Thawing Issues that Cause Low Self Esteem

A lot of things can cause low self esteem, but the number one factor by far is negative child development experiences. This page is dedicated to covering the impact of unmet childhood dependency needs on people who, for one reason or another, do not get their emotional dependency needs met.

Along with low self-esteem, other results of unmet childhood needs include:

  • Acting-Out at School
  • Bed Wetting
  • Obesity in Teenagers
  • Problem Teenagers
  • Depression Among Teenagers
  • Teenager Pregnancy
  • Chronic Depression Among Men and Women
  • Alcoholism in Teenager
  • Codependency & Addiction
  • Intimacy Problems
  • Chaotic Relationships
  • And More

As you can tell, life complications are pervasive when kids grow up with issues that cause low self esteem.

Thawing the Iceberg Video (DVD)

The above list is just the "tip of the iceberg"...in fact, in the following video presentation I use the Iceberg as a model for exploring the full impact of growing up in a less-than-nurturing family and not getting enough of our needs met.

Below is a newly revised unedited edition of my Iceberg Presentation.

I have also completely revised and updated the video in DVD format. So now you can also watch it, and share it with others, on your HDTV, Blue Ray Player, computer, and other DVD devices.




The DVD version is created in High-Definition which is great for showing in recovery or therapy groups. You can grab a copy of the video by clicking on the Image below. When you order you will also get an MP4 version of the video that you can view on your IPhone, IPad, or IPod Touch.



Thawing the Iceberg DVD Presentation

Or Read an Abbreviated Online Version of The Iceberg...

Click on the following links in the order they are presented to read an abbreviated text version of the Iceberg online.

The "Iceberg", Part I -- Abandonment

The "Iceberg", Part II -- Codependency

The "Iceberg", Part III -- Addictive Personality

The "Iceberg", Part IV -- Overcoming Addiction


Or learn more about the Iceberg in the newest editions of my book...

THAW - Freedom from Frozen Feelings



Kindle Version ($9.99)
Nook Version ($9.99)

PDF Version ($9.99)


Get this book at Jims Post!
Download for Your IPad, IPhone, Laptop, or any PDF Reader!


If you like this website, you will love this book! If you can relate to the Iceberg Model, or help people who can relate, THAW - Freedom from Frozen Feelings is a "must have". I have been asked on many occasions to make the Iceberg and other information on this site available in print and EBook formats - Here it is!

Click here to learn more.



Or Get the Entire Thawing the Iceberg Series!


Click here to save on the entire Thawing the Iceberg Collection!


Let's Have a Conversation about Childhood Issues!

Are you a helping professional? Someone from a dysfunctional family? New to recovery from childhood abandonment issues? Or just want to learn more?

This Forum is a place you can share your experience, ask questions, tell your story, discuss ways to overcome the past, comment on others contributions, or talk about what works in your own recovery.

Sharing is EASY...No sign-up or registration process to go through... just fill out the form below, check a few boxes and submit! You can even remain anonymous if you'd like.

Write a Title for Your Contribution

What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...

This is pointless!  starstarstarstarstar
What is the point of expressing oneself when there are no replies to our posts or any sort of help at all?

life is not fair, but as the cliche goes, "the show must go on"  starstarstarstarstar
So, I found this site as I have been recently trying very hard to understand all the inner critics that I deal with on-going, inside myself, and am so ...

Lost in the Crowd and the Family Dramas  starstarstarstarstar
I am exhausted - finally after 53 years totally exhausted by the family dysfunction, anger and dramas. I am one of 6 children, the only girl and the oldest....

2012 - The Year of Me  starstarstarstarstar
I am 64 years old. All of my life I have felt different, unloveable, isolated and lonely. I grew up an only child. My father and mother were the best ...

My life in a concentration camp, only it was called home  starstarstarstarstar
My earliest memory was when I was 3 yrs. old. Seems hard to believe I can remember that far back.I think that may be why its so hard to move forward in ...

