Hello Emma,
Overall result
Moderately active woundsSome childhood wounds still shape your behaviours and your relationships. Protective masks show up in certain specific situations.
Your profile at a glance
Detailed analysis
This tendency is present in you — here is what it sheds light on.
You show moderate signs of the wound of rejection. In certain situations, you may feel like you're in the way or withdraw into yourself.
Your answers point to manifestations that are present but contained on the wound of rejection. The moderate level typically reflects an activation that comes and goes, often tied to identifiable triggers (stressful situations, relational conflicts, periods of fatigue or isolation). At this stage, the dimension is not dominant in how you function, but it deserves attention: the main risk with the moderate range is that it worsens through accumulation. In practice, watching the frequency rather than the intensity of an isolated episode gives a truer picture of how things are evolving: it is repetition, more than one-off strength, that tips the moderate toward the marked. Keeping a regular check-in (a brief journal, a conversation with a trusted person) can help you anticipate. Identifying two or three recurring triggers and preparing a simple response in advance — a pause, a phone call, a soothing activity — lowers the chance of the dimension settling in. If other dimensions evolve alongside it, this one can become more salient through a cumulative effect; and if these manifestations gain ground despite your efforts, raising it early with a professional is in no way disproportionate — it is often at this stage that support is most effective and shortest.
Recommendations
- ✓Work on identifying the situations that trigger the feeling of rejection
- ✓Practise self-assertion in safe, secure situations
- ✓Explore your childhood memories linked to the feeling of not being wanted
This tendency is clear in you — here is what it reveals, to understand and move forward.
The wound of abandonment is significantly present. The dependent's mask is active, pushing you to constantly seek the presence and validation of others.
Your answers describe a marked trait on the wound of abandonment. At this level, the dimension can sustain itself through self-reinforcing mechanisms (avoidance, narrowed attention, or rumination), whose exact form depends on the dimension at play. This trait typically shows up in several everyday contexts, not only in exceptional situations. Understanding the self-reinforcing mechanism is often the key: for example, avoiding a situation brings short-term relief but confirms to the brain that it was dangerous, which strengthens the avoidance next time. Spotting this kind of loop in your own day-to-day — without judging yourself — is already a lever for change, since you can only act on what you have first identified. It can interact with other elevated dimensions of the profile — for example by worsening the feeling of overload or by limiting the resources available to cope. It may help to discuss it with a professional (psychologist, doctor) to explore in more detail what is at play and identify levers for action; structured approaches such as cognitive and behavioural therapies work precisely on these chains, through small, concrete and realistic steps rather than willpower alone.
Recommendations
- ✓Consider therapy to explore the roots of this wound
- ✓Practise solo activities to strengthen your autonomy
- ✓Learn to give yourself what you expect from others
- ✓Work on managing your emotions during separations
This tendency is present in you — here is what it sheds light on.
You show moderate signs of the wound of humiliation. At times, shame or guilt keep you from taking care of yourself.
Your answers signal moderate signs of the wound of humiliation: at times, shame or guilt keep you from taking care of yourself. In Lise Bourbeau's model of the wounds (a framework to weigh against your own experience, not a diagnosis), this wound is often linked to the 'masochist's mask': a tendency to devote yourself, to forget yourself, to feel unworthy of receiving. One way of reading it is that shame acts here as a quiet brake: it whispers that you don't deserve to be looked after, which leads you to neglect yourself or to load yourself up for others. The moderate nature of the score suggests a trace that is present but not dominant. The most fruitful lever is to reintroduce small acts of self-attention without justifying them (a pleasure, a rest, a 'no'), and to observe the guilt that arises as a signal to tame rather than to obey: taking care of yourself takes nothing away from anyone.
Recommendations
- ✓Identify the situations where shame or guilt show up
- ✓Practise self-compassion day to day
- ✓Learn to set boundaries without feeling guilty
This tendency is clear in you — here is what it reveals, to understand and move forward.
