What to Do When Your Emotionally Immature Family Makes You Feel Guilty for Leaving
How to handle the endless guilt-shifting, gaslighting, and blame gaming that comes from severing contact.
by E.B. Johnson
Too many adult children are forced to make the hard decision of going through no contact with their toxic or abusive family.
That action rarely comes smoothly, though, as the person who makes the choice to leave is often pressured by both society and the loved ones they left behind.
Our society creates a lot of guilt and shame for those who choose not to be a part of their family system. The message is clear. You should choose your family no matter what. But what if you don’t come from a family that chooses you?
Not everyone gets the happily ever-after of a loving and supportive family. Some find their former homes to be filled with fear, pain, and hesitation.
That’s what forces them to make the hard decision to walk away. And make no mistake…it is a hard decision.
It’s the only choice left to many people, though, and when they make it, they then have to navigate the impossible walls of guilt that are put up by themselves, their toxic family, and the world around…
