Thanks for the responses. I guess it's normal to look away during difficult stuff but I really do want to work on feeling connected and , well, trusting her more.

I also realized that I don't often get eye contact from my own Mom and now that I realize that, it drives me nuts. NUTS! So I just don't want to repeat that pattern in life.

I want to be better at looking at people, connecting with them, and eye contact is a basic thing in this goal.