Abandonment

Overview of Abandonment & Fear of Abadonment: Many people go to therapy to resolve abandonment experiences. Those who go for other reasons sometimes discover that old abandonment trauma underlie their presenting problems.  The fear of abandonment is not an uncommon burden and it varies in degrees of intensity depending on one’s experience as a young child, among other factors. Abandonment fear may be, to some degree, a normal part of being human, but when intense, frequent, impossible to comfort, or not subject to rational examination, abandonment fear can interfere with healthy relationships.

Fear of abandonment can lead to anger, anxiety, depression, avoidance of intimacy, and codependence. Learning to care for oneself, finding the safe and calm center, communicating one’s needs in intimate relationships, and developing trust for other people are all part of overcoming serious abandonment fears.

Talking about your fears with a therapist is a great first step. Therapists who clearly communicate – in words and in actions – a commitment to staying present with their clients, help to begin to soothe abandonment fears.  Psychotherapy for this issue often focuses on helping a person to tend in a self-compassionate way to the parts of oneself that hold the memories, feelings, and felt sense from abandonment trauma.

Therapy for Abandonment: There is a wide range of Psychotherapy Treatment Models or types of therapy used in the treatment of fear of abandonment issues. Most of these approaches fall into three historic camps of psychology: Psychoanalytic / Psychodynamic approaches; Behaviorism and; Humanism. Marriage Counseling may be important part of therapy for abandonment if abandonment issues are effecting a relationship. Regardless of the type of therapy, there are some generally agreed upon elements of healthy therapy which are universal to all forms of psychotherapy. Before beginning therapy for abandonment or any other issue, it is helpful to familiarize oneself with these elements.

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Abandonment Article Summaries