17 Jun Healing from a Toxic Mother: Navigating the Mother-Daughter Relationship
Healing from a toxic mother takes time and emotional energy. The mother-daughter relationship can shape much of our emotional health and identity. For many, a toxic mother can leave lasting emotional scars. Healing from this pain is possible, and understanding the dynamics of this relationship is the first step.
What Is a Toxic Mother?
A toxic mother is someone whose behaviours, whether overtly abusive or subtly damaging, can undermine your emotional well-being. This can include emotional neglect, manipulation, criticism, or even controlling behaviour. The impact can be profound, affecting self-esteem, relationships, and overall mental health. Well meaning and loving mothers can be toxic.
If you’re wondering, ‘Is My Mother Toxic’?
This is easy to recognise through exploring these questions…
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- How does she make you feel?
- Does she honour your boundaries?
- Does she acknowledge and apologise for her hurtful behaviour and have the ability to self reflect?
- Do you feel empowered or disempowered through your interactions with her?
- Do you need/desire her approval?
- Does she do ‘everything’ for you, or can you manage your life without her?
- Do you feel obligated towards her?
- Does she tell you what to do, or help you make your own decisions?
- Do you feel her needs matter more than your own?
- Do you feel consistently loved and supported, or is the love conditional?
6 Steps Toward Healing
Healing from a toxic mother requires patience, self-compassion, and guidance. Here are practical steps that can help you move forward:
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- Acknowledge Your Feelings: Recognize and validate the emotions you’ve experienced. It’s essential to accept that your pain is real, and healing begins with acceptance.
- Set Boundaries: If you’re still in contact with your mother, establishing clear boundaries is vital. Limit interactions that cause emotional harm, and practice saying “no” when necessary. If this feels uncomfortable or impossible then…
- Seek Therapy: Working with a professional, such as myself, can help unravel the complex layers of the mother-daughter relationship. Hypnotherapy, EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique), Inner Child Healing and coaching can support healing by addressing the deep-rooted trauma.
- Practice Self-Care: Invest time in activities that nourish your emotional health. Whether it’s journaling, exercise, or creative expression, make space for healing.
- Explore Forgiveness: Forgiveness doesn’t mean excusing hurtful behaviour, but it allows you to release the emotional grip your mother may have on your life. This process takes time, is not linear and may require professional support. The forgiveness may start with forgiving yourself.
- Acceptance: We can never change other people, only how we respond to them. Acceptance that they are who they are, they may never change, evolve, or acknowledge the pain they caused you, is key to healing.
How I Can Help
As a therapist specializing in trauma and emotional healing, I offer tailored sessions to help clients navigate difficult relationships. Through hypnotherapy, EFT, and coaching, I can guide you in understanding your past and moving forward with peace and self-love.
If you’re struggling with a toxic mother, contact me here to learn about how I can support your healing journey.
https://calendly.com30-minute-clarity-call
Recommended reading … Will I Ever Be Good Enough
More from me on family relationships here; https://family-relationships/