Dr. Nicole LePera on Twitter
Childhood trauma doesn’t just come from what you experience, it’s also about what you don’t experience. Here’s some examples:— Dr. Nicole LePera (@Theholisticpsyc) October 11, 2022
Dr. Nicole LePera on Twitter
If you were “mature for their age” you might have been parentified. Parentification is when a child is made to fill an adult role. This is an “invisible” trauma that has life long impact. HERE’S WHY: 🧵— Dr. Nicole LePera (@Theholisticpsyc) October 16, 2022
Parentification is an extremely common family dynamic where children are expected to: manage their parents emotions or issues (most common is marital problems), take care of the home & siblings on a regular basis, or act as a peer to a parent.
Children adapt quickly to this role. They learn they must betray their own needs, desires, & emotions to keep the connection to a parent.
Many children feel a fierce sense of loyalty to the parent thats parentifying them.
They want to fix, rescue, & protect that parent. It’s a true role reversal.
Naomi Fisher on Twitter
The use of fear to control children is so ubiquitous that most adults don’t even realise they are doing it. They’d never describe what they are doing that way. But in so many different ways, the children feel it. Here’s what it looks like. 1/— Naomi Fisher (@naomicfisher) October 14, 2022