In this episode, Ana and guest and Registered Clinical Counsellor, Fernanda Souza, explore family relationships and their impact on personal growth, behavioral patterns, attachment styles, topics important during midlife and beyond.

1. Family of Origin:

• Defined as the family you were born into, including cultural and national identity.
• Influences include inherited values, unresolved traumas, and intergenerational wounds.

• Midlife is seen as a prolific time for self-reflection and reevaluating family dynamics.
• Revisiting personal identity and addressing unresolved issues with parents is common.

• Secure attachment develops through consistent parenting.
• Inconsistent parenting or unresolved parental trauma can lead to attachment insecurities.
• Adults can work on "naming and taming" their own attachment patterns to improve relationships.

• Cutting ties with parents is sometimes necessary but does not always leads to healing.
• Therapy can help clients explore ways to differentiate themselves from harmful dynamics while maintaining some connection, if feasible.
• Healing often involves symbolic reconciliation rather than literal distancing.

• Family patterns, including attachment styles, influence adult relationships and parenting approaches.
• Therapy helps individuals identify and adjust inherited behaviors that don't serve them well and stop intergenerational trauma.

Chapters

00:00 Navigating Adult Relationships with Parents

18:10 Understanding Attachment Styles and Their Impact

25:53 Resources for Healing and Growth

Related resources:

• Books by Sue Johnson: Hold Me Tight, Love Sense
• Esther Perel, Psychotherapist and New York Times bestselling author
• Drs. John and Julie Gottman, The Gottman Institute

Connect with us:

Instagram: From Midlife to Best Life

Disclaimer:

This podcast content is presented solely for general informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. It is not intended to substitute the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist or other qualified professional, diagnosis or treatment. Listeners should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical or health condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their healthcare professionals for any such conditions.