Not necessarily. While trauma can influence how we experience being seen, most gaze aversion has far more ordinary explanations. People look away to think, to listen, to show respect, or simply because direct eye contact competes with concentration. Drawing on the work of Stephen Porges, Allan Schore, Ruth Lanius, and Laurence Heller, this article explores the relationship between gaze, safety, and the nervous system, while challenging the common assumption that looking away always signals emotional wounding.