Abandonment then and now  starstarstarstarstar
Gosh so many of us struggling to work it all out. In my case, an emotionally abusive childhood with a manipulative mother who desperately wanted to be ...

Thank you!  starstarstarstarstar
I am so grateful to be reading this at this point in my life. I am in fact thawing, and the pain from my childhood is coming up regularly at work, interfering ...

As A Child  starstarstarstarstar
I am beginning to dissect the pain and abandonment of my childhood. I was only 11 when my mother, father and 10yr old sister were killed instantly in ...

Abandonment issues  starstarstarstarstar
I am feeling very emotional, I realize I am mostly an internalizer, so that means I keep things to myself, but I am in emotional pain, and it has been ...

I don't want to wreck my life again.  starstarstarstarstar
Ok. So I have been trying very hard to deal with myself for a few years now. I've hit a roadblock and find myself reverting to unhealthy behaviours. I ...

Oh the agony of the moment!  starstarstarstarstar
So I was drawn here, 4 years ago I met with a counselor and during one of our sessions she effortlessly said "you have abandonment issues" and was on to ...

I relate to the whole abandonment syndrome  starstarstarstarstar
I have been battling this all my life. There are many abandonment issues as a child, Dad went into service the day I was born and was gone for 15mo. Then ...

I'm defective.  starstarstarstarstar
Here's my life in short form.

1-5 years old: Spent every waking second with my very affectionate, loving, downright amazing mother who has been through ...

Do I have Abandonment Issues???  starstarstarstarstar
I'm 15 almost 16 and I started noticing that when I'm alone I get very "angry" and lonely, it's not just boredom, when I get home from school no ones here,...

Help!!!!!!  starstarstarstarstar
At the ago of 8, I came to the US with my father and siblings. My mother stayed in behind with her mother. At that moment, I felt some degree of abandonment ...

help for a husband who is "a selfish, coldhearted **bleep**""  starstarstarstarstar
I am going into my 20th year with a woman 10 yrs my senior. I am 43.

She was adopted at 6 mos of age to work a holic parents. Her dad is very nice,...

Solving the problem.....  starstarstarstarstar
I have identified myself as an internalizer, by definition according to your description. Literally all of those characteristics without exception. I have ...

abandonment issues  starstarstarstarstar
my mother was hard, cold and distant and my timid father died when I was 15. Many relationship failures and my mothers death has resulted in me on the ...

Coping with Abandonment Issues  starstarstarstarstar
I hate being alone, especially if I had my own place and 2 dogs with me. I feel so alone even though I have some friends and some in my family to talk ...

Is boarding school the right option for a distant child who has been abandoned by her mother?   starstarstarstarstar
I am the eldest of three children. I live in New Zealand and my mum moved to the other side of the country with her partner. She left us to live with other ...

Funeral grief  starstarstarstarstar
I'm finding that I get more emotional at funerals then I would like and would like to control this and even more, want to understand where this is coming ...

Should I still want "daddy" to be a part of my 18 mo old son's life? Biological father is now entering the family..  starstarstarstarstar
Here's the background. And please, forgive me ahead of time for doing what I've done with my marriage. I care about my son more than anything though ...

birdie6  starstarstarstarstar
I'm having a problem with a relationship. I feel I am no longer feeling attracted to my partner, but I don't know if this stems from my own issues with ...

Not even my real family!  starstarstarstarstar
My mother had a lesbian relationship when I was born, and they "raised" me as my parents. It was good until I began to be exposed to others and had to ...

A psychology degree holder dumbstruck by this VERY INSIGHTFUL website!  starstarstarstarstar
I, as a psychology degree holding adult, always looked down on "Self-Help" books and sites, but this (despite being filled with jargon I see as Freudian ...

Lost  starstarstarstarstar
I'm lost regarding where to go from here. My childhood abandonment was complete.

