Psychotherapist and host Jessica Fowler interviews Kaytee Gillis this week about parental abandonment. We are discussing her book: Healing from Parental Abandonment and Neglect: Move Beyond Insecure Attachment to Build Safety, Connection and Trust with Yourself and Others (affiliate link). Kaytee Gillis defines parental abandonment as a parent or caregiver severing the relationship through rejection, being kicked out of the home, or loss of a caregiver after divorce, and notes it can occur across the lifespan and overlaps at times with family estrangement. There are a variety of causes including family dysfunction, abuse, and homophobia/transphobia. This in as we discuss how abandonment can impact the child and how to move forward with healing,

Highlights:

What Is Abandonment

Estrangement vs Abandonment

Why It Happens

How It Shows Up

Healing Stages

Inner Child Practices

Jealousy Around Happy Families

Grieving the Living Parent

Scripts for Awkward Questions

Forgiveness Without Pressure

Signs You Are Healing

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*Information shared on this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only.

About the author:

Kaytee is a psychotherapist and author with a passion for working with survivors of relationship and family trauma and the LGBTQ+ community. She is the author of several books, including Breaking the Cycle: the 6 Stages of Healing from Childhood Family Trauma, and Healing from Parental Abandonment and Neglect.