Part 1.

1. Our family of origin insisted on preserving their cultural traditions and instilling these values within us. They may have been unaware or resisted the fact that we were developing our own set of experiences within our country of residence. As a child, they may have created an environment where it felt unsafe to express our interests, feelings, and opinions. So, we mirror their lack of curiosity with the decision to not share parts of ourselves.

2. Our families of origin may have worldviews that are seperate from our own (re: religion, politics, sex, gender, sexuality). Instead of an open dialogue that encourages difference of opinion, our families may display intolerance and sometimes outright cruelty towards opinions that diverge from their own. Other times, our difference in worldview may threaten their sense of identity and responsibility therefore creating high distress and conflict (i.e. enmeshment & poor boundaries).

3. We were given ‘big’ responsibilities at a very young age. Whether it was to provide translation for our grandparents' medical appointments, supporting our siblings, managing conflict with our parents, or working a job to help pay the bills--- there's a part of us that feels resentment for the roles that we had to step into without any real consent or guidance. We carry these wounds into adulthood and might find ourselves resistant and reactive to our families' bid for connection.

   
   

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