Every so often in the support group that I host, it’s mentioned that after we experience sibling estrangement, we become more aware of the relationships around us whenever we experience further rejection or estrangement. Maybe it’s happened that you’ve experienced another compounding loss in your life, be it from a friend, another family member, orContinue reading “Detachment and Non-Doing with Sibling Estrangement”
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Acknowledgment and Sibling Estrangement
As more and more of us start to name and understand sibling estrangement, we start to see the underlying elements that create suffering for us. These can include rumination, the lack of answers, the rejection of who we are, or the hijacking of a narrative about us within the family system that is false, justContinue reading “Acknowledgment and Sibling Estrangement”
Conspiracy Theorists and Sibling Estrangement
There are a variety of factors that cause sibling estrangement. Some such factors include parental favoritism, lack of conflict management strategies, mental health issues, a sense of betrayal, and inheritance issues, just to name a few. But differences in political beliefs can also have a hand in driving people apart. Here, we’ll explore how conspiracyContinue reading “Conspiracy Theorists and Sibling Estrangement”
Matriarchs, Patriarchs and Sibling Estrangement
The experience of sibling estrangement is caused by many factors. One such factor is the influence of parents on issues that arise with a brother or sister. Indeed, what parents say and do, and what they don’t, can make a difference. Here, we’ll explore what happens when matriarchs and patriarchs shirk their roles of influenceContinue reading “Matriarchs, Patriarchs and Sibling Estrangement”
Welcoming Vulnerability in Sibling Estrangement
A few weeks before my sister’s wedding day some years ago, I had been pressed to confirm my presence at her event. I had mentioned to her that I would indeed be present, despite that it cut into a course I was taking at the time several hours away. On the day of the event,Continue reading “Welcoming Vulnerability in Sibling Estrangement”
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Sibling Estrangement
In a former job, where I used to work as a substance abuse counselor, there would be a concept that I would bring up with regard to certain behaviors that would be predictive with some clients. It had to do with the idea that if an initial problem was not taken care of and keptContinue reading “Self-Fulfilling Prophecy and Sibling Estrangement”
Holding the Vision of who you are
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”
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”
Sibling Estrangement 