Ali-John Chaudhary

The Empowered Victim

As social media groups continue to grow, and as we continue to find the elect few that are part of our emerging community of sibling estrangement, I’m reminded at which point there still exist some traps and pitfalls towards our sense of general wellness and well-being. Here’s an illustration of this. A few years agoContinue reading “The Empowered Victim”

Estranged versus Estranger

Someone recently posted in one of the estrangement pages on facebook that the people estranged couldn’t possibly be in the same group as those doing the estranging. His argument was that if you were estranged, then there must be a reason for it, of which you are responsible. Such rigid, judgmental and dismissive thinking causedContinue reading “Estranged versus Estranger”

Euphoric Recall

This is a term that’s often used in substance abuse. It can have to do with the idea of recalling a great, positive feeling (ie, drug use), but seemingly forgetting the negative life consequences that come with it (ie, after using drugs). As with co-dependency, this term has evolved to include interpersonal dynamics. I alsoContinue reading “Euphoric Recall”

Conditional Belonging

A great deal of us have been accused at one time or another in our lives of not caring for another’s feelings or circumstances, be it as a child or an adult. We’re taught early on to be mindful of another person’s feelings. Especially that of our loved ones. And yet, in some cases, thisContinue reading “Conditional Belonging”

Facing the Dragon

We all have to sometimes deal with difficult and uncomfortable situations in life. Some of those can be regarding our siblings or our families during get togethers. In Fern’s book, I briefly discuss of a way in which we can protect ourselves. I sometimes call this “facing the dragon.” Some of us can feel thingsContinue reading “Facing the Dragon”

The Black Sheep and Sibling Estrangement

You’ve seen it before. A game you’re all too familiar with. Your sibling playing their twisted fun within the family. You being talked down to, manipulated, given the silent treatment, or worse. It happens in so many different ways, yet the feeling is all too familiar. You recognize it all too well. Maybe you calledContinue reading “The Black Sheep and Sibling Estrangement”

The Stigma of Sibling Estrangement

It’s not always easy to deal with this subject. In fact, you may even be hesitant to talk about it with others. We’re taught, in today’s society, that we should get along with our family. And if we don’t, then society can judge us, and make us think we’re somehow wrong. Maybe you’ve even beenContinue reading “The Stigma of Sibling Estrangement”

The Golden Child Narrative in Sibling Estrangement

The Golden Child is certainly a subject of interest for a great deal of us experiencing sibling estrangement. For those new to this, the Golden Child is the person most favored and well looked upon in the family. They are the ones that typically get the most praise, and the least amount of criticism fromContinue reading “The Golden Child Narrative in Sibling Estrangement”