No, Family Estrangement Is Not a "Trend"

"This framing of something as psychologically wounding as going no contact is not only unhelpful but deeply insulting, and the fact is that it is mainly influencers, not mental health or psychology experts, who are responsible for framing it this way. Certainly, it gets them clicks, likes, listens, and downloads, but it doesn't do much for those of us who have had to make the painful decision to go no contact."

"Let me tell you this from experience: going no contact with a family member is an extraordinarily, indescribably painful decision. It is a decision a person doesn't arrive at lightly and certainly doesn't arrive at because it's "trendy." It is a decision that haunts you on an almost daily basis as you agonize over whether you've done the right thing and as you grieve over and over again for what might have been-and as you painfully accept that it never can be that way"

Framing family estrangement as a 'trend' trivializes the real psychological harm and invalidates people who go no contact. Influencers, rather than mental health experts, often promote the 'trend' framing to attract attention and engagement. Many individuals arrive at no contact only after exhausting all options for reconciliation, and the decision is intensely painful, causing recurring grief and doubt. The experience of estrangement includes long-term emotional consequences and requires nuance. Therapists must avoid assumptions about motives and decisions and must acknowledge the complexity, validity, and private nature of individuals' reasons for going no contact.

Read at Psychology Today