IS IT ME OR HIM  starstarstarstarstar
I KNOW I AM IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH SOMEONE WHO SUFFERS SEVERE ABANDONMENT PROBLEMS. He is in total denial but i feel all the affects of his behavior and ...

child abandoned by mother  starstarstarstarstar
my grand daughter was 3 years old when abandoned by her mother I have raised her since then she is now 8. She sees her mother once a month. Her mother ...

Adopted child looking to release  starstarstarstarstar
I was given up at birth, fostered briefly and then adopted into a household where the mother would rather have had boys. Grew up in a moderately abusive ...

Crying on the Inside  starstarstarstarstar
I have been working with serious abandonment issues all of my life after my mother left my sisters, brother, and me in an orphanage and ran off to get ...

Father - boyfriend  starstarstarstarstar
Hi there,
I really enjoyed reading the information on this website, I feel like I am gaining a better understanding of 'abandonment issues' I am planing ...

Codependent Man Searching for Help  starstarstarstarstar
Codependent man searching for answers. My issues are causing trouble for me professionally and in my marriage.

feel the fear  starstarstarstarstar
feeling frightened and traumatised for the last four or five days. It is a feeling of impending doom. I obsess over certain things that have happened to ...

therapy  starstarstarstarstar
While i agree with the theory of what you say.I would like to tell you that a NHS therapist i saw told me,he said my development was stymied and that ...

Invisible!  starstarstarstarstar
I am 52. I am very talented in my field and have been very successful. I have always had a little voice inside telling me my success was luck. It wasn'...

Is it okay to just leave?  starstarstarstarstar
I want to leave, go away, start anew, try again. Is it okay to do that? That thought gives me peace.

I have been married for 30 years. We have 3 grown ...

What Now???   starstarstarstarstar
I am in awe as I read about myself in all of these descriptions and explanations...and I find a sense of clarity descending upon my soul the more I continue ...

WOW!  starstarstarstarstar
I sit here at work, mind you, with racing thoughts and flashbacks of my childhood. I just recently left my husband of 7 years, we were together for 15 ...

My adult son wishes he could feel his emotions and show them.   starstarstarstarstar
Today I received an email from my 35 year old son. He feels badly that it's so hard for him to show his emotions. He writes that "he wants to let his ...

Starting to heal the abandonment wound - yey!  starstarstarstarstar
I am 34 years old and have battled codependency, addictions, shame, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts, self mutilation and more. This site is wonderful ...

Getting help  starstarstarstarstar
Dear?
My husband had a severe heart attack and stroke over one year ago, I have been his main caregiver for that time. We have a Christian ministry, called ...

Whats the best way to help someone heal these abandonment issues  starstarstarstarstar
My son is 14 years old and his mother doesnt contribute to the parenting very often and when she does I feel its hollow and counter productive. Weeks without ...

Finally recognizing abandonment as an issue  starstarstarstarstar
I am 55 years old but still feel like a 12 year frozen in my tracks like a deer in the headlights. I am able to function at my job (barely these days)...

Trigger While Pregnant ? Why have I regressed?  starstarstarstarstar
- I'm 32 and pregnant (1st child).
- I think I was abused as a child (emo & a little physical)
- As an adult, I thought I was strong, "over" my childhood....

Doing much better now, partially thanks to this site  starstarstarstarstar
Well it has been a long time since I have been here so I thought I would drop by and let you all know how I'm doing. I've been diagnosed as bipolar with ...

Seeking More Freedom  starstarstarstarstar
Learning what I can to foster my part of growth in relationships I am involved with.

I have a problem I can't control any longer  starstarstarstarstar
I just don't know how to feel anymore, I feel out of control and having symptoms of post traumatic stress disorder. My husband has left me and we share ...

Raised by my grandparents  starstarstarstarstar
My grandparents began raising me at a very young age. They were very supportive and encouraged me to do anything that I was able to do. I felt very loved ...

Advice am I an enabler ?  starstarstarstarstar
My boyfriend of almost 2years used to be a heroin addict, well I say used to he has recently relapsed. He used to be so kind and loving now he is so cold ...

