Anytime we attract, and tolerate, a partner who is invested in shaming and blaming us for our past decisions or actions we must ask ourselves, "Have I forgiven myself for this?" Sometimes we punish ourselves for something we feel badly about by attracting someone into our lives who will do the work of "beating us up" (figuratively, and sometimes even literally) for us.

To tolerate and accept our partner's negative judgments and views about who we are is a form of agreement that we are "bad," "broken," or just plain "wrong." It is like saying, "yes, you and I both know I am damaged and therefore I will continue to be here with you, to tolerate your negative views of me, because, in fact, I agree with you." When we no longer believe we deserve punishment we become less willing to tolerate the ridicule or criticism of others.

Trust is the ability to predict well. When we predict what is going to happen, we are able to prepare in ways that can minimize the hurt. Issues of trust are most often about the person trusting, not about the person being untrusted. When we have faith in ourselves to predict how something will turn out, and we are able to anticipate what to expect and while we can not change another's behavior, we can better prepare our hearts when we know when we may not get what we want.

If, for example, she has trusted others before you whom were not worthy of her trust, she may have come to believe that NO ONE can be trusted - even you. Sometimes people have misjudged so many things in their lives that they believe their truster (my word for our ability to determine what is trustworthy in this world and what is not) is broken. When you have a broken truster, it doesn't matter what others do, you do not have faith enough in yourself to know what can be trusted, and what can't, so it becomes easier to cease to trust all together.

Unfortunately you can not fix her truster. You can, however, assist her in regaining faith in you. To do this you must first and foremost, be predictable. Make sure that you words match what you do - and not just in one category - in all categories. You must be consistent, reliable and throw in a little extra responsibility (in all areas of your life) and that will go a long way. Take the focus off of you by showing compassion for her around why she may have trouble trusting. Envelope her in compassion and caring, and reduce your defensiveness with her. Stay positive and hopeful and you just may help her heal her broken truster.

If you are unable to make progress after diligently employing these behaviors consistently for at least six months then you may need to evaluate whether or not this relationship has what you need.

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