The alienating parent, often exhibiting traits of a personality disorder, strategically withholds the child as a form of punishing you for perceived wrongs. This punitive action is often triggered by a variety of emotional wounds, abandonment issues, and feelings of being unloved, which may have laid dormant until the stressors of separation or divorce surfaced. Having said that, in many instances, the signs of the alienating parent’s tendencies were not completely dormant, but may have been present even before the formal separation. Perhaps you hesitate to take action, fearing the potential escalation of conflicts, knowing what you do.
The root of the alienating parent’s behaviour is multifaceted. Not only might they harbour jealousy towards you, but they may also, deep down, not feel loveable themselves, attempting to fill this (narcissistic wound) pain and void through controlling and deceitful tactics. Exposing the truth, could jeopardise the alienating parent’s control over the child’s narrative and affection, leading them to fabricate a distorted reality – creating negativity, fear and confusion around you as a parent. The alienated child, having internalised these falsehoods, becomes a conduit for the alienating parent’s thoughts, beliefs, and behaviours.
This aligned behaviour includes refusing mediation or collaborating with anything. They make life difficult. But some alienated children remember the good times before the alienating kicked in. This causes them to suffer cognitive dissonance. They can’t hold two truths in their mind. It is ‘easier’ for them to cut off. To see you and to go through therapy, to hear your version of events, can be upsetting and confusing. But keep on being the role model. Whether you have time with your child or not, focus on your life, happiness, and well-being. Being such a contrast to the person the alienating parent says you are may plant seeds in the child’s mind about what is true or false.
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