Therapy for trust issues to build stronger relationships

Trust issues can be defined as the difficulty believing that a person will always act in your best interest or treat you with honesty and care. While having moments of doubt is normal, when those feelings become a pattern, it can impact every aspect of your life. Often, trust issues stem from past betrayals, childhood experiences, relationship trauma from a past partner, or general anxiety and self-protection mechanisms. They can develop slowly, as a form of self-protection, but over time, trust issues can prevent you from forming healthy, supportive, rewarding connections.

It’s understandable to be wary of others if you’ve been hurt in the past, but ongoing trust issues can leave you feeling emotional, lonely, disconnected, exhausted, and unfulfilled. The tricky part about not being able to trust is that your issues don’t just live in the background. They shape how you navigate your world and interact with others.

Trust issues can show up in your life in several ways, including:

• It’s challenging to open up: You find it hard to share your feelings, thoughts, or fears with others, even those you care about.
• You fear vulnerability or rejection: It feels too risky or scary to let someone in, so you keep your guard up to avoid being hurt.
• You overanalyze relationships, looking for signs of betrayal: You tend to scrutinize every interaction, looking for signs of betrayal or dishonesty, often with little or no evidence of any wrongdoing.
• You isolate or pull away when a relationship starts to deepen: Any time a relationship starts to move forward, you find yourself wanting to pull back or you put up a wall.
• It’s hard to rely on others for support: It’s difficult for you to ask for help, so you try to handle everything on your own.

Individualized therapy for trust issues can be a game-changer. Therapy is a safe, non-judgmental space where you can rebuild trust and explore the root causes of why you can’t trust others. Group or couples therapy can be great in some cases, but individual therapy lets you look at your past and address your needs at your own pace. It reduces the pressure of processing your feelings in front of others (which can be a huge benefit when it’s already hard for you to trust in the first place).

In therapy, you can be honest about your fears, and you’ll be met with empathy and support. The consistency of a therapist-patient relationship models what trust looks like, so you can practice being in a healthy, trusting relationship in a controlled environment.

During therapy sessions, you’ll be able to identify:

• The root causes of trust struggles: Therapy is the place to explore your past and identify experiences that shape your current trust issues.
• Patterns of thinking and behavior that reinforce distrust: A skilled therapist will help you find unhealthy patterns you’re repeating without realizing it.
• How to set healthy boundaries: Working one-on-one with a therapist, you’ll learn to set healthy boundaries that protect you without completely shutting people out.
• Developing realistic expectations: You will work through your fears in therapy and start recognizing trustworthy behavior in others, so you become comfortable with vulnerability.

There are several therapeutic approaches for learning how to deal with trust issues. Three common evidence-based forms of therapy are cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), psychodynamic therapy, and mindfulness and acceptance-based therapies.

1. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold standard in individualized therapy. It’s one of the most widely studied and accepted forms of therapy. Studies show that CBT can help people who rely on safety-seeking behaviors. It teaches you to identify and challenge distorted or unhelpful beliefs about trust, betrayal, and vulnerability.

Using CBT for trust issues is effective because it lets you get comfortable with reframing automatic fears so you can start trusting others. For example, if you automatically assume a partner will let you down, you might shut them out, even if they haven’t done anything. CBT teaches you to examine the evidence you have for and against your beliefs. It helps you recognize whether your inclination to distrust is the result of past experiences.

Common CBT techniques include:

• Cognitive restructuring: You’ll learn to identify and challenge unhealthy or unhelpful thoughts.
• Behavioral activation: Your therapist will encourage you to engage in things you enjoy.
• Exposure therapy: You will practice confronting situations you fear in a slow, safe environment.
• Problem-solving: You’ll learn step-by-step tools to take on challenges in life.
• Relaxation techniques: You will learn how to use relaxation tools like deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness.

2. Psychodynamic Therapy

Psychodynamic therapy helps you explore links between past relationships, patterns, and deep-rooted beliefs you have about trust today. You’ll uncover how hidden fears and unconscious beliefs are influencing your current relationships. If you didn’t have a consistent or healthy caregiving environment when you grew up, you might just expect others to be unreliable in your adult life.

Psychodynamic therapy places a strong emphasis on trust in the therapist-client relationship. It creates space for you to gradually learn how to trust in a healing environment. You can then apply what you learn in therapy to real-life relationships. In studies, trust plays a central role in healing from trauma and other trust-related issues.

Common psychodynamic therapy techniques include:

• Free association: You’ll practice speaking or writing freely to uncover thoughts and feelings.
• Exploration of dreams: You can discuss and understand dreams and fantasies.
• Identification of defense mechanisms: You’ll examine your coping tools, such as projection or repression.
• Looking at transferences and countertransference: You can start to uncover how you and a therapist unconsciously react to or interact with one another.

