Is lying about achievements or lying to fit in , like saying you did or were into something that another was in order to fit in a symptom? Scare I'm just nuts. Not worded very well , but I haven't slept much..
Being in the beginning phase of healing & therapy, I am not sure why I've resorted to lying in the past, but it was always when I felt my safety was in jeopardy. Granted, it didn't take much to make me feel threatened! ;)
I lied a lot from a young age. Looking back with what I know now, it was because I was so desperately trying to avoid getting shamed and ridiculed and in trouble more. I didn't know when it was and wasn't necessary and I got caught in them so much and then just got shamed even more with an added layer that I was a dishonest person.
So I suppose, it is a symptom. If I'd felt that I was supported and accepted and loved, I wouldn't have lied.
You're not alone.
I think a lot of people do that to some extent. Maybe not out right lying, but perhaps embellishing to make themselves appear better to others. I think those of us with CPTSD feel so different and want to feel normal that we do what it takes to feel accepted. Lying doesn't make a person bad.
I have lied, lied, lied. I have done it mostly to cover up abuse, eating disorder, feelings. I have been working very hard in therapy to not lie. Now, if my therapist asks something I don't want to admit, I will. I want to lie to my dietitian all the time, but I don't. Lying is a product of my past and I feel working on this is an accomplishment. Lying is what I did as a child to survive, my therapist validated that. I am no longer a child and it no longer serves a purpose.