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Going No Contact or Low Contact with Family

11/21/2024

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Key Points:

  • Understanding No and Low Contact: No contact involves completely cutting ties with a toxic family member, while low contact allows for limited, controlled interactions. Both strategies help protect mental and emotional well-being.
  • Recognizing Family Estrangement: Family estrangement often results from deep-rooted conflict, abuse, or neglect. This separation is usually a last resort after attempts to reconcile have failed, emphasizing the importance of self-preservation.
  • Navigating Societal Pressure: Society frequently encourages family loyalty despite harmful dynamics, making it difficult to cut ties. It’s crucial to prioritize personal well-being over societal expectations.
  • Establishing Clear Boundaries: When considering no or low contact, setting firm boundaries allows for respectful self-protection. Whether choosing limited contact or no contact, communicate needs clearly to avoid misunderstandings.
  • Healing and Support: Going no or low contact isn’t a quick fix; healing is a journey. Grieving the relationship’s loss, building a support system, and seeking professional guidance are essential steps to reclaiming peace and self-worth.

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Post-Traumatic Growth?

3/19/2022

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What is Post Traumatic Growth?

Opportunities for Growth

Trauma shatters our lives in so many profound ways.

While it takes tremendous effort to heal, it can also produce some incredible opportunities for growth.

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Signs of a Toxic Work Relationship

1/28/2022

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Toxic Work Friendship

Work Friendships Are Complicated

Work friendships are often complicated with competing personal and professional needs.

We need to recognize the signs when they become toxic so that we can limit our contact or set stronger boundaries.

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Dysfunctional Societal Expectations

12/24/2021

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Dysfunctional Societal Expectations

Why We Do What We Do

When we find ourselves doing things that ultimately drain us, it’s frequently because we’ve internalized dysfunctional societal expectations.

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Love Bombing Isn't Love

10/25/2021

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Love Bombing Isn't Love

It can sometimes be difficult to know if we’re in the honeymoon phase of a new exciting relationship or being “love bombed”.

Love bombing is when someone is saying and doing things we’ve always wanted but somehow it seems disingenuous or lacks the depth of experience it would take to get there.

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Single People Stigma

10/2/2021

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Single People Stigma

Being Single & Happy

Too often single people are looked down on, excluded and projected onto.

The simple truth is that you can be single and happy, and in a relationship and miserable.

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Don't Use Labels as a Weapon

9/28/2021

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Labels As Weapons

Pathologizing Others Harms Us Too

Labeling other people’s behavior with derogatory and inaccurate terms is harmful for others but also for ourselves.

When we judge others harshly or project our own discomfort onto them, we’re less likely to give ourselves permission to be human and do our own growth.

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Signs Your Boss is a Narcissist

9/16/2021

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Signs Your Boss is a Narcissist

Awareness is Key to Self-Empowerment

Having a self-absorbed perfectionist for a boss can be a huge headache and even detrimental to our health and well-being in larger ways.

Interacting with them can erode our confidence and sense of reality as we’re constantly mistreated and even blamed for their own failures.

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Sensitivity & Tenderness Give Us Life

9/5/2021

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Sensitive & Tenderness give us life

Benefits of Sensitivity & Tenderness

Being sensitive and tender is pathologized in cultures that deem anything considered “feminine” to be less than.

It’s a self-empowering act to rebel against these messages and radically accept ourselves.

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6 Signs You're Dealing with a Narcissist

8/16/2021

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6 signs you're dealing with a narcissist

We all have legitimate narcissistic needs for love, attention and validation.

When these become extreme and out of control, they come at the expense of anyone around us and are only temporarily met.

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Why do I Attract Toxic People?

8/15/2021

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Why do I attract toxic people?

Being Curious Instead of Judgmental Of Ourselves

Instead of getting lost in the drama of toxic relationships, it’s a better use of our time to mindfully explore what draws us to them in the first place.

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Are You Craving Stress?

8/10/2021

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Are You Craving Stress?

Why Do We Crave Stress?

If we grew up in chaotic homes, we can equate intensity with love and aliveness.

It becomes a security blanket that suffocates our ability to more thoroughly enjoy life.

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Impact of an Overly Critical Parent

8/4/2021

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Impact of an Overly Critical Parent

Internalizing the Critical Parent

When we have a parent or caregiver that’s overly critical of us, we can internalize these messages into adulthood and do it to ourselves.

Instead of judging ourselves for being judgmental, we can use the tool of mindfulness to notice how this impacts us, where it comes from and be curious so that we can begin the process of increasing self-compassion.

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Mental Health Matters More Than Winning The Gold

8/3/2021

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Mental Health Matters More than

It's not worth losing ourselves!

Our mental health matters WAY more than, “Winning the gold!”

When we neglect our mental health in the pursuit of success we put ourselves at risk of losing ourselves in the process. So not worth it!

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What Gaslighting Looks Like

7/5/2021

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Recognize Signs of Gaslighting

Have you ever had someone question your reality when even the truth was observable and obvious?

This is likely an example of gaslighting where someone else denies the truth and tries to instill doubt in you.

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Britney Spears Speaks Out On Abusive System

6/25/2021

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Free Britney

#FreeBritney

Britney Spears gave a heartbreaking testimony this week about the abuse and trauma she’s experienced from her multi-year conservatorship.

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Juneteenth is now a National Holiday!

6/19/2021

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Juneteenth

Recognition of Juneteenth is Progress Forward

I'm thrilled that Juneteenth will now be honored as an official US holiday!

While there is so much more to be done in the fight for social and racial justice, this is one positive and significant step moving forward.

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James Guay (#lmft39252)
Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist
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  • Home
  • Appointments
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