Trauma, Sexualisation, and Adolescent Risk-When Closeness Feels Dangerous

Inside The Consulting Room - Understanding the Child Behind the Behaviour · Apr 7, 2026 · 17m · transcript

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The most baffling relational pattern I see in high-risk adolescents is also one of the most human: things start to go well, and that’s exactly when they pull the plug. A young person shows up, connects, even seems to trust us and then suddenly becomes withdrawn, provocative, or disappears. From the outside it can look like non-compliance or “failed to engage.” From the inside, it often feels like survival.

I walk through how trauma, sexualization, and early attachment experiences can wire closeness to danger. Drawing on John Bowlby’s attachment theory, I unpack the internal…