The first thing I recommend to people whenever they meet with difficult family members that exhibit toxic behavior is to maintain their physical and emotional safety. This, above all other skills, is what enables us to put a stop to abusive remarks or actions that leave us drained, depleted, confused, or worse. But there isContinue reading “Holding the Vision of who you are”
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Navigating Incompleteness with Sibling Estrangement
When it comes to challenges associated with sibling estrangement, one of the more significant ones involves learning to compose with something that we unwillingly experience. No one likes to be rejected or cast out. And when the mind gets involved, it can cause us to feel as though things are left incomplete, causing us toContinue reading “Navigating Incompleteness with Sibling Estrangement”
The Dark Side of Voluntary and Involuntary Estrangement
As we continue to find kindred souls who experience sibling estrangement like us, and have relevant conversations about this subject on the sibling estrangement Facebook page, sooner or later, differing perspectives come up. We’ve talked before about estrangers and estrangees, and how it’s not always obvious where one or the other starts. Nonetheless, more needsContinue reading “The Dark Side of Voluntary and Involuntary Estrangement”
The Case for an Imaginary Friend
When I was a child, I was sent to a different school and where I didn’t know anybody. I was more of an introvert, and very much fed my imaginal world. It didn’t take long for me to develop what one would call an imaginary friend. She was an older teenage girl, who I wouldContinue reading “The Case for an Imaginary Friend”
Your Future Self and Sibling Estrangement
One of the challenges we have to contend with in sibling relationships are the ups and downs we get with the reshaping of our life. Like a boat in rough waters, we strive to keep our course, and sometimes, a wave gets the best of us for a given time. One such wave can beContinue reading “Your Future Self and Sibling Estrangement”
Six types of Courage and Sibling Estrangement
Mapping the challenges that come with sibling estrangement can be a daunting task. We are invariably put in a position that causes us to reevaluate entire relationships, and assess what this has done to us, and how best we can cope and protect ourselves. One aspect that comes to mind is the courage and dignityContinue reading “Six types of Courage and Sibling Estrangement”
From Personalization to Prioritizing your Feelings
Note to readers: I first presented the concept of personalization in a previous article. This is a further expansion of how personalization can influence us in relationships. It’s no secret that we become the product of our environment. What people say or do to us influences our development. In fact, some of us internalize messagesContinue reading “From Personalization to Prioritizing your Feelings”
Indicators of success and Sibling Estrangement
Every now and then, the question invariably comes up. We become more knowledgeable about our sibling estrangement, recognize the traps and pitfalls, and start to ask “how do I know I’m getting better?” It’s a perfectly valid question. As with anything, there can never be a complete and final mastery on any given subject. SoContinue reading “Indicators of success and Sibling Estrangement”
Should I go No Contact with my sibling?
Maintaining or completely cutting off ties with a sibling is perhaps one of the biggest questions we can attempt to answer. It is not always an easy decision to make, and can sometimes feel counter-intuitive. Such a choice doesn’t come lightly, and can be due to a series of dehumanising and demeaning gestures that buildContinue reading “Should I go No Contact with my sibling?”
Weaponizing Forgiveness
It’s often mentioned that we should forgive. Everywhere we go, we are told to turn the other cheek. That is especially true in family settings. Certain family members may well feel awkward with the idea that their offspring don’t get along with each other. So much so that undue pressure can be put on usContinue reading “Weaponizing Forgiveness”
Sibling Estrangement 