The wound of betrayal is significantly present. The controller's mask dominates, pushing you to control everything and to distrust the intentions of others.
Your answers point to a wound of betrayal that is significantly present, with the 'controller's mask' front and centre: a need to master everything and distrust of others' intentions. In this framework (to weigh against your own experience, not a diagnosis), betrayal points back to an early trust that was let down, which learned to anticipate the worst so as never to be caught off guard again. One way of reading it is that control works as a protection: mastering, checking, not depending — it is an attempt to make a fresh betrayal impossible, at the cost of permanent tension and a difficulty in letting go and trusting. The high nature of the score deserves attention. The lever is to experiment, in safe relationships and through small steps, with delegating or showing vulnerability without the dreaded catastrophe occurring: these corrective experiences gradually loosen the need for control. Support can sustain this work.
Recommendations
- ✓Consider therapeutic work on trust and vulnerability
- ✓Practise gradual letting-go exercises
- ✓Learn to delegate and to accept the imperfection of others
- ✓Explore the origins of this wound in your earliest bonds
This tendency is present in you — here is what it sheds light on.
You show moderate signs of the wound of injustice. Perfectionism and rigidity can sometimes keep you from enjoying life.
Your answers signal moderate signs of the wound of injustice: perfectionism and rigidity can sometimes keep you from enjoying life. In the model of the wounds (a framework to weigh against your own experience, not a diagnosis), this wound is associated with the 'rigid's mask': high standards, self-control, difficulty allowing yourself imperfection and pleasure. One way of reading it is that the quest for justice and perfection may have been built as a way to protect yourself or to earn your place: 'if everything is fair and perfect, nothing can be held against me.' The moderate nature of the score suggests a tendency that is present without being confining. The most useful lever is to practise loosening the standard in low-stakes areas (accepting a 'good enough', allowing yourself an unearned pleasure), so as to relearn that your worth and your safety do not depend on perfection — and that flexibility is not slackness but liberation.
Recommendations
- ✓Identify the areas where perfectionism is excessive
- ✓Practise expressing your emotions day to day
- ✓Learn to allow yourself moments of relaxation without guilt
Profile synthesis
Your profile shows moderate manifestations. Some dimensions deserve attention without being alarming: they describe real but contained difficulties that do not yet occupy the centre of how you function. The moderate level is precisely the one where observation is most useful, because it can move in either direction depending on what happens in your life. Spotting the contexts and moments when these dimensions intensify — fatigue, conflict, overload, isolation — gives you concrete levers for acting early. Talking about it with someone you trust or a professional, even without urgency, can help clarify what is at play and prevent a worsening through accumulation.
How your dimensions interact
Several dimensions show high scores at the same time (Wound of Abandonment, Wound of Betrayal). These dimensions do not operate in isolation: they can reinforce one another, each feeding the others in a loop that makes the picture heavier than the sum of its parts. The good news about this mechanism is that it also works the other way: focused work on one of them, often the most accessible or the most invasive, can have positive knock-on effects on the others. It is precisely this kind of link that a professional can help untangle, to choose where to start rather than facing everything at once.
Your action plan
Right now
- →Wound of Abandonment — Consider therapy to explore the roots of this wound
- →Wound of Abandonment — Practise solo activities to strengthen your autonomy
- →Wound of Betrayal — Consider therapeutic work on trust and vulnerability
- →Wound of Betrayal — Practise gradual letting-go exercises
In the coming weeks
- →Wound of Rejection — Work on identifying the situations that trigger the feeling of rejection
- →Wound of Humiliation — Identify the situations where shame or guilt show up
- →Wound of Injustice — Identify the areas where perfectionism is excessive
In the long run
- →Retake this test in 3 to 6 months to measure your evolution. Significant changes on the elevated dimensions are often visible over that timescale.
- →If you start therapeutic work, identify together 1 to 2 priority dimensions rather than tackling everything at once — focused work is more effective than global work.
