84 | Ingrid Clayton on Fawning, Trauma, and Finally Telling the Truth

Dr. Ingrid Clayton is no stranger to the complexities of trauma. A clinical psychologist with over two decades of experience, she’s worked at the intersection of psychology, addiction recovery, and trauma healing—long before those words became buzzwords.But her work got deeply personal with the release of her memoir Believing Me, where she named, for the first time, the covert abuse and emotional enmeshment that shaped her nervous system. It was raw, unflinching, and revolutionary in how it gave language to experiences so many of us carry but can’t name.Now she’s back with Fawning: The Trauma Response We Don’t Talk About—a book that goes deeper into the trauma pattern she knows all too well. Not fight, not flight, not freeze. But fawn. The survival response that looks like being “easygoing,” “helpful,” or “good,” while your body quietly braces for impact.In this episode, we talk about:How Fawning builds on the foundation of Believing MeWhy fawning is so often missed—even by therapistsThe biology of appeasement and what it costs over timeWhat it means to stop being “the good one” and start being realAnd the long road from trauma bonding to boundary settingIngrid doesn’t just write about trauma. She brings a level of clarity and honesty that cuts through the noise—no posturing, no sugar-coating, just deep clinical insight and lived truth.———Connect with Kallie on social media at @kali.somatics Kallie's signature program, VENOM: https://kalisomatics.com/venom To learn more about Kallie's Greece Retreat in May 2026 https://kalisomatics.com/GREECERETREAT ____________ Connect with Dr. Ingrid Clayton on social media at @IngridClaytonPhD Pre-order her new book at: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/779579/fawning-by-dr-ingrid-clayton/