"Too much."

"Too affectionate."

"Drama queen."

"Overbearing."

I've heard variations of these words for as long as I can remember. Not always with cruelty-sometimes just as a casual observation-but they always seemed to suggest the same thing: that my way of feeling, caring, and expressing was somehow inconvenient, something to manage or mute.

We have often read and heard about childhood trauma and we are aware that it is a poignant subject. When a child experiences trauma it significantly affects their behaviour and emotional state; traumas often induce the feeling of solitude even in the presence of friends and family.