- →Build a lasting support network: a health professional (psychologist, psychiatrist, GP), your circle, possibly a support group. Strength comes from numbers and complementarity.
- →Take care of the physiological basics (sleep, nutrition, physical activity): they do not heal but they strongly shape your psychological availability for therapeutic work.
Avenues to explore
These are hypotheses, not conclusions. You are the one who knows whether they resonate.
It may be that you experienced situations where people close to you withdrew emotionally or physically in unpredictable ways. This wound of abandonment could show up as an underlying fear that others will leave, even in currently stable relationships. In some people, this profile comes with a tendency to anticipate separations or to test the loyalty of those close — is that the case for you?
Check for yourself: Over two weeks, observe your reactions during ordinary separations (time off, weekends away from loved ones). Note: do you trigger thoughts like 'they'll forget me', 'I don't matter enough'? Do you have 'checking' behaviours (frequent calls, requests for reassurance)? These signals would indicate that the wound of abandonment resonates with your lived experience.
A possible explanation would be that there were breaches of trust in your family environment — broken promises, confidences disclosed, or unexpected alliances. The wound of betrayal could mean you stay vigilant to others' hidden intentions. In some people, this profile comes with a difficulty in delegating or showing vulnerability — do you recognise that?
Check for yourself: Identify a current relational situation where you struggle to trust. Ask yourself: is there a specific event (often from childhood or adolescence) where someone important broke your trust? Can you tell whether your current distrust is proportionate to the present situation or whether it reflects a protection against past betrayals?
It may be that you internalised the message that your needs or feelings did not matter, or that expressing your limits was 'not allowed'. This combination of moderate rejection, humiliation and abandonment could create a tendency to over-adapt to others so as to stay relationally 'safe'. Do you feel you have to conform in order to be accepted?
Check for yourself: During your next three social interactions, observe: did you genuinely express your opinion or preference, or did you align your choices with others'? Did you feel awkwardness, fear of judgement, or anticipated humiliation at the idea of saying no? This would tell you whether this protective adaptation dynamic is active in your current life.
Another explanation would be that you absorbed implicit family rules ('how one ought to be') without really questioning them, creating a gap between who you really are and who you show. This mismatch could feed a sense of not fitting — do people really know you, or only an adapted version?
Check for yourself: Reflect on three recent moments when you felt authentic with someone versus moments when you 'played a role'. What role did you play, and what were you afraid would happen if you had been yourself? If the difference is marked, it suggests this avenue of protective conformity deserves exploration.
18 clinical reading frameworks are applied to your profile below — the exact number announced for this test.
Reading frameworks
Recognised clinical frameworks applied to your profile, as additional perspectives to weigh.
Attachment style — anxious with avoidant tendencies
The high scores on Abandonment (60%) and Betrayal (60%) suggest marked relational insecurity: fear of abandonment combined with distrust in the face of broken promises. This mixed profile evokes an oscillation between approach (separation anxiety) and distance (protection against disappointment), characteristic of a mild to moderate disorganised attachment.
Nervous system state — sympathetic-dorsal oscillation with chronic hypervigilance
Abandonment (60%) and Betrayal (60%) keep the nervous system on alert: sympathetic hyperactivation (anxiety, vigilance for signs of leaving) interwoven with moments of dorsal disengagement (numbing, resignation in the face of the inevitable). This oscillation creates an exhausting chronic dysregulation, where true rest (the ventral state of safety) remains rare.
Cognitive pattern — Catastrophising
The wound of Abandonment (60%) often amplifies scenarios of loss: any relational distance risks being read as the announcement of a total separation. This tendency to anticipate the worst creates an exhausting mental vigilance.
Cognitive pattern — Mind reading
The wound of Betrayal (60%) prompts you to decode the hidden intentions of others, generating preventive suspicion. The person might assume imminent betrayals without concrete clues, as if others' actions were necessarily malicious.
Cognitive pattern — Dichotomous thinking (all-or-nothing)
Faced with disappointment (Betrayal 60%), the swing from total trust to total distrust is common. Trusted figures tip quickly from 'entirely worthy' to 'completely treacherous', with no intermediate nuance.
