India, March 22 -- Childhood is a deeply formative phase, shaping how we understand relationships, develop behavioural patterns, and respond to the world around us. When a child grows up in a toxic or unsafe environment, they may be forced to adopt coping mechanisms simply to navigate daily life. These responses can linger long after childhood, influencing behaviour, emotional responses, and relationships in adulthood. Jeff Guenther (@therapyjeff), a Portland-based therapist, outlines ways to identify these trauma responses on Instagram. The therapist explains that a trauma response is almost instantaneous, functioning like a reflex. You may find yourself explaining or justifying a red flag almost immediately after recognising it. Your relationships are marked by constant anxiety and a pressing sense that the person has to be good, otherwise something bad will happen. Jeff highlights that the clearest sign is when you instinctively assume someone is a good person - without concrete evidence, or before they've truly shown you who they are. He stresses that the traumatised child within you was responding out of necessity. But that response does not have to remain your default. "Now you don't have to find the good anymore. You just have to wait for people to show it to you," he concludes....