Dealing with dismissive parents
Dealing with a dismissive parent is hard, but it can be done with a little understanding and some radical self-acceptance.
by: E.B. Johnson
There are few hurts more bracing than the soul-destroying invalidation or rejection of a parent. No matter what age we reach, the connection we share with our caretakers remains extremely powerful. Parental rejection — even in adulthood — can feel like a death sentence. And in many ways it is. Dealing with the dismissal of a parent is hard…but it’s not impossible.
Whether you’re dealing with a parent who refuses to see you, or you’re fighting with the traumas of a childhood dismissed — getting to the root of your issues starts with shedding a light on the patterns that have been lurking in the shadows of your life. Kick-start that process by understanding what it means to be dismissed and understanding what it means to accept your pain and move on.
Why our parents dismiss us and distance themselves.
It took a lot of time and therapy to accept that my parents hurt me because they were hurt people themselves. Childhood traumas and unexpected hurts can cause our caretakers to distance themselves, but that’s hard to see when we’re little…