Early schema — Abandonment / Instability
An Abandonment score of 60% corresponds directly to Young's schema: a visceral fear that loved ones will disappear or lose interest, with hypervigilance for signs of rejection. This fear may date back to childhood (a caregiver who was unavailable, unpredictable or emotionally absent).
Early schema — Defectiveness / Shame
The wound of Humiliation (40%) and that of Rejection (40%) fit the Defectiveness schema: an internalised conviction that something is 'wrong' with oneself, justifying others' abandonment or rejection. This belief reinforces vigilance for marks of disapproval.
Early schema — Mistrust / Abuse
The Betrayal score of 60% directly reflects the Mistrust schema: an expectation of being deceived, exploited or betrayed by those close. The early experience of broken promises or contradictory words consolidates this generalised protection.
Attachment — Sources: John Bowlby (1969) ; Mary Ainsworth et al. (1978) ; Kim Bartholomew, Leonard Horowitz (1991)
Cognitive distortions — Sources: Aaron Beck (1976) ; David Burns (1980)
Young's schemas — Sources: Jeffrey Young (1990) ; Jeffrey Young, Janet Klosko, Marjorie Weishaar (2003)
Polyvagal theory — Sources: Stephen Porges (2011) ; Stephen Porges (1995) — proposed/debated theory
Additional clinical frameworks
Recognised models for this domain, applied to your profile as hypotheses to weigh — not a diagnosis.
Models of childhood and the family
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)
Your profile reveals two elevated wounds (Abandonment and Betrayal at 60%), which sometimes evokes an accumulation of adverse experiences during childhood: relational ruptures, a lack of reliability or emotional consistency from attachment figures. These experiences may have overlapped, mutually reinforcing their impact. Do you feel that several forms of relational difficulty or dysfunction marked your childhood?
Sources: Vincent Felitti, Robert Anda, Dale Nordenberg, et al. (1998)
Contextual therapy (Böszörményi-Nagy)
The wounds of Betrayal and Abandonment sometimes suggest ruptures in relational fairness: a promise not kept, a presence expected but disappointed, or invisible loyalties that became confused ('I was told to trust, but I was abandoned'). This profile also evokes unsettled emotional debts: perhaps you carry a sense of obligation toward those who hurt you, or conversely an anger at a 'debt' never repaid. Do certain close relationships remain marked by this sense of unnamed injustice?
Sources: Iván Böszörményi-Nagy, Geraldine Spark (1973)
Bowen family systems
An elevated wound of Abandonment (60%) may reflect a low differentiation of the Self: difficulty in holding on to your emotional autonomy when a bond becomes fragile, fear of losing the other or of being absorbed into others' expectations. Betrayal at 60% also evokes a vulnerability to emotional fusion or triangulation: you may have learned that closeness was dangerous, that it risked betraying you. Could it be that you swing between seeking closeness and protective cutoff?
Sources: Murray Bowen (1978)
Inner child / IFS (Schwartz)
Your two dominant wounds (Abandonment and Betrayal) point to internal 'exiles': parts of you carrying the wound of deprivation, of broken trust, perhaps of the fear of being abandoned or deceived again. It may be that 'protectors' organised themselves around them (preventive doubt, distrust, relational hypervigilance) to spare you from reliving that pain. The work would consist in welcoming the vulnerability of that childlike part, without your defences pulling you away from relationship entirely. Do you notice how this fear of rejection or abandonment activates behaviours of control or withdrawal?
Sources: Richard Schwartz (1995)
Cross-cutting frameworks
Self-compassion (Neff)
This profile evokes a tendency toward self-criticism and emotional isolation in the face of the wounds of abandonment and betrayal: it may be that you internalised these early experiences as proof of personal unworthiness, rather than as relational circumstances. Exploring kindness toward yourself — especially in the face of vulnerability and imperfection — could counterbalance this harsh inner reading. Is a particularly hard inner critic triggered when you feel abandoned or betrayed?
