Self-sabotage is a frustrating and deeply personal experience. It shows up in different ways—missed deadlines, self-doubt, procrastination, perfectionism, or even relationship conflicts. You set goals, make a plan, and begin to work toward success—only to find yourself somehow derailing your own progress. The cycle repeats. You get stuck. The confidence fades.
Many people mistakenly believe that they simply lack motivation or discipline. But in reality, self-sabotage is often rooted in deep psychological patterns and emotional wounds. Breaking free from these patterns isn’t just about pushing harder. It requires understanding, healing, and aligned action. This is where therapy-informed coaching becomes a powerful tool for transformation.
Unlike traditional coaching, which focuses on performance and outcomes, therapy-informed coaching blends coaching techniques with insights drawn from therapeutic models. It helps clients move forward with purpose—while addressing the emotional and mental blocks that often hold them back.
What Is Self-Sabotage?
Self-sabotage occurs when your actions (or lack of action) conflict with your intentions. It’s when you want to succeed but engage in behaviors that prevent success. Common forms include:
- Procrastination despite looming deadlines
- Overcommitting and then burning out
- Perfectionism that paralyzes progress
- Negative self-talk or imposter syndrome
- Avoidance of important conversations or challenges
At its core, self-sabotage is usually a protective mechanism. Your mind believes it is keeping you safe—from judgment, failure, rejection, or emotional pain. These defense systems often develop in childhood or during traumatic life events.
For example, if you were criticized frequently as a child, you may have internalized a belief that you’re never good enough. Now, as an adult, you might unconsciously sabotage opportunities to avoid experiencing that same criticism.
What Is Therapy-Informed Coaching?
Therapy-informed coaching is an integrative approach that draws from both psychology and coaching disciplines. It’s not therapy, and it doesn’t aim to diagnose or treat mental health conditions. Instead, it’s a compassionate and awareness-based coaching style rooted in:
- Trauma-informed care
- Emotional regulation techniques
- Attachment theory
- Cognitive-behavioral strategies
- Somatic awareness
- Mindfulness and neuroscience
It allows clients to not only take action but to understand why they behave in certain ways. This insight is a crucial component in breaking the cycle of self-sabotage.
How Therapy-Informed Coaching Breaks the Cycle
Let’s explore how this hybrid approach targets the core of self-sabotaging behaviors.
1. Reveals Unconscious Beliefs and Root Causes
Most self-sabotage happens beneath the surface. We don’t always recognize when or why we’re undermining ourselves. A therapy-informed coach can help uncover core beliefs such as:
- “I’m not worthy of success.”
- “If I succeed, I’ll be alone.”
- “People will find out I’m a fraud.”
- “It’s safer not to try than to fail.”
Through gentle inquiry, reflection, and targeted exercises, these beliefs can be brought into the light. Awareness is the first and most important step toward transformation.
2. Creates a Trauma-Sensitive Space for Growth
Clients often avoid confronting self-sabotage because it brings up shame, fear, or unresolved trauma. Therapy-informed coaching emphasizes emotional safety. Coaches trained in trauma awareness know how to recognize signs of dysregulation, emotional overwhelm, and defense mechanisms.
They create an environment where clients feel:
- Seen and heard
- Validated without judgment
- Respected in their pace of growth
This sense of safety is essential for clients to dig deep and process long-held emotional blocks.
3. Connects the Dots Between Past and Present
A traditional coach might focus purely on goal-setting and future actions. But if a client continues to get stuck, the issue may lie in unresolved past experiences.
For example:
- A client procrastinates on launching a business. The coach learns that in the past, the client’s entrepreneurial father failed and left the family in debt. Now, the client unconsciously associates business with loss and risk.
Therapy-informed coaching can gently explore these memories and emotional patterns—linking them to current behaviors. This process gives the client choice instead of reacting from old programming.
4. Promotes Nervous System Regulation
Self-sabotage can often be traced back to a dysregulated nervous system. When under stress, many people enter fight, flight, freeze, or fawn responses. This might look like:
- Freezing and doing nothing
- Fleeing by avoiding tasks
- Fighting through perfectionism
- People-pleasing to avoid conflict
Therapy-informed coaches incorporate tools like:
- Deep breathing and grounding techniques
- Body scans and somatic check-ins
- Polyvagal theory-based practices
- Movement and mindfulness
These help regulate the nervous system and bring the client back into a calm, present state where thoughtful decisions can be made.
5. Builds Self-Compassion and Emotional Resilience
A key ingredient in overcoming self-sabotage is self-compassion. Many clients carry an inner critic that is loud, harsh, and relentless. Therapy-informed coaching supports clients in identifying and softening these critical voices.
