Family Estrangement
When we no longer have a family member in our lives, this can bring on many mixed and often confusing feelings that we might not know what to do with.
Losing someone when they die can be one of the most difficult life experiences we can go through as humans. The care we have towards ourselves and others can be a large part of getting us through that.
When we lose someone through estrangement it can be less common to feel supported or understood in our experience and feelings of grief.
You might hear things from others like “but you only have one, mum/ dad/insert any family member title” or “Won’t you regret this if something bad happens” or “ Why don’t you reach out one more time” or “Have you tried saying/doing X, Y, Z?” while these things may come from a place of concern and are well intended, often they hurt us and only further the already difficult process of understanding family estrangement.
The person isn’t in our life, it feels that they are gone but they haven’t died. We can feel a lack of closure, feelings of guilt and questions of why?
Estrangement can be experienced in various forms. Sometimes this is our choice, a boundary put in place to protect us. Sometimes it has been the choice of someone else, and we don't understand their reason. Maybe it was a mural agreement.
Whichever side of this experience you sit on I can understand and support you in processing this. We will work together to understand what you need now and how you can continue to support yourself as this situation unfolds, moving toward a place of acceptance as it is now, supporting you in feeling more settled.
I’ve supported many clients through this process. For some they are able to work towards a place of resolution, finding a new normal with the family member, for others, with my support, they learn to live with the estrangement.
Either way my goal for my clients is for them to find closure, contentment and stability within themselves.
I’d welcome you to get in touch today to ask any questions you may have and find out more about how I can support you on this journey.
