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Accepting the death of a parental relationship

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EveHarrington

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I’m really struggling right now. Trying to keep one of my exiled child parts calm as my protectors have stepped down. (I’m practicing Internal Family Systems Therapy.) Or, in other words, my defenses are down and I can feel a ton of raw emotion, the feelings of not having been kept safe and secure as a child.

Things with my dad have always been up and down. They took a nosedive over this past year when he found a new wife and proceeded to dump everyone else. Me. My aunt. My other aunt. Etc. It’s a weird relationship where they can’t go anywhere or do anything without the other person. So knowing my dad meant I had to accept his new wife as part of the relationship I have with my father. Weird, totally weird. Well anyway, I’ve written about the drama, how when I was in the hospital my dad didn’t want to see me because I didn’t want her in the room. Ffs I had just tried to kill myself. It wasn’t a cocktail party. Rather than give a damn about me and whether I live or die, it was all about her. He made a scene and hospital security had to be called. It was a big mess. I say all of this to give you an idea of the chaos and strain between us. I really don’t like his new wife. A few months ago she threw a hissy fit when I went over to their house so my dad could work on my car. She felt like we were leaving her out because we were in the driveway working on my car and it didn’t include her. Suffice to say, my dad won’t have anything to do with me unless she is involved. It’s incredibly unhealthy not to mention what kind of woman keeps a man away from his kids?!?

So my dad was one of my abusers. He used to beat the crap out of me when I was a kid. I though I’d forgiven him and moved on, but I was wrong. The abused child part of me is still very much wounded, still very much afraid, still very much unsafe. I’ve never worked on this trauma in therapy before. I tell my therapist about it tomorrow. I’m holding it all together right now with flimsy scotch tape.

Saturday I got into it with my dad again. He was being a royal asshole. I threatened to call the cops and his wife just stood there taunting me. I had enough. I told him that he was dead to me and I want nothing to do with him. Everyone thinks it’s just another one of my episodes but I’m not kidding. I can’t go on doing this. I can’t keep on retraumatizing my child parts who need to heal.

Sorry this is so long.

I am going through grief right now. Grieving the fact that my dad doesn’t love me. (Love is an action.) I will never have a dad who cares about whether I live or die, or cares enough about me to not abuse me. My child parts are screaming out in pain and I’m having a hard time comforting them.

But at the end of the day, I can’t go on living a lie. I need to move through this grief and accept the truth of the situation. My protectors/defenses are flaring up, mainly denial. I cant deny the truth anymore, no matter how much it hurts.

Any advice from those who have had to mourn the death of a parental relationship is welcome. Support is welcome, too.

Tomorrow is going to be a rough day. Therapy isn’t until 4. I will then come home and crash.
 
Any advice from those who have had to mourn the death of a parental relationship is welcome. Support is welcome, too.

Eve I have had to go no contact with every single member of my nuclear family and it is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do in my entire life, because although I did love them, I just could not expose my kids to them any longer. Shows you how much I love my family, and how little I have loved myself that I could not do this for myself.

It took me a very long time to mourn the death of my illusions about who my family really was a group of deeply wounded sick and toxic people who did not get help for themselves because of their own denial.

I cannot imagine the amount of pain you are in right now and very happy to hear how you are going to take this into therapy tomorrow.

Try to be very gentle on yourself and treat yourself with your boyfriends company if you are able because he sounds like a really good guy and I think it has been good for you to be with him. He is good for you.

Sadly your dad sounds like he is afraid of living alone and has chosen his wife over you. She is the sick messed up one and he is making these bad unloving choices concerning you. It would be healthy for you to take a step back in my opinion, because he would be left alone with her without you being the scapegoat to keep his attention on how bad this woman really is. I know that you love your dad, it is hardwired into us as children, we cannot help it so it takes a long to work through the grieving process. My T told me in my own life situation, that it is something, I have to work through because I am not going to get over it or be able to move on. I really hope that this makes sense.

I know that you are very strong and very brave. I am so proud of you for being able to see clearly and stand for you. I am glad that you do not want to live a lie. You do not have to respond to me, I understand.:hug:
 
Eve I have had to go no contact with every single member of my nuclear family and it is one of the hardest...

Thank you for your kind words and support! I am trying to be gentle with myself and I’m trying to not push myself too hard. I never considered myself to be a person in denial, but here I am... I will take things day by day and reach out for support.

My boyfriend and I broke up, but he is still a major source of support. We text daily and talk about 3x a week. The friends thing is hard, but I know he cares about me. I reached out to him today and he is going to call me back sometime this evening.
 
I’m really struggling right now. Trying to keep one of my exiled child parts calm as my protect...
Hi who Eve :hug:
I also had to break off the relationship with my parents, and just a few weeks ago my mother confronted me and tried to start an argument, I lost all self control and told her exactly why I cut off the relationship and told her I was not interested in seeing her again. It was difficult, and I completely understand where you’re coming from, I’m so sorry Eve :hug: It’s a hard decision but a healthy one in the long run; unhealthy relationships like that that only cause pain will just continue to hurt you until you break it off, proud of you for having the courage to end the relationship :) :hug:
 
Hi who Eve :hug:
I also had to break off the relationship with my parents, and just a few weeks ago my...

Yeah, I lose all self control, too. My dad then sends me texts telling me how I can’t say nasty things. Well gee, if he didn’t want me saying nasty things, maybe he shouldn’t have abused me as a child.

Now that I think about it, why should I have to stuff my feelings down and treat an abusive person nicely? Heck with that! My system is alerting me to the danger. I’m not going to sit here and pretend that everything is ok.
 
((( @EveHarrington :hug: )))
I am sorry that you have to go through this! NO ONE should have to deal with abuse in your childhood, and now deal with the abuser, who still abuses! I wonder if grief "work" work would help?

Cutting off a parent would be like a death I think? I have never had to cut off.a parent, but I have cut off people who I thought loved me, that proved that they did not! It is REALLY hard!

Just today I had this conversation with my niece about her mother, who is an a CONSTANT source of lies and manipulation! Her mother was married to my brother, and I have tried to stay her friend, because I know what my brother did to her. Her own brother abused her as well, and she is TOTALLY. and permanently messed up! The thing is, that she can't be allowed to influence the children in the family.

Just today, I found that she has LIED about ME!!! Not only to my niece but my grandniece!!! I NEVER saw that coming! It's not a small lie and it is an insult to my character, too! She is DEFINITELY poison to ANYONE who she is around! She NEEDS to be cut off...

I think that you need to guard your heart, whatever that takes! It's YOUR health that matters, and it sounds like he has made his choice!

Blessings of peace, wisdom, and courage to you!! :hug: ❤️. :hug:
 
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