Discerning what’s reasonable and what’s delusional — Although mistrust due to maltreatment and betrayal plagues most people, as a clinician and survivor of complex trauma I’m all too familiar with how systemic attachment injuries rooted in childhood traumas, domestic violence, and narcissistic abuse can induce paranoia. If severe and recurring, habitually defending against victimization calcifies into paranoia. This persistent, fearful state of perceived threat, can morph into persecutory anxiety. Consequently, relational patterns characterized by hypervigilance, volatility, and the need for control take root. Suspiciousness infiltrates one’s worldview.
