This belief doesn’t feel like a reaction—it feels like a conclusion. Not “something happened to me,” but “something is wrong with me.”
It sounds like:
- “There’s something fundamentally wrong with me.”
- “I’m not whole.”
- “No one could fix this.”
- “I’m defective at the core.”
- “I’m permanently messed up.”
This belief forms when trauma, failure, or emotional injury isn’t processed as experience—but absorbed as identity. It convinces you that you’re not just struggling—you’re damaged.
What It Sounds Like Internally:
This belief often lives in the quiet moments between effort and exhaustion.
- “This isn’t something therapy can fix.”
- “I don’t work right.”
- “It’s just how I am.”
- “Even when things are okay, something still feels wrong.”
- “I’m too far gone.”
Where It Shows Up:
This belief doesn’t just limit hope—it erases the belief that healing applies to you.
- Shame after moments of vulnerability or joy
- Believing setbacks are proof of your inherent defectiveness
- Sabotaging progress because it doesn’t feel deserved or sustainable
- Avoiding help, support, or rest because “it won’t change anything”
- Struggling to imagine a future that doesn’t include this brokenness
It often forms in:
- Environments that punished mistakes rather than repaired them
- Families or systems where failure was personalized
- Trauma where recovery was never supported
- Long-term invalidation of strength, uniqueness, or emotion
What It Can Lead To:
When you believe you’re broken, even healing feels threatening.
- Chronic shame and helplessness
- Internalized hopelessness or defeat
- Avoidance of growth, support, or transformation
- Persistent inner criticism and identity-based self-hatred
- Emotional isolation despite outward function or connection
Want to Dive Deeper into the “I Am Broken” Pattern?
Explore how this identity wound forms, and how we rebuild a framework where healing feels possible—and deserved.
Emotional Triggers:
- Being praised or recognized (it feels undeserved)
- Setbacks that feel like proof of defectiveness
- Comparing yourself to others with “simpler” struggles
- Being seen during emotional moments
- Receiving care or compassion you don’t feel worthy of
Related Beliefs:
- I’m not enough
- I don’t deserve better
- I’m unfixable
- I have to hide who I really am
What Therapy Targets:
This belief doesn’t need “fixing”—it needs reprocessing. ShiftGrit’s Pattern Reconditioning doesn’t aim to overwrite your identity—it helps reveal the self that was never broken in the first place.
Clients often say:
“I stopped looking for what’s wrong with me—and started looking at what happened to me.”
👉 Explore the Therapy Approach →
👉 See the Full Pattern Breakdown →
Related Resources:
- SlideShare: Rewiring Emotional Overreaction →
- Pattern Reconditioning →
- Depression Therapy Edmonton →
- Self-Esteem Therapy Calgary →
- Emotional Dysregulation Explained →
