It would be nice to believe that when children turn into adults they are somehow magically released from the ‘family scapegoat’ role. However, this is not at all the case. In fact, many individuals who come to me for therapy suffer from Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD) due to continued family abuse that has resulted in them feeling psycho-emotionally paralyzed and worthless – even suicidal.
SCAPEGOATED BY FAMILY & IN CONTACT? Try these 12 Self-Care Strategies! (From the author of the best-selling book, Rejected, Shamed, & Blamed).
Few things are more heart-wrenching to me as a Mental Health practitioner than when I see a client being scapegoated, betrayed, and abandoned by their family-of-origin – and even some friends – when divorcing a spouse that engages in covert abuse…
One of the ways that a narcissistic parent marginalizes their child is to demean them and put them down – This is particularly the case with the ‘scapegoat child’. An example of such marginalization tactics is evident in what S.P. named the ‘Martyr Parent Ploy’, which we consider to be a form of covert narcissism.
As more people get vaccinated for Covid-19, family gatherings are once again possible. It is common to have high expectations when thinking of reuniting with family you haven’t seen for a… Read more »
This is Part Two of a two-part article on psycho-emotional child abuse. You may read Part One here. Note: This article was first published in 2014 and revised in 2019, 2020,… Read more »
Note: This article was first published in 2014 and revised in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Were You a Victim of ‘Invisible Abuse’ in Your Family-Of-Origin? Ever wonder if you were… Read more »
Greetings! I hope this newsletter finds you well. 2020 was a year of losses for many. I’ve heard from quite a few of you over this past year and it… Read more »
Toxic shame is chronic in nature. It resides in our unconscious, meaning, we are not consciously aware that we have, or are experiencing, shame. It exists ‘on the back burner’ of our psyche, causing havoc, and yet we do not even know it is there!
[Note: This article originally written for The C-PTSD Foundation in November 2020] Complex PTSD ( which is sometimes interchanged with terms such as complex relational trauma, developmental trauma, and interpersonal… Read more »