Is Impostor Syndrome Rooted in Unresolved Past Trauma?

Words by Kelly Campbell

Have you ever felt inadequate in your professional life, despite having ample expertise and experience in your field? If so, you’re not alone. Impostor syndrome impacts about 70% of us at some point in our careers.

For some, this feeling is pervasive and can even become debilitating. For others, it can tend to fade over the course of our careers. And while all genders do feel like some sense of impostor-ism, it is most common in—and seems to have the strongest hold on—women.​​

The Impostor Cycle 

The term “impostor syndrome” was first coined in 1985 by a clinician at Oberlin College, Pauline Clance, PhD. Clance proposed a model to describe “the impostor cycle.”

When there are achievement-related tasks to tackle or ways in which we are asked to take on new responsibilities within our roles, our default response may be anxiety, self-doubt and worry. We may either over-prepare (if we rely on effort) or procrastinate (if we rely on luck).

Either way, because of our expertise and experience we find success, and we’re likely to feel an immediate but temporary wave of relief. 

The primary difference with those who suffer from impostor syndrome is that the positive feedback is often discounted or discredited, leading to self-perceived fraudulence, self-doubt, depression or anxiety.

While most of us can relate to this experience first-hand, as a Trauma Informed Leadership Coach, I was most interested in the role played by early family dynamics and childhood trauma on impostor syndrome.

Impostor Syndrome as Unhealed Trauma

Not one of us escaped childhood unscathed. Some of us were born with trauma, be it from generational effect, or traumatic imprinting that can begin in utero. Others have acquired wounds through experiences where basic emotional needs for safety, love and belonging were not met during our formative years—which continues through adolescence, through ages twelve to fourteen.

Regardless, all of us have suffered some type of psychological trauma.

We develop brilliant coping strategies to get what we need in the form of safety, love and a sense of belonging.

Yet, as adults, if we don’t do the inner work to understand why we think, speak and behave the way we do, then the younger versions of ourselves will continue to run the show. All that leads to emotional dysregulation, increased anxiety, and a continued feeling of not being (good) enough.

This is what is happening within many adult professionals who suffer from impostor syndrome. We worry that we will fail to accomplish something in our work environment—and if we do, the result will be the loss of safety we derive from our jobs, as well as the potential loss of the belonging we feel from our professional peers.

Diving Inward

If much of this inadequacy stems from unresolved emotional wounding, a natural question might be: How can I change it? 

While there is no silver bullet or magic formula to healing work, from my experience, the starting point is always curiosity when it comes to childhood trauma.

The healing journey looks different for each of us. And you will likely find that a combination of things will cross your path as you venture inward. From working with a therapist, shadow work coach or somatic healer to reading relevant books, listening to podcasts and watching videos to taking classes or courses, journaling and talking with friends, the work is deep and never-ending. 

All of this might sound prohibitive to you, but if it does, my question in response would be: what impact would it have on you if nothing changed in your life?

If you could release the emotional correlation between being “found out” as a fraud and the stronghold of loss of belonging, what would you gain? Fear runs deep, especially in the realms where the small version of you is anxious and hijacking the reality of your competence.

As you start getting curious about where your unhealed trauma still lives, think about these as well:

• Get vulnerable about how you feel: Share with a friend or co-worker.

• Let go of needing to have the answer: Good news, asking for support is in!

• Reframe your inner critic’s narrative: Where did that story come from?

• Celebrate the small wins: Most of us don’t give ourselves permission until we’re perfect.

• View failure as an opportunity for growth: Because you can learn so much!

Impostor syndrome is not a simple get-over-it or think-your-way-out-of-it situation. Don’t be afraid to look under the hood and really see what’s going on. What you find may just awaken you to a whole host of things that you’ve been wanting to change in your life.

Kelly Campbell is a Trauma-Informed Conscious Leadership Coach, helping creative and technology leaders transform both life and agency. She is the host of THRIVE: Your Agency Resource, a bi-weekly video podcast for agency leaders who want to deepen self-awareness, leadership development and business growth. She is also the founder of Consciousness Leaders, a representation agency pairing diverse conscious leadership experts with organisations in order to create positive change and drive lasting results. She is currently authoring her first book on the connective tissue between healing childhood trauma and becoming a conscious leader.