Cutting Ties with Your Parents: A Workbook to Help Adult Children Make Peace with Their Decision, Heal Emotional Wounds, and Move Forward with their Lives

(Paperback)

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Powerful tools to help you accept your decision, manage intense emotions, and thrive.

Estrangement from one or both parents-even by choice-can take a huge emotional and psychological toll. If you have cut ties with a parent, you may have lingering feelings of anger, loneliness, guilt, and shame. You may question or second-guess your decision. And you may have trouble setting or keeping boundaries with your parent, as well as others in your life. This workbook offers evidence-based skills to help you heal the emotional wounds of your past, so you can finally move forward.

With this compassionate guide, you'll identify the reasons why you cut ties, so you can accept and feel validated in your decision. You'll discover powerful tools to help you manage intense emotions, develop healthy coping strategies, and build a lasting and trustworthy support network. Most importantly, you'll learn to cultivate self-compassion and live your life authentically-on your own terms.

You'll also find step-by-step guidance to:
Grieve your losses and release guilt, anxiety, shame, and anger
Understand and overcome the effects of difficult family relationships
Manage difficult days and occasions like holidays, weddings, and funerals
Maintain boundaries and build healthy relationships

They say that family comes first; but it shouldn't be at the expense of your mental health, happiness, or future. If you've decided to cut ties, this book will help you confirm that you've made the right choice, and give you the tools you need to live your life with confidence.

Reviews

"Sharon Martin's Cutting Ties with Your Parents is a helpful workbook and guide for adult children navigating the challenging journey of detaching from difficult or abusive parental relationships. Martin offers insights and actionable steps toward healing and reclaiming autonomy, providing essential support for those seeking liberation from familial toxicity."
--Mari A. Lee, LMFT, founder of Growth Counseling, The Counselor's Coach, and author of Facing Heartbreak--Mari A. Lee, LMFT
"Cutting ties with parents isn't a decision made lightly. Actually, it's often a last resort after pleas by the adult child for their parents to understand the impact of the way they were raised have fallen on deaf ears time and time again. Sharon Martin understands the pain of family estrangement, and compassionately guides those whose childhoods were unsafe to create relationships that protect them from further harm and re-traumatization."
--Laura Reagan, LCSW-C, host of the Therapy Chat Podcast, and founder of the Trauma Therapist Network--Laura Reagan, LCSW-C
"Sharon Martin has created a masterful and practical gem of a workbook for those cutting ties with their parents. In this workbook, Sharon has created a clear and direct path toward accepting this decision, so the reader is left with no stone unturned. Bravo!"
--Sherrie Campbell, PhD, author, podcast host, and clinical pathologist--Sherrie Campbell, PhD
"There is so little in terms of support for adults who have a difficult relationship with their parents. It's important that people who survive abusive dynamics have a process for protecting themselves. This book adds something really special to the field, and is a strong tool for helping adults decide for themselves how to manage family relationships."
--Becca Bland, DLitt, specialist coach, researcher in family estrangement, and founder of Stand Alone--the only nonprofit for estranged adults--Becca Bland, DLitt
"When we make a brave decision to break the cycle of generational trauma, it can be a lonely journey filled with confusing thoughts and emotions. In this book, Sharon is inviting us to experience compassion, non-judgment, and community through her explanations and writing exercises. If you are feeling confused about difficult decisions in your healing journey, I believe this book can bring you comfort and clarity."
--Elisabeth Corey, MSW, founder of www.beatingtrauma.com, and trauma recovery life coach--Elisabeth Corey, MSW

Author Bio

Sharon Martin, DSW, LCSW, is a licensed psychotherapist in San Jose, CA, specializing in helping individuals struggling with perfectionism, codependency, and people-pleasing using cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and self-compassion. Martin is author of The CBT Workbook for Perfectionism, writes the Conquering Codependency blog for Psychology Today, and is a regular media contributor on emotional health and relationships.