# Achievement as a Trauma defense mechanism, with Lena Fein

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-broken-brain-1612431/achievement-as-a-trauma-defense-mechanism-with-lena-fein.md
Podcast: [The Broken Brain](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-broken-brain-1612431)
Published: 2026-05-19T16:19:28+00:00
Episode link: https://brokenbrain.libsyn.com/achievement-as-a-trauma-defense-mechanism-with-lena-fein
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/brokenbrain/Achievement_as_a_Trauma_Coping_Skill_with_Lena_Fein.mp3?dest-id=210323
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-broken-brain-1612431/episodes/achievement-as-a-trauma-defense-mechanism-with-lena-fein
Duration seconds: 2488

## Resource

Lena Fein is the author of Shattering The Mirror, a story of her experience with abuse. From an early age Lena Fein coped with abuse and neglect by trying to achieve. She believed that if she could do well enough in school, meet everyone's expectations, and especially avoid anything that would trigger her mother, that she would finally feel safe and happy. Her book tells her story of masking with achievement, suppressing difficult emotions, and how she learned to break that cycle. Our highlighted charity for April and May is Kids & Art, helping pediatric cancer patients through Art. Go to www.kidsandart.org to learn more about this wonderful nonprofit.

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## Transcript

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