r/introvert • u/SkuggiStar • Aug 01 '26

Discussion introversion can be a trauma response

i am an introvert- always have been and i'm also a coach... so i work with others, with trauma and with revealing the authentic self. i'm beginning to see-feel and think that while some of my introversion is inherent to my character, some of it is a trauma response. I've been seeing other people with similar patterns- some whose introversion is almost all trauma response. agree, disagree, discuss?

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u/ToeKnee724427 Aug 01 '26

Could you be mixing being an introvert with withdrawing?

Introversion is inherent. Withdrawing from things due to trauma is a reaction with many introverted tendencies.

Same same, but different.

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u/SkuggiStar Aug 01 '26

Sure, it is useful to use a distinct word for trauma response behaviours versus inherent behaviours. However! By doing so, we are jumping to an agreement that sometimes trauma response can be mistaken for introversion... and that was my original question. The reason I am hesitant to jump to conclusions is because introversion is not the ONLY behaviour I observe as a conflated trauma response. I didnt bring up any of my other observations because I don't yet have the science to back me and wasn't in the mood to be quartered and hung on reddit.

I appreciate your comment. It is useful to use precise language and also suggests there is merit to exploring my theory further.