Family of Origin Conflicts
healing emotional distress
Living with unresolved issues stemming from the family in which you grew up can cause a lot of emotional distress. Intense emotions like fear, sadness, anger or frustration can leave us feeling excluded, insecure or overwhelmed and negatively impact mental health. Family of origin conflicts often arise from difficulties in communication, unresolved trauma, unhealthy dynamics or emotional wounds.
Family of origin conflicts can also significantly impact our current relationships and behaviours as an adult. They can make it difficult to set boundaries and assert your own needs or leave you feeling stuck in repetitive toxic family dynamics. Attempts at repairing relationships may be rebuffed or even prove impossible. Therapy offers a safe and supportive environment to process and heal from these challenges.
How Therapy Can Help
Depending on the nature of the family of origin conflict, there are a variety of ways that therapy can help:
Identifying Patterns and Dynamics Working with a therapist can help you recognize unhealthy family dynamics such as enmeshment or co-dependency. Alternatively, it might be that you were always cast in a rigid role, such as “the difficult one” or “the dependable one”. Understanding how these patterns and roles influence our current relationships can provide the path to re-defining yourself.
Processing Emotional Wounds Therapy provides a safe space to explore feelings of hurt, rejection or abandonment. This enables you to address unresolved anger, grief or guilt that may linger from childhood experiences.
Redefining Boundaries Exploring your needs and wants with a therapist can help you establish healthy boundaries. Learning to assert personal needs and maintain emotional distance when necessary can help you to maintain relationships without the discomfort you are currently feeling.
Reframing Negative Beliefs Early family experiences often shape negative self-perceptions, for example by leaving us feeling that we are not enough. Working with a therapist to reframe and challenge these beliefs can be immensely healing and empowering.
Improving Communication Skills Where family of origin conflicts arise from difficulties in communication, therapy can build your assertiveness as well as providing you with skills in conflict resolution and active listening, making it easier for you to navigate difficult conversations with family.
Developing Emotional Regulation If you are feeling overwhelmed, helpless or hopeless, working with a therapist can provide you with the tools to manage emotional triggers that arise in family interactions.
Re-authoring Your Life Story Exploring difficult memories and important personal stories about your family of origin with a therapist can help you redefine your experiences and your life story, leading you to find empowerment in your journey for example by highlighting your resilience and strengths.
Support for Your Next Steps Whether you decide to seek reconciliation or separation from any members of your family of origin, therapy can support you in working through the steps needed.
If you are experiencing emotional distress from conflicts with your family of origin, speak with a compassionate trauma-informed therapist at Unicorn Care.