Just Chriss  starstarstarstarstar
Wow... I'm so happy that I was 'led' to search this issue this week, only after facing an 'abandonment' issue myself.

I consider myself a great father,...

My twin and I were three years old.   starstarstarstarstar
Our mother left when we were three. I still don't have the whole story but at three, she was out of our lives. Dad kept us and our brother, who was 8 at ...

Self Worth vs. Illusions of Self Hatred  starstarstarstarstar
I just realized that the pain of abandonment, the tendency to try to control my environment so I won't feel the pain out of mere survival, the lack of ...

Realizing Bigger Picture   starstarstarstarstar
I am realizing how the pain of abandonment, the level right before the true self, is the culprit of many losses in my life. What introduced me to even ...

Truth and Love (self-love) Can Set You Free  starstarstarstarstar
I am the first born of an alcoholic agoraphobic father and an alcoholic borderline personality mother. I was the hero that took care of everyone -- mom,...

AWAKENING   starstarstarstarstar
Oh my God, this has helped me so much, I'm 58 years old. I am a christian, I believe God loves me, but obviously only when I felt like I was pleasing ...

Abandonment seems to never leave me  starstarstarstarstar
Grow up on a dysfunctional home with an alcoholic father left me codependent my whole life one bad relationship after another. Been in counseling several ...

Once Loved  starstarstarstarstar
I grew up in a broken home. My parents had been separated since before I could remember. It was just a way of life for me. Both my mother and father loved ...

Just the facts  starstarstarstarstar
I am 33.
I have a daughter.
I have a good job.
I seem pulled together on the outside.
I separated from my husband February.
I do not talk to my parents ...

Body Sorrow  starstarstarstarstar
For all of the life i remember - my body has been a target for pain and aggression. at this time in my life after having been told how "wrong" this body ...

I'm a 20 year old thirty-er, what can I do?  starstarstarstarstar
Born in a dysfunctional family, where violence and daily being cursed, downtrodden and ridiculed, I was a very insecure boy in my teenager years. Did not ...

Adoption is Abandonment  starstarstarstarstar
I was abandoned at birth, fostered for 2 months, then adopted out. My parents adopted 4 children and were always hailed as heroes for "saving our lives"...

Healing Abandonment  starstarstarstarstar
I have tried to put my childhood issues behind me and forget it. However it has affected my life in a terrible way and I want healing to get to the root ...

Loosing my Son  starstarstarstarstar
I was meditating to the sound of tranquility falls 3. I was at the side of a beautiful brook in the meadow that Don describes. Suddenly it reminded me ...

Can you be addicted to depression itself?  starstarstarstarstar
I have been depressed all my life, it is my comfort blanket, I identify with so much that is written on this site and as I cant identify with any other ...

Repetative Abandonment  starstarstarstarstar
Most drs I saw could not relate to my situation and understand there was a problem at all. I'm 66 yrs old but still feel afraid. Orphaned early and mentally ...

Grieving the losses  starstarstarstarstar
When I was around 16 years old, I had a kind of psychological awakening that rocked me to my core. I can remember sitting on the sofa staring at my mother ...

Just Getting Started.  starstarstarstarstar
I am just getting started through this abandonment recovery. I've always knew it to be an issue but my boyfriend & I have had some changes that should ...

DOUBLE ABANDONMENT  starstarstarstarstar
When I was five years old my mother and father split up. There were four children involved. My brother and I were put in a foster home. My older sister ...

Trust in a higher power  starstarstarstarstar
As the pain from my childhood abandonment issues surfaces i am filled with fear and trauma. This fear seems to manifest itself in a fear of the future ...

Need to Feel Needed  starstarstarstarstar
I had a mother who became busy with my brother's children when I turned 14. His wife had a serious disease. I became jealous of the attention they were ...

Auto Childhood Response  starstarstarstarstar
My 4 sisters and I were raised by a mother who did not show any type of loving affection or nurturing. She was efficient in making sure we were fed, cleaned ...

