Estrangement Therapy

Finding healing after family disconnection

Estrangement can leave deep, unseen wounds.  Whether you’ve chosen distance to protect yourself or had it imposed upon you, it is a loss and just like any loss the experience can stir grief, guilt, anger, confusion, and even relief.  We don’t only loose the person or people involved, we also loose a sense of belonging.  Therapy can help you make sense of these conflicting emotions and find a way forward that feels grounded, compassionate and right for you.

Understanding Estrangement

Estrangement is more common than most people realise. It can happen between parents and adult children, siblings, or extended family members. Sometimes it follows years of conflict or subtle disconnection; other times, it’s triggered by a single painful event. It often involves an ongoing internal struggle between wanting to protect ourselves and a sense of longing for something that is not available to us. The people who are supposed to be the closest to us cannot be who we need them to be, or cannot accepts us the way we are.

Common Feelings and Challenges

• Grief for the relationship you wish you’d had
• Guilt about stepping away or guilt for not being able to fix things
• Pressure from others to ‘make peace’
• Shame or fear of judgement
• A deep sense of loneliness or not belonging anywhere
• Confusion about whether reconciliation is possible - or even desirable

The Role of Therapy

Therapy offers a space to explore what estrangement means to you - without pressure to reconcile or justify your choices. It can help you stay connected to your truth, even when others can’t see or accept it. Whatever your situation, you will find that your feelings make sense based on what you have been through.

Through our work together, you can:
• Make sense of the parts of you that feel torn, guilty, or protective
• Grieve what’s been lost while honouring what’s been necessary
• Develop compassion for yourself and your history
• Understand how family dynamics and attachment patterns continue to shape your relationships
• Reconnect with your sense of worth, agency, and choice

The intention is not to push for reconciliation but to support your own healing wherever that leads.

If you want to learn more about how I can help you get in touch for a free consultation.

This is a good website for more information: https://breakaway.org.uk/