Parental baggage and dangers of social media tips

SEVERE CHILDHOOD TRAUMA DEEPLY SCARS MANY ADULTS, HINDERING FUNCTION AND A FULFILLING LIFE

- Sonali Gupta

27-year-old male client in his first session tells me, 'I want to use therapy to deal with my childhood baggage. I want to discuss the relationship with my parents, and the mixed feelings I have towards them. I want to stop blaming them for my miseries. Can I work through my unhealthy patterns without hating my parents?'

Unpacking childhood, the way it has impacted us is a theme that shows up in therapy sessions consistently. Ambivalence or mixed feelings towards one's parents and siblings are themes that are invariably present in one way or another for most clients. Therapy sessions are a safe space for clients to unpack the influences on their life. At the same time—the idea is to use sessions to talk about how parental behaviour and actions have shaped who we are and acknowledge how in our adulthood we can work on ourselves to address unhealthy patterns which may no longer be serving us.