with a protective system running in service of a very real wound.
- 11:50SPEAKER_00: And the protection system doesn't step back because you read a book about boundaries.
- 11:56SPEAKER_00: It steps back when it finally feels safe enough to trust that something else is here, something capable of handling what's underneath.
- 12:06SPEAKER_00: And that something is what we call self.
- 12:10SPEAKER_00: In IFS, your self energy is already within you.
- 12:14SPEAKER_00: It's already that part of you that is open and curious, loving, compassionate, wise, playful, courageous.
- 12:25SPEAKER_00: It's genuinely present.
- 12:28SPEAKER_00: And when the manager part, that people pleaser experiences that part of you that's calm and grounded and present, it can begin to relax.
- 12:39SPEAKER_00: And sometimes that does happen in a single session, but sometimes parts need to get to know you.
- 12:45SPEAKER_00: And then they get to need to know you some more, and then they need to get to you some more before they really can trust you to relax and unblend, which means go into that less extreme expression.
- 12:59SPEAKER_00: And it does this not because it's convinced or overridden, but because it can feel that it no longer has to do this alone.
- 13:08SPEAKER_00: The exile can be seen and heard and told the truth she never got to hear or say.
- 13:15SPEAKER_00: Your needs are too much.
- 13:17SPEAKER_00: You are loved for who you are, not for what you provide or do for others.
- 13:23SPEAKER_00: It is safe to take up space.
- 13:29SPEAKER_00: When that reaches the exile, it is felt from the self-energy that is present, not just as a concept, but a felt experience.
- 13:40SPEAKER_00: That manager's job changes.
- 13:42SPEAKER_00: The automatic yes begins to have a pause.
- 13:46SPEAKER_00: Not because you forced it, but because something has shifted.
- 13:54SPEAKER_00: You start to say no with ease.
- 13:57SPEAKER_00: You might even start to do that without guilt.
- 13:59SPEAKER_00: Your relationships become healthier.
- 14:02SPEAKER_00: Your boundaries become clear without you having to try.
- 14:08SPEAKER_00: So from the subconscious programming, let's talk about through the framework of the subconscious.
- 14:15SPEAKER_00: The framework that I use is psych.
- 14:17SPEAKER_00: That's the model I was trained in.
- 14:19SPEAKER_00: It's a very simple process, it's very conscious, not like hypnotherapy, where you're in an altered state or maybe even asleep.
- 14:28SPEAKER_00: And psych is very simple.
- 14:30SPEAKER_00: So even for very deep and complicated behaviors, programs, wounds, working in the subconscious can be very simple.
- 14:38SPEAKER_00: You just need the right tool.
- 14:42SPEAKER_00: IFS is profound.
- 14:44SPEAKER_00: Psyche, also profound.
- 14:47SPEAKER_00: IFS changes the relationships between the parts and it gets you and your self-energy in relationship to the parts.
- 14:54SPEAKER_00: Very powerful.
- 14:56SPEAKER_00: It gets you to know your exiles.
- 14:58SPEAKER_00: It creates the conditions for the wounds to be seen and the protection to soften.
- 15:02SPEAKER_00: But the subconscious belief is driving the whole system.
- 15:08SPEAKER_00: For instance, I am only safe when I keep everyone happy.
- 15:15SPEAKER_00: I receive love when I give and give and give.
- 15:21SPEAKER_00: I have to say yes to be a good person, a good mother, a good wife, a good daughter.
- 15:27SPEAKER_00: It's not safe to say no.
- 15:37SPEAKER_00: And this is where Psyche K is just so brilliant.
- 15:42SPEAKER_00: Psyche K creates what we call a whole brain state.
- 15:45SPEAKER_00: And that simply means it's a condition verified by EEG research where both hemispheres of the brain, specifically the left and the right hemispheres of the cerebral cortex, communicate optimally.
- 16:01SPEAKER_00: In that state, the subconscious becomes genuinely receptive to new information.
- 16:07SPEAKER_00: Essentially, you're very, very relaxed through the process that we go through in Psyche, very relaxed.
- 16:13SPEAKER_00: And when that happens, that's what allows change to happen in the subconscious mind.
- 16:19SPEAKER_00: So we can very peacefully unattach from triggers or stress, behaviors or patterns, we can also create new programs in the subconscious mind, which is pretty special.
- 16:30SPEAKER_00: Because while other processes might work with the subconscious to help you unattach from stressful things, they don't get to also reprogram your subconscious like Psyche does.
