by Kechi Mourer | Dec 6, 2024 | CPTSD, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor, Holidays
The holidays are an intense time of reflection for me. I used to have a big family—a big, loud, Hispanic family—we would gather for birthdays, holidays, and random Sunday dinners. My grandmother held the group together with love and community. Those days are long...
by TAR NETWORK | Jun 20, 2024 | CPTSD and PTSD, Family Estrangement, Men's Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness, Parental Alienation, TAR Network
Many men stay in toxic, abusive relationships (TAR) due to a variety of complex reasons and deep-seated fears. One primary reason is men’s tendency to view themselves as “fixers.” Men often cling to the hope that they can repair the relationship,...
by Lynn 18 | Apr 9, 2024 | CPTSD, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor, Mental Health Professional
I am an estrangement clinician primarily working with parents who are estranged from their adult sons or daughters. My lived experience as an estranged parent is a far greater credential than my degree in psychology and my training as a life coach combined. Like many...
by Rebekah Brown | Jun 28, 2023 | Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD and Inner Child Work, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, Family Estrangement, Narcissistic Personality Disorder
For part one of this series see What are The Roles in Dysfunctional Families Systems? A Short Childhood Story My brother glanced at me as we “read” the emotional temperature of the room. What was tonight going to be like? My mother already had one of those frowns on...
by Rebekah Brown | May 25, 2023 | Attachment Trauma, Complex PTSD Healing, CPTSD Survivor Stories, Family Estrangement, Guest Contributor, Healing Codependency, Healing from Toxic Shame, Self-Acceptance, Sexual Abuse
***TRIGGER WARNING: This article discusses abuse. *** What is Enmeshment? Enmeshment describes a relationship pattern between two people or a group of people in which personal boundaries are unclear. It is a hallmark of dysfunctional families and affects...
by Rebekah Brown | May 3, 2023 | Attachment Trauma, Boundaries, CPTSD and Narcissistic Abuse, Family Estrangement, Gaslighting, Guest Contributor, Relationships, Trauma
This is the sixth and last installment in a series of blogs on relationship patterns found in dysfunctional families. We have seen how abusive families put members in roles and the way abusers dodge responsibility by blaming others and forcing children to become...