3. Mindfulness and Acceptance-Based Therapies

Mindfulness-based therapies, like acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), help you identify when fearful thoughts about trust start to creep in. They teach you how to notice your thoughts without immediately reacting to them, giving you room to make different choices. Instead of your normal response, which might be to suppress or avoid your feelings about mistrust, you’ll learn how to observe them happening in the moment with curiosity and self-compassion.

A growing body of research suggests that mindfulness therapies can improve psychological health. In turn, this skill can help you believe in yourself as you start trusting others. Through therapy, you’ll become more willing to take small risks in your relationships, even if you’re afraid. For example, you might start to be more comfortable sharing a feeling with someone or asking for help with a low-risk task. It can even be as simple as trying something new, like taking a class together. Mindfulness helps you stay in the moment and remain present, so you don’t get caught up worrying about the past or future.

Common mindfulness-based therapy techniques include:

• Mindfulness meditation: You practice staying present while using your breath as an anchor.
• Accepting your emotions: You’ll learn to identify and acknowledge your feelings as they happen.
• Cognitive defusion: You will start putting distance between yourself and your distressing thoughts, seeing them as feelings that will pass, instead of an absolute truth.
• Committed action: You can clarify your values and set goals you’ll work toward, despite your fears.
• Body scans and gentle movement: You’ll use techniques like body scan meditations or yoga to feel relaxed.
• Mindful activities: You will use mindfulness regularly while eating, walking, or doing other routine tasks throughout your day.

If you’re considering therapy for trust issues but feel nervous, it might help to know what to expect during your sessions. The therapy process is a hugely collaborative one. You and your therapist will work to identify and understand the patterns that contribute to your trust issues. Throughout your therapeutic journey, you will develop skills and insights that help you maintain healthy relationships founded on trust.

Your therapy experience might include:

• Exploring personal history and past hurts: You’ll reflect on your past to identify where your trust patterns started from.
• Identifying “trust triggers” and emotional patterns: You will start to apply what you’ve learned about your past to situations and behaviors that trigger distrust today.
• Setting small goals for building trust (with yourself and others): You’ll start setting realistic goals for building trust.
• Practicing vulnerability and self-compassion: You will practice being vulnerable and honest in a safe place so you can learn to trust yourself in real-world relationships.
• Healing through your therapist-client relationship: Your relationship with a therapist will show you what it feels like to be heard, respected, and supported in a safe space. Then you’ll know what to look for in other relationships.

Even with therapy, healing from trust issues is a process that takes time, dedication, and patience. At first, it may feel like therapy isn’t working. Trust builds gradually, so it’s normal to feel like things are moving slowly. The changes in your life won’t be drastic or immediate. However, if you stick with it, you will make progress in therapy.

Watching for the signs that therapy is working is a great way to stay motivated. Notice if:

• You feel safer in close relationships.
• You start to recognize trustworthy behavior more easily.
• You begin to set healthy boundaries without withdrawing.
• You feel more confident and less guarded.
• You are more willing to ask for help when you need it.

Headspace connects you with licensed therapists who are trained to help you overcome trust issues through individualized care plans. We offer access to online therapy that fits into your life when and where you need it. More than 70% of Headspace members feel less anxious or depressed after just a few weeks of therapy.¹

We offer flexible scheduling, privacy, and the ability to build trust at your own pace. We believe trust can be rebuilt, and with accessible therapy options, you’ll find safe, effective, and consistent support so you can move forward in life with rewarding relationships that are based on trust.

Learn more about online therapy from Headspace by reaching out today.

<sub>1. Based on follow-up assessments completed 6–16 weeks after starting care. Therapist rating reflects average post-session feedback from Headspace Therapy members.



Sources:</sub>

_{1. Nakao, M., Shirotsuki, K., & Sugaya, N. (2021). Cognitive–behavioral therapy for management of mental health and stress-related disorders: Recent advances in techniques and technologies. BioPsychoSocial Medicine, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13030-021-00219-w. Accessed June 28, 2025.}

_{2. Zinfandel, S., & Svensson, M. (2024). Fostering trust – a qualitative outcome study of psychodynamic group and individual psychotherapy for refugees with PTSD. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2024.2413736. Accessed June 28, 2025.}

_{3. Cavanagh, K., Strauss, C., Forder, L., & Jones, F. (2014). Can mindfulness and acceptance be learnt by self-help?: A systematic review and meta-analysis of mindfulness and acceptance-based self-help interventions. Clinical Psychology Review, 34(2), 118–129. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2014.01.001. Accessed June 28, 2025.}