- 16:45SPEAKER_00: Let me give you some examples of some expanded subconscious programs.
- 16:48SPEAKER_00: Imagine creating this in your subconscious mind.
- 16:51SPEAKER_00: So you don't have to give yourself so many pep talks.
- 16:54SPEAKER_00: You can just do the things without effort, without guilt, without having to try so hard.
- 17:00SPEAKER_00: You just are without effort.
- 17:05SPEAKER_00: The program, I am enough as I am.
- 17:09SPEAKER_00: Or it's safe to say no.
- 17:13SPEAKER_00: My needs matter.
- 17:15SPEAKER_00: I am loved for who I am.
- 17:18SPEAKER_00: I deserve healthy boundaries.
- 17:21SPEAKER_00: I deserve healthy relationships.
- 17:25SPEAKER_00: The felt sense of threat when approaching a limit decreases once you create these new programs.
- 17:31SPEAKER_00: Because the subconscious is no longer running the program that says saying no equals losing love and acceptance.
- 17:39SPEAKER_00: Making choices from genuine desire rather than fear of disapproval becomes easy.
- 17:46SPEAKER_00: The resentment that has been building from years of chronic overgiving begins to lift.
- 17:53SPEAKER_00: You say no without guilt, and when you give, it feels enjoyable.
- 17:58SPEAKER_00: Your relationships improve.
- 18:01SPEAKER_00: You stop performing a version of yourself.
- 18:04SPEAKER_00: Start actually showing up.
- 18:06SPEAKER_00: And so let's go into a practice now.
- 18:08SPEAKER_00: If it feels good, you can close your eyes.
- 18:10SPEAKER_00: Can even lay down.
- 18:14SPEAKER_00: Start to take some slow deep breaths.
- 18:22SPEAKER_00: I like to inhale through my nose and exhale through my mouth.
- 18:26SPEAKER_00: And you could place a hand on your heart.
- 18:34SPEAKER_00: And from here.
- 18:47SPEAKER_00: Starting to glow with a golden light.
- 18:53SPEAKER_00: Just take a couple breaths here.
- 19:02SPEAKER_00: Whatever is present, it's just fine.
- 19:05SPEAKER_00: You can just let it be there, let it know that you're right here.
- 19:12SPEAKER_00: And you notice but come into your heart space.
- 19:19SPEAKER_00: Continue to breathe.
- 19:24SPEAKER_00: Allow some light to come in through your crown.
- 19:28SPEAKER_00: Whatever color you wish to see, your most favorite color.
- 19:32SPEAKER_00: Bring it in through your crown and let it come down into your heart.
- 19:38SPEAKER_00: Let it flow through your heart, down your chakras, through the base of your spine.
- 19:44SPEAKER_00: Continue to breathe.
- 19:50SPEAKER_00: Letting the light come in and connecting to your heart.
- 19:56SPEAKER_00: Letting your energy flow through your body.
- 20:00SPEAKER_00: Feeling the base of your spine, your sit bones on the chair, the bed.
- 20:08SPEAKER_00: Letting the light glow from your heart.
- 20:13SPEAKER_00: A little brighter with every breath.
- 20:29SPEAKER_00: Openness.
- 20:47SPEAKER_00: No matter what else is going on, see if you can connect to those qualities within your heart.
- 20:58SPEAKER_00: And you can just pick one if you want.
- 21:03SPEAKER_00: Calm.
- 21:06SPEAKER_00: Curious.
- 21:08SPEAKER_00: Open, present, compassionate, loving, wise, playful.
- 21:26SPEAKER_00: And from this place in your heart that's glowing with self-energy, stronger, brighter with each breath.
- 21:37SPEAKER_00: Extending that to the part of you that people please that says yes when you really mean to say no.
- 21:46SPEAKER_00: Just extend some care, curiosity to this part of you.
- 21:51SPEAKER_00: Maybe notice where you sense that in your body.
- 21:55SPEAKER_00: Take a couple breaths here.
- 21:57SPEAKER_00: Take your time.
- 22:03SPEAKER_00: In IFS, we slow it down.
- 22:05SPEAKER_00: It's a big part of the IFS model, slowing down.
- 22:16SPEAKER_00: Sending love, presence, curiosity to the part of you.
- 22:24SPEAKER_00: It's always scanning the room for other people's needs.
- 22:31SPEAKER_00: Tuning into what other people want rather than your own needs.