Defence mechanisms (Vaillant)
The elevated wounds of abandonment and betrayal suggest a possible alternation between neurotic defences (rationalisation, intellectualisation of the affective bond) and immature ones (projection of blame, denial of one's own relational needs). This profile sometimes evokes a hyperactive vigilance for signs of leaving or lying in the other, paired with a minimisation of one's own emotional reactions. Recognising these protective mechanisms could help you gradually soften them.
Window of tolerance (Siegel)
The elevated wounds of abandonment and betrayal suggest a narrow window of tolerance in the face of separations, relational changes or breaches of trust — situations that can quickly tip you into hypoactivation (withdrawal, emotional freezing) or hyperactivation (anxiety, hypervigilance). It may be that you have little intermediate space to calmly process minor conflicts or relational uncertainties. Have you noticed this kind of polarised reaction?
Psychological flexibility (ACT, Hayes)
This profile evokes a possible difficulty in accepting the reality of human vulnerability (abandonment, betrayal) without immediately seeking to avoid, deny or fight it. An orientation toward experiential acceptance and the clarification of your relational values — independent of fear — could let you choose authentic engagement despite the discomfort of the past. It may be that avoidance of emotional risk limits your present connections: is that a pattern you recognise?
Response styles / rumination (Nolen-Hoeksema)
The wounds of betrayal and abandonment can feed a tendency to ruminate on what could have been avoided, on who failed, on how you had 'seen it coming': this repetitive reflective mode often maintains a negative mood and an over-analysis of the past. Experimenting with constructive distraction or present-focused problem-solving (rather than past-focused) could create movement. Do you notice a tendency to keep returning to moments of rejection or rupture?
Negative cognitive triad (Beck)
This profile suggests a possible negative cognitive triad in which you perceive yourself as unworthy of trust or of a stable presence in the other, the relational world as intrinsically dangerous (betrayal, leaving), and the relational future as uncertain or a repeat of the past. These automatic thoughts, born of early wounds, can maintain an anxious vigilance. Exploring and gently questioning these beliefs could open up new relational possibilities.
These frameworks do not constitute a medical diagnosis.
Resources & exercise
7-day observation journal
Each day, spot one situation where “Wound of Abandonment” showed up. Note the automatic thought, the emotion (0–100) and what you did. Then write one more balanced, alternative reading. After 7 days, re-read your notes: the recurring patterns become visible — the first step to change them.
Support resources
If you are struggling, you are not alone. United States: call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7). Elsewhere: find your local line at findahelpline.com. This report supports self-knowledge and does not replace a consultation with a psychologist or doctor.
Your answers in detail
1. I feel like I belong in groups and social gatherings.
Answer : Somewhat agree
You answered "Somewhat agree". Can you tell me more about when this comes up for you?
It comes out mostly in situations that matter to me, when I feel under pressure or emotionally involved.
2. I tend to isolate myself when I feel bad or misunderstood.
Answer : Somewhat disagree
And how long have you noticed this?
It's been more present for the past few months, even though I recognise it from before as well.
3. I often doubt my right to exist or to take up space.
Answer : Somewhat disagree
4. I feel panic at the thought of being rejected by someone I love.
Answer : Somewhat disagree
5. I allow myself to take up space even at the risk of being criticised.
Answer : Somewhat agree
6. As a child, I felt I wasn't wanted or welcome.
Answer : Somewhat disagree
7. …
The next questions (7, 8…) continue in your test. This sample only shows the beginning — the full test has 60 questions, and every answer refines your report.
What now?
You've just seen what your answers reveal. Your Full Assessment goes further: a personalized, step-by-step path to turn this understanding into concrete change — at your own pace.
Get YOUR The 5 Core Wounds report
Answer the 60 questions, then unlock your full report: interpretation, 14 clinical reading frameworks, recommendations and PDF — from 1.99 €.
← Back to the test page