Hilary Jacobs Hendel captures it beautifully: "Why do we lose touch with our core Selves? As children, we all have the job of adapting to our families, our peers, our communities and our culture. We sacrifice self-expression to stay in the good graces of those we need. This is essential for survival. But when we deny, thwart, or exclude too much of our authentic Selves to maintain our connection to others, we can fail to thrive. Fearing we won’t be loved and accepted as our true Selves - flaws and all - we teach ourselves to hide our true feelings. All this survival behavior leads to chronic shame, anxiety and more." The therapy process helps to explore and uncover these early patterns, and work through them in a way to develop a healthier more authentic Self.