ZariaGarden

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                           Family estrangement & reconciliation

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You may feel distant from your family-of-origin due to differing opinions, lack of closeness and emotional safety, or past or current abuse and mistreatment. You may not know what to do or how to function in the world without connection to your family. Perhaps you're in contact with your family and struggling to feel okay, or connected to some family members such as a sibling, cousin, or aunt, or you've been branded the family scapegoat and for your own self-preservation, you've opted-out completely.      

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You may have grown up in a narcissistically structured family (NSF). Perhaps you have a sibling who can do no wrong (the hero or golden child), a sibling who blends into the wallpaper and barely exists (the forgotten or invisible child), or a sibling who's always at fault or blamed for everything, either directly or indirectly (the scapegoat or exiled child). This type of family system struggles to have real emotional closeness and safety. The parents or grandparents focus most on upholding the perfect family image rather than the feelings and safety of its members. 

 

You may struggle with feeling too much or anything at all, and finding your way in the world may be challenging. This may be especially difficult around the holidays, when loneliness, anger, anxiety, or despair come to the surface. Or you've been exiled from your family for years or decades, and you've found your way on your own. You've found your family of choice, but lately you're called to reconnect with certain family members. And you're unsure if this is a good idea or how to go about it.

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You may find that being exiled or estranged from your family is a difficult thing to talk about, as others fail to understand and instead blame you for a situation that was beyond your control and not your fault. 

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Whether you:​​

         -are still connected to your family-of-origin but grappling with what to do,               how to cope, and how to survive it 

          -have been exiled from your family without notice, care, or empathy

          -found your new family of choice or you're still searching for where                          you feel at home 

          -or you have found your solution in God or spirituality but lately you feel                  uncertain, lost, or confused 

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