Every now and then, the question arises within our online support group with just how we can stop intergenerational estrangement. This is a perplexing question for a number of us, as we are highly conscious of what the effects of estrangement are, and don’t want them to be perpetuated to the next generation. It’s concerningContinue reading “Stopping Intergenerational Estrangement: Key Strategies”
Tag Archives: #self-help
Understanding Sibling Estrangement: Recognizing Biases
Without realizing it, we can be subject to biases, through mental shortcuts and distorted thinking. This cannot be more true with sibling estrangement. It may well be that past interactions with us caused a brother or sister to unjustly add blame to justify their feelings or actions. Biases can color perceptions, and make it harderContinue reading “Understanding Sibling Estrangement: Recognizing Biases”
The Influence of Politics on Sibling Estrangement
One day following the election, some of the participants and I in our online support group discussed the impact of this choice. While we were careful to avoid going into specifics of one camp over the next, the commonalities that came out with sibling estrangement were staggering. We were all able to hold each other’sContinue reading “The Influence of Politics on Sibling Estrangement”
Grieving the Sibling We Never Had
Every now and then, people in our community experience an overwhelming sense of sadness with their sibling estrangement, which is normal. And yet, another type of hardship can emerge, which is the realization of what we don’t have. Some people may quickly conclude that they shouldn’t be sad for the sibling they never had, andContinue reading “Grieving the Sibling We Never Had”
To send a Birthday Card or Not?
One particular question that comes up often in our online community is whether it’s the right behavior or not to send a birthday card to our sibling. While this can be a deceptively simple question to answer when there is no estrangement happening in your life with a particular family member, it can be aContinue reading “To send a Birthday Card or Not?”
The Wisdom in being Estrangement-Informed
When it comes to being trauma-informed, certain key principles arise with respect to safety, trustworthiness, freedom to choose, mutuality, empowerment and cultural consideration. These are all important elements to ensure the well-being of individuals facing trauma. Just as with trauma, estrangement can appear invisible, until it is openly shared and spoken about. What would anContinue reading “The Wisdom in being Estrangement-Informed”
The Inner Child and Sibling Estrangement
Our experience with sibling estrangement can leave a lasting mark on our lives. Being in an estrangement-prone family, we can be left with the experience of fear, hurt, misunderstanding, hostility, avoidance, or rigidity within us. These reactions can cause us to become something we are not, and play themselves out in unhealthy ways that driveContinue reading “The Inner Child and Sibling Estrangement”
Detachment and Non-Doing with Sibling Estrangement
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”
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”
Sibling Estrangement 