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Alexandra Massey
- Dec 12, 2018
- 5 min
What Are The Most Common Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms?
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is generally diagnosed after we experiences symptoms for at least one month following a traumatic event. However the symptoms may not surface until several months, or even years, later. Who Suffers From PTSD? Although PTSD is often associated with combat veterans or survivors of a traumatic event, children raised in severely dysfunctional families can also be affected by PTSD well into adulthood. PTSD events produce such a high ‘state of
Alexandra Massey
- Nov 28, 2018
- 8 min
6 Tips To Survive A Dysfunctional Family Christmas
Looking forward to a Happy Christmas? Not if you’ve come from a dysfunctional family. Ever caught a re-run of Arrested Development? The Bluth family has been through it all — lawsuits, alcoholism and death. The meddling in-laws. The sibling rivalry. The petty arguing. The backhanded comments. The sarcasm and digs. TV humor relies on these types of stereotypes and we can all usually relate to them to some extent. But if your dysfunctional family is anything like mine, it isn’t
Alexandra Massey
- Nov 13, 2018
- 12 min
What Are The Dysfunctional Family Archetypal Rules And Roles?
There are 3 rules and 5 roles that make up the results of an archetypal dysfunctional family. These rules and roles are the key drivers of any dysfunctional family. We look at the rules that are the engine of a dysfunctional family and how they negatively impact on the children. Then we look at the roles that children take up in order to survive the dysfunctional family. What Are The Dysfunctional Family Archetypal Rules? 1. Don’t feel 2. Don’t talk 3. Don’t trust These 3 rul
Alexandra Massey
- Oct 18, 2018
- 7 min
How To Change Dysfunctional Family Relationships For Good
Do you remember the last family upset you had? Maybe you were the centre of it. Then again you may have been a bystander but still seriously affected by it none the less. Painful family dramas can leave you with indelible scars that impact on your relationships, career and general happiness. It is never easy to cope with a dysfunctional family; they drain our emotional and physical energy. Managing the relationships and the conflicts can sometimes feel impossible. However, I’
Alexandra Massey
- Sep 11, 2018
- 7 min
How To Handle Dysfunctional Family Members
Many of us have family members whose values and/or behavior are questionable. They maybe heavy drinkers, religious fanatics, sexual predators or simply highly critical of us. If these family members are our parents, we may even think that their behavior is our fault. Children raised by dysfunctional parents often do. We may have tried to change them, bargain or plead with them but nothing’s ever worked. Growing up in a dysfunctional family had a profound impact on us. It’s o
Alexandra Massey
- Sep 3, 2018
- 7 min
How Can A Dysfunctional Family Affect A Child?
What Is a Dysfunctional Family? As children of dysfunctional families we thought our life was terrible and that we’d had the worst childhood ever and that everyone else had a much, much better time than us. We get older and we look back. Often we can see that our childhood wasn’t dissimilar to lots of other people’s childhood. There are some of us, however, who really did experience severe deprivation at the hands of our parents; parents who really did not stop to think how t
Alexandra Massey
- Apr 13, 2018
- 7 min
The Dysfunctional Family And Mental Illness
Growing up in a household with parents who have some form of ‘mental illness’ produces children with lower self‐esteem, teens with greater dysphoria (a profound state of unease) and subsequent socially anxiety in adulthood according to one study[i]. For those of us raised in homes with mental health issues, we certainly know it, don’t we? What Is Mental Health & Mental Illness? Mental Health Mental health can be described as the psychological state of someone who is functioni
Alexandra Massey
- Apr 10, 2018
- 7 min
If You Were Raised In A Dysfunctional Family How To Overcome The Unspoken Rules
What Is A Dysfunctional Family? There’s no government benchmark on what constitutes a dysfunctional family. However, if you identify with any of these characteristics, as an adult, you may have been raised in one. Some characteristics of being raised in a dysfunctional family: Feel isolated Unable to express feelings Depression Feelings of shame Frightened of criticism High levels of anxiety especially in relationships Low self esteem Think things are your fault Have a fear o
Alexandra Massey
- Jun 27, 2017
- 3 min
9 Signs You Were Raised In A Dysfunctional Family
What is a dysfunctional family? Well, there is a huge span when it comes to the term ‘dysfunctional’. It ranges from mildly dysfunctional to completely nuts. There is really no guide when it comes to determining how dysfunctional a family is but, for the purposes of this article, we are leaning towards the ‘completely nuts’ end of the spectrum. ~ You may find this article useful: The Dysfunctional Family And Mental Illness ~ 1. We feel guilty when we stand up for ourselves. W