Poll How Are Your Relationships With Your Family As A Result Of Your Trauma?

[Lucille]

As a result of a recent thread I created, I was curious to see where most people stand on the issue of family relationships...

 

[healingangel90]

I put down rocky, but my family doesn't know that I have faced and been dealing with a trauma. Either way, the trauma has really affected our relationship. I know they love me, but I wish they could deal with other aspects of my life differently. I constantly wonder if things would change if I told them, but I don't think they would. Keeping this a secret is also a strain on the relationship.

 

[BlueKitty]

I am actually somewhere in between rocky and horrible.
They don't know about my diagnosis, and I will not discuss it with them, period.
I had attempted to talk it out and get an apology from them in the past, but it was a huge failure and made me feel even more betrayed and alone. I won't be cutting ties, but that's because I only see them/spend time with them 3 - 4 weeks at max per year. I try to keep the outer peace.

 

[sea]

Dont have a family of origin

 

[Sterre]

I broke off al contact with my family for over twenty years now.
I have some very superficial contact with my mother for 5 years now, but I dont know if it will remain. My older sister is a drug addict and I cant stand to have her in my life, my two younger sisters are brainwashed by my mother and beleive that I am crazy and the root of all evil, so no contact there.
My bio-father is mentally ill for as long as I known him, he goes in and out of mental hospitals and is severly psychotic al the time, so no contact there. My stepdad, it is better for him not to seek any contact with me for I will surely hurt him.

Not having any real family in my life is hard, but then again I never had a real family all I had was drama and more drama, coming from them.
To them I am the one thats crazy, and therefor should be denied in every way.

I didnt want to go along with them scapegoating me, anymore . It brought some peace and tranqullity to my life.

 

[Lionheart]

Most of the support I receive from family comes from my younger sister who praises my accomplishments and is grateful for the changes in me over the past few years. I can talk to my sister about most things and I have found this to be very helpful, but I save the rough stuff for the therapist as I don't want to lean too heavily on my family for support.

 

[Srain]

My first response was to say "what family!?"

Without them I wouldn't be here...literally, I wouldn't BE HERE WITH PTSD :ninja:...so there you go... I would say they have helped me far beyond necessary to get me to the point where I am undeniably chunked up with obstacles in my path so incredible that I've bled for years, so I'm cutting 'em off! POOF! (with the exception of my Son and my adorable Daughter IL plus 4)

I have tried to bring them into the world of reality but they have more than assured me that no no no they are more than clear that I am upsetting the family portrait by continuing to give the past the finger which I just cannot and will not keep from doing. Somehow this does not work for them and my not doing it only serves to give me nightmares and horrific flashbacks; so after years of me working on just myself I have concluded it's a "split"...done!

I'm done.

 

[simplekindofgirl]

I don't know. I am not close to my family. I have not discussed my ptsd with any of them, and I don't suspect that they would understand it even if I did. So I suppose, it has little to no consequence on them either way.

They simply believe that I am a butterfly lost in the wind somewhere that they are not able to see. They would be right.

 

[Courage2Heart]

My trauma is from my family too.

 

[ClairBear226]

I would say it depends on what you define as "family". I scrapped a large hunk of my family. The toxic people got the big old "delete" button pushed on their forehead. Normal, relatively sane, healthy individuals got to stay. I replaced much of the family delivered by biology with a family made up of friends that add to my life rather than detract from it.

 

[Courage2Heart]

Yeah, I know what you're saying. Even though I wish certain family members treated me like I need and deserve, I can't change what they want to do.

 

[Marie E.]

I just stopped trying to contact my father as he is being influenced by my stepmom and her family. Seems they hold me on the count of being in another abusive relationship. As if it is my fault!!!!!! I am only sending him do more time in jail dad!!!!! And to think you can't comfort your own daughter, especially when she loses custody of her children to her first abuser in the first place!!!!!!!