Promise / Broken
A Mixed Media Painting
Intergenerational trauma is not destiny.
Technical information: Marbling inks, watercolors and pencil on A4 paper. Completed in 2021.
Dysfunctional families share certain common features through the generations. While love and belonging are a universal human need and required for healthy development, attachment, and relationships; in dysfunctional families, the promise of love and acceptance is held up as a bargaining chip.
A child will do anything to receive that from their caregivers; a developing autonomic nervous system needs to feel safe attachment for survival. Without it, long-term anxiety and maladaptive coping mechanisms often develop, and without will or intervention, a parent with untreated anxiety or other mental health disorders is likely to perpetuate emotional neglect or abuse on their own children.
Breaking the cycle may just require fulfilling the promise.
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