Clients learn how to:
- Replace self-judgment with curiosity
- Acknowledge progress instead of perfection
- Develop emotional resilience in the face of failure
- Practice self-forgiveness and healthy boundaries
This emotional flexibility helps clients bounce back from setbacks rather than spiral into more self-sabotage.
6. Blends Insight with Forward Momentum
One of the unique strengths of therapy-informed coaching is that it combines insight with action. Clients don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis. Instead, they’re supported to take aligned action based on their new understanding.
For example:
- After realizing they procrastinate because of fear of judgment, a client might start small by sharing a project with one trusted peer—building confidence step by step.
This action-oriented approach ensures that clients not only understand their patterns but actively rewire them through new behaviors.
Real-Life Case Study: From Stuck to Empowered
Client: Maya, 34, high-performing marketing executive
Challenge: Consistently overworks, burns out, and backs out of promotions
Therapy-informed coaching process:
- Step 1: The coach helps Maya identify that she equates rest with laziness—an internalized belief from her upbringing.
- Step 2: Through somatic work, Maya notices her body tenses up when she considers taking time off.
- Step 3: She learns regulation tools to soothe her nervous system and practices saying “no” to low-priority meetings.
- Step 4: Over six sessions, she redefines productivity on her own terms and successfully accepts a promotion—with balance intact.
Who Can Benefit from Therapy-Informed Coaching?
This approach is ideal for individuals who:
- Feel stuck in recurring patterns or cycles
- Are self-aware but unable to move forward
- Struggle with imposter syndrome, fear of success, or emotional triggers
- Have tried traditional coaching with limited success
- Are not in crisis but want deeper, trauma-aware personal development
It’s important to remember: therapy-informed coaches are not therapists. If a client has acute mental health needs or unresolved trauma requiring clinical attention, therapy remains the most appropriate route. However, for many people who are functioning but stuck, this coaching model can be transformative.
Final Thoughts: Breaking the Cycle, Reclaiming Your Power
Self-sabotage doesn’t mean you’re broken. It means part of you learned to survive through avoidance, perfectionism, or delay. Therapy-informed coaching doesn’t shame these parts—it honors them, understands them, and helps you lead with a wiser, more empowered self.
By combining the self-awareness of therapy with the goal orientation of coaching, therapy-informed coaching gives you the tools to break old cycles, regulate your emotions, and move forward with clarity and confidence.
You don’t need to hustle harder to escape self-sabotage. You need to heal the root, connect to your truth, and take aligned, sustainable action. That’s what therapy-informed coaching makes possible.
Ready to Break the Cycle of Self-Sabotage?
Meet Crystal Perdue
Your Guide to Growth and Transformation
Discover the journey, expertise, and passion that fuel my commitment to helping you live a more empowered, authentic life. With a therapy-informed approach to coaching, I offer a compassionate space where deep healing meets forward momentum.
✨ Whether you’re navigating emotional blocks, overcoming self-doubt, or simply ready to grow—I’m here to walk alongside you.
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FAQs
What is therapy-informed coaching?
Therapy-informed coaching combines the goal-oriented focus of coaching with psychological and emotional awareness from therapeutic practices. It’s not therapy but draws on therapeutic principles like trauma sensitivity, emotional regulation, and inner child work to support deeper transformation.
How is therapy-informed coaching different from traditional coaching?
Traditional coaching often emphasizes action and accountability. Therapy-informed coaching adds depth by exploring emotional blocks, past patterns, and the root causes of self-sabotage—providing a more holistic approach to growth and healing.
Is therapy-informed coaching the same as therapy?
No. Therapy-informed coaching does not diagnose or treat mental health disorders. Instead, it is forward-focused and helps emotionally healthy individuals who feel stuck or are repeating unhelpful patterns. For clinical issues, therapy or counseling is recommended.
How can therapy-informed coaching help with self-sabotage?
By identifying the unconscious beliefs and emotional patterns driving your self-sabotaging behaviors, therapy-informed coaching empowers you to shift your mindset, regulate your emotions, and take aligned action toward your goals.
What kind of issues can I work through in therapy-informed coaching?
You can explore issues like procrastination, perfectionism, fear of success or failure, people-pleasing, burnout, imposter syndrome, emotional overwhelm, and chronic self-doubt. The process is customized to your unique emotional and behavioral patterns.
What happens in a typical session with Crystal Perdue?
Each session is a safe, supportive space where you’ll explore your current challenges, gain insight into emotional blocks, learn somatic and mindset tools, and co-create actionable steps toward your goals. Sessions may include guided reflection, nervous system work, and mindfulness practices.
Do I need to have past trauma to benefit from therapy-informed coaching?
Not at all. While many clients have experienced emotional wounds, therapy-informed coaching is beneficial for anyone looking to better understand themselves, stop sabotaging behaviors, and align with their values and goals.
