Adult children of dysfunctional families

When one’s caregivers don’t adequately respond or recognize one’s true self during childhood, the child tries to find a way to still feel connected to the parent. They develop a role-self based on the belief that self-sacrificing for the sake of family can finally get their loved ones to praise and love them. They finally figure that this is the only way to “belong”. They also subconsciously blame themselves for any conflicts that may exist between the parent-child.
Breaking away from the above cycle starts with the awareness that we do not need to please our caregivers through sacrifice. It starts with the awareness that we deserved to be loved with the good and the less-than-perfect selves — always.
Adult children of dysfunctional families continue to often play out these role-selves in their relationships with others, to feel loved and appreciated. It is possible to heal from these patterns when we learn to reparent ourselves through deeper understanding of self, self-compassion (especially to those parts that feel unworthy of love), prioritizing our needs and setting boundaries when necessary. #healingtrauma #therapy #childhoodwoundscanbehealed