Where Abandonment Lives in the Body
- Tammy Waldron
- 6 days ago
- 3 min read
Hi friend,
As we move into a season that can feel both beautiful and overwhelming, many of us notice deeper layers rising to the surface — questions about belonging, connection, and the parts of ourselves that still need care.
What follows is an exploration meant to meet you gently, wherever you are, and offer language and support for experiences many carry quietly.
Adoption on the Spectrum of Abandonment
Adoption sits at the far end of the abandonment spectrum.
My own healing journey began there — with separation, loss of connection, and the longing to belong. Being adopted shaped the way my nervous system learned to attach, seek safety, and protect itself long before I had language for what was happening.
And as my healing deepened, I came to understand something essential:
Abandonment is not unique to adoption.
While adoption sits at the far end of the spectrum, the experience of abandonment touches nearly every life.
It shows up when:
we feel emotionally dropped in relationship
we are ghosted after deep connection
family bonds fracture or grow distant
we feel unseen or unsupported when care is most needed
Abandonment is not only a story — it becomes an experience held in the body.
The nervous system records these moments as survival information. Not as memories alone — but as tension, guarding, withdrawal, people-pleasing, or emotional numbing.
Over time, those stored impressions shape:
how we relate to others
how safe intimacy feels
whether we over-give or retreat to preserve connection
how easily we can rest, trust, or receive support
For many years, I tried to heal from the mind — understanding why I felt the way I did, tracing patterns back to childhood, searching for answers.
True healing began when I began working with the body.
I learned that emotional wounds don’t dissolve just through insight — they need to be processed, released, and felt to completion within the nervous system.
This is where regulation and recalibration come in.
Rather than bypassing pain or retelling the story endlessly, gentle somatic and energetic practices allow the body to:
complete stored stress responses
soften protective tension
release unexpressed emotion
restore a sense of internal safety
As safety returns, the nervous system begins to re-calibrate — shifting from survival mode into a state where connection, clarity, and peace become accessible again.
This is the path I guide people through.
Not by fixing what’s broken —but by helping people gently meet what’s been heldso the body can finally let go.
This work isn’t about staying trapped in the past. It’s about coming home to yourself — creating a felt sense of safety inside so you can live with greater openness, connection, and ease.
As the holidays approach, these abandonment patterns often surface more strongly.
Family gatherings, memories, unmet expectations, and loneliness can activate old nervous-system responses — not because you’re doing anything wrong, but because your body remembers.
If this season feels tender or heavy for you, I want you to know:
You are not alone.
Support can make a profound difference.
If you feel called to explore this healing more deeply, I offer complimentary discovery calls — simply to hold space and see what support might feel like for you.
book your discovery call
There is no pressure — only presence.
With care,
Tammy
Step Forward with an Open Heart
If you feel called to go deeper, join my free Healing Circle on the first weekend of each month at 1 PM EST.
Our next circle is on Sunday, January 4th at 1:00 PM EST
It’s a space for healing, connection, and expansion—because you don’t have to navigate this alone.
💛 You are here for a reason. The world needs your light, your truth, and your gifts—now more than ever.
Are you ready to Rise?
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