- 22:40SPEAKER_00: Feeling obligated.
- 22:45SPEAKER_00: And extend the self-energy to that part of you.
- 22:52SPEAKER_00: Maybe even noticing if you're feeling that somewhere in your body.
- 23:04SPEAKER_00: And just let this part of you know, like I see you.
- 23:09SPEAKER_00: And I'm right here with you.
- 23:16SPEAKER_00: Just this alone is very impactful for your system.
- 23:24SPEAKER_00: Sending care, openness, or curiosity, love or presence to this part of you that might live somewhere in your body.
- 23:39SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it's more in our thoughts, sometimes it's like an energy outside of ourselves, but it's usually in the body.
- 23:46SPEAKER_00: So just notice.
- 23:52SPEAKER_00: And then you're letting it know that you're here with it.
- 23:58SPEAKER_00: No other agenda right now.
- 24:00SPEAKER_00: Just presence, naming what you feel, where you feel it, and sending that self-energy to this part.
- 24:20SPEAKER_00: And from here, you just ask it, is it okay if I sit with you?
- 24:29SPEAKER_00: Get to know you a little bit.
- 24:34SPEAKER_00: And that might be all that you do, and that is more than enough.
- 24:39SPEAKER_00: But take a couple breaths here.
- 24:43SPEAKER_00: See if you get an answer, yes or a no?
- 24:55SPEAKER_00: Is it okay if I just sit with you and get to know you a little bit?
- 25:07SPEAKER_00: And if you get that yes, you could ask it, what do you need right now?
- 25:21SPEAKER_00: Sometimes you'll get an answer right away.
- 25:24SPEAKER_00: Sometimes it might take a minute, so just take your time.
- 25:48SPEAKER_00: And if it shows you something or tells you something, thank it for letting you know.
- 26:00SPEAKER_00: And if you can give it to that part.
- 27:13SPEAKER_00: If you can just stay here for a few breaths.
- 27:19SPEAKER_00: Sometimes those parts of you need protection, they need care.
- 27:34SPEAKER_00: Be held.
- 27:37SPEAKER_00: In a full session, we typically go pretty deep, and there are several parts present, and that's okay.
- 27:47SPEAKER_00: Sometimes other parts have things to say, but in this practice, really practice connecting to your self energy and then extending it to the part of you that needs your attention, letting it know you're right here with it.
- 28:06SPEAKER_00: I see you.
- 28:22SPEAKER_00: What do you need right now?
- 28:27SPEAKER_00: And this may seem very simple, but it's also very powerful.
- 28:34SPEAKER_00: This is your practice for today.
- 28:37SPEAKER_00: Stay here as long as you can, but even if you just have a couple more breaths, it's plenty.
- 28:43SPEAKER_00: Doesn't have to be an elaborate thing, you just have to slow down.
- 28:49SPEAKER_00: Slow down and notice, extend self-energy.
- 28:57SPEAKER_00: And from my self-energy to the parts of you that showed up today, and to your subconscious mind, I want to tell you that you are more than enough, exactly as you are.
- 29:12SPEAKER_00: And you are so worthy and deserving of healthy relationships, of saying no without guilt.
- 29:25SPEAKER_00: Saying no doesn't make you a bad person.
- 29:31SPEAKER_00: It means you get to start connecting from the wholeness of your being, which is better for everyone.
- 29:41SPEAKER_00: And I promise you that the people meant for you in your life will still be there, and you'll find new ones if some of them need to fall away.
- 29:57SPEAKER_00: People we have to say goodbye to are maybe very difficult to let go of.
- 30:52SPEAKER_00: And in action.
- 30:54SPEAKER_00: I hope to see you there.
- 30:57SPEAKER_00: That's a wrap on today's episode of Stories from the Lost and Found.
- 31:01SPEAKER_00: If something here resonated with you, the best thing you can do is share it.
- 31:04SPEAKER_00: Send this to someone who really needs to hear it.
- 31:06SPEAKER_00: And if you are ready to go deeper, I would love to support you.
- 31:10SPEAKER_00: Download my free workbook and walks you through your own subconscious blogs.
- 31:14SPEAKER_00: You can find that link in the show notes.
- 31:15SPEAKER_00: Or if you're ready for a real chat, book a free strategy call and let's figure out what is keeping you from moving forward.
- 31:22SPEAKER_00: I'll see you next week.
- 31:23SPEAKER_00: Your next breakthrough is closer than you think.