One of the most damaging things abuse does to people is destroy trust: in themselves, in others, in systems, institutions, ideals and more. The most important trust we have as human beings is our trust in ourselves. It is impossible to trust other people if you don't trust yourself.

If we don't trust ourselves or our instincts, we will often fear that we are misreading people and situations, or that there is a threat we don't see. If we don't trust ourselves to advocate for ourselves and show up for us, we might feel resentful or fear that others will take advantage of us. If we don't trust ourselves to meet our own needs, we may attempt to place this responsibility onto other people and then fear that they are going to let us down.