For some, it might be a way of seeking validation or attention. Others may feel that they need to unload the burden of their experience onto someone else. Still, others may not know how else to cope with their feelings surrounding the event.
The stress and impaired reasoning that come as a result of PTSD may lead to worsened self-awareness, which means you may overshare without considering what you're doing – i.e. trauma dump.
On the other hand, oversharing may be a trauma response or a sign that you are ready for or need support. Trauma dumping isn't the same as: educating others or raising awareness of the effects of trauma. seeking support from loved ones.
Oversharing can be a trauma response. And it feels terrible. Though oversharing can make us feel inferior to the other 'polished' people in the room, may we be reminded it's human nature to want to be seen, heard and known- especially when we're hurting. Our desire to be known can often prompt us to share vulnerably.
A common reason for oversharing is the desire to build depth and emotional intimacy before the relationship is ready. This can often be connected to stress or a fear of not being liked by the person.
“People may overshare because of a desire for attention or validation, a lack of boundaries, a need for emotional regulation, social norms that encourage sharing, or mental health issues,” Davis-Fainbloom tells HuffPost UK.
In some cases, oversharing may be a cry for help from someone struggling to cope with their mental health. When we overshare, we seek validation and reassurance from others. We want to know we are not alone in our experiences.
Trauma dumping, also known as oversharing – or its newest incarnation, trauma bonding – has become a cardinal sin. Defined as “the oversharing of difficult emotions and thoughts with others”, trauma dumping is not actually a medical term, despite how laced in mental health rhetoric the phrase itself seems.
To Let Out Their Frustrations. According to this article from the Huffington Post, "oversharing is fueled by our insecurities." We tend to care too much what others think and try to make up for what we think other people judge us for. This leads to some people sharing far too much info.
It's normal, and even healthy, to vent and get emotional support from loved ones. However, trauma dumping is a consistent pattern of oversharing when one 'dumps' their difficult, stressful, or traumatic feelings on others. This behavior can negatively impact relationships, the person sharing, and the person listening.
The Reasons for Over-Explaining Trauma
According to neuroscientist and inventor of BrainTap Patrick Porter, PhD, the need to over explain yourself typically stems of childhood trauma. “If the person felt they were abandoned in some way, they learn to please others so others won't leave them,” he says.
Trauma dumping: With trauma dumping, you overshare difficult or intimate personal information without the other person's consent or during inappropriate times. You don't consider how your words impact the listener, and you're not open to advice or solutions.
Or their emotions can flare up suddenly and intensely for little apparent reason, even to the person. Some trauma survivors seem unusually flat or numb. They may become needy or clingy.
Re-experiencing is the most typical symptom of PTSD. This is when a person involuntarily and vividly relives the traumatic event in the form of: flashbacks. nightmares.
It can be hard for people with PTSD to talk about their trauma, even with people they love. Let your loved one know that you understand if they don't want to share everything — and that you'll be there to listen when they're ready. Be a good listener.
Oversharing doesn't create intimacy. Oversharing is self-absorption masked as vulnerability. This may also signal emotional neediness and/or lack of boundaries.
ENFP overshares because they want you to know that they are a safe space and is okay to express your own feelings. ESTP overshares because they like to talk and may be trying to sell you something. ENTP overshares when they want you to open up so they can expand and learn from you.
Oversharing is a common struggle among people who lack personal boundaries.
People with BPD often engage in self-sabotaging behavior. This can include: Oversharing.
Unprocessed trauma can result in oversharing. Trauma dumping might also be a person's way of reaching out for help, or a coping mechanism for dealing with the emotions it continues to bring up in them. Is trauma dumping a form of abuse? Most of the time, trauma dumping is not purposefully abusive or manipulative.
Therapist Israa Nasir, explaining this, wrote, “Using oversharing to get closer to someone is an unintended and non-malicious emotional manipulation, or a sign of poor boundaries. It can leave you feeling empty and lonelier than before.
It's common for people with ADHD to overshare information. People may be impulsive and not stop to think about what they're saying.
Hyper-Rationality is a trauma response and coping strategy. Overthinking, over-analyzing, and over-rationalizing are coping strategies that we learned early on to help us make sense of an unpredictable environment that at some point made us feel unsafe.