Why “No Contact” Family Estrangement Is On the Rise

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KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 6 August 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Across social media, people are posting about their experiences ending contact with family members, which experts say is a growing trend. Studies have found that about a quarter of adults in America are estranged from a relative with parent-child estrangements as the most common. Becoming estranged from family can provide an escape from abuse or problematic relationships and allow space for healing. But some therapists are concerned the no-contact-family trend is doing more harm than good. We’ll talk about what drives families apart and when and how to heal broken relationships. Guests: Kui Mwai, freelance writer. She recently published an article in Vogue titled, “Why So Many People (Myself Included) Are Experiencing Family Estrangement." Josh Coleman, psychologist; author, “Rules for Estrangement: Why Adult Children Cut Ties and How to Heal the Conflict” Violetta Fernandez, licensed mental health therapist and parental estrangement coach Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, forum listeners, it's Mina. I have exciting news. We're taking forum beyond the airwaves,
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0:59.8	TikTok is flooded with users who claim cutting off family ties vastly improved their life.
1:05.7	They say it ended decades of abuse or toxic dynamics.
1:09.1	But some therapists worry about this growing trend. One study found that
1:12.7	more than a quarter of Americans are estranged from a family member. That's 67 million people.
1:18.4	Does severing contact do more harm than good? We'll talk about what drives families apart and how one can
1:24.2	heal broken relationships. That's all coming up next after this news.
1:43.3	Welcome to Forum. I'm Leslie McClurg. I'm in today for Alexis Madrigal. And I tried hard to cut my dad out of my life numerous times. And one time we went about six years without talking. Then he had a heart attack and I finally went to see him. That visit ended in a huge, very painful blow up.
2:03.0	And while I was sitting at the airport, I wrote myself a letter, promising myself that I would
2:07.7	never speak to him again. A year later, a nurse called me from the hospital and she told me that
2:13.3	my dad had acute leukemia. She expected he'd go in about 24 hours. She put him on the line
2:19.6	and suddenly I had so much I wanted to say, but he could hardly understand me and he died
	...

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