Daughter and Abandonment  starstarstarstarstar
When my daughter was only three months old, she was taken from me by her father. We had been married for three years. I was only 22 years old he was ...

Call Aunty Vi  starstarstarstarstar
I am 64 and still find it hard to comprehend my mother and father's pure neglect towards myself and my three siblings. I never did and still don't feel ...

Abandonment in adult life   starstarstarstarstar
My situation is that I was sexually abused by my father and I remembered it only in 1991 and I dealt with it in therapy. But I just cannot deal with is ...

Damn my childhood.  starstarstarstarstar
I am suffering hugely from a sense of abandonment because my GF wants time to herself. I know the logical reason for this, but I cant stop being upset ...

My baby brother died when I was 18 months old (he was 4 mos. old )  starstarstarstarstar
I have abandonment issues. My little brother died when I was 18 month old. He was only 4 months old. My father was away on a trip and my mom was caring ...

Abandonment  starstarstarstarstar
My four siblings and I were abandoned by our mother, (we were ages 1-5 at the time) and after a year, our father. We were then separated and lived in ...

Loving your Inner Child  starstarstarstarstar
Hi everyone

I have been married to a lovely girl for the past twenty years. We have 3 wonderful, special children. They are growing up too fast.

We ...

Getting help for the caregiver in abandonment...  starstarstarstarstar
I have a friend who is caring for her to great-nephews who have been abandoned several times by their mother (no father in the picture, so there is abandonment ...

Greetings!  starstarstarstarstar
I came across this website almost a year ago, and only noticed the opportunity to share in the forum, so I'm signing up! Hoping to share more soon! Thanks!...

Struggling  starstarstarstarstar
I come from a birth family of 6 girls - the oldest was born Epileptic. There are 6 years between myself and the next oldest-the next youngest was born ...

Withdrawal  starstarstarstarstar
Everything I'm reading in this article has been enlightening, educational and interesting but I would had like to have read something about the role physical ...

Repression Onset of Mood Altering Substance  starstarstarstarstar
As a CASAC working in the field of alcohol/addiction for the past 15 years, I’ve completed more that a 1000 psychosocial and have notice that 80-90% of ...

Strong Enough to be Vulnerable  starstarstarstarstar
Hello Everyone!

I'm a mother of four children. I lost a son 5 years ago. I'm committed to learning how to better meet the emotional needs of my children....

In the Process of Healing  starstarstarstarstar
Hi Everyone,

I have also been through a very rough childhood not having both parent there and also being sexually abused as a child from a family friend....

Abandonment Revived  starstarstarstarstar
A couple of weeks ago a colleague of mine left her job at work. A group of us went to the pub after work and at the end of the evening we all said goodbye ...

Buried Feelings Don't Die!  starstarstarstarstar
I try so hard to distance myself from all the family Drama! thought it would End when Father died, but my own Mother is the Ringmaster of all the dysfunction....

I was a victim too.  starstarstarstarstar
Although I wasn't a direct victim of sexual abuse, I'm learning now that being a witness to it may have been a big part of my own lifelong pain. My sisters ...

New to Recovery  starstarstarstarstar
Hello all!

I am very glad to have found this forum. I am a 28-year old woman dealing with some emotional pain from what I've read is deemed "emotional ...

Prison with no walls..  starstarstarstarstar
I have been trying to solve and understand my life ..Is it Karma, God ? past lives? I have been meditating almost 12 years...There were times I will stay ...

Comments on "Thaw - Freedom from Frozen Feeling-States"  starstarstarstarstar
Wow! Your new Book "THAW - Freedom from Frozen Feeling-States" is great. It is your best work so far. The first two paragraphs really got me (and several ...

I just can't let go  starstarstarstarstar
I was almost 13 years old when I last saw my father. His last words to me, I'll see you next weekend....next weekend never came. I was just starting ...

I want a better life for myself.  starstarstarstarstar
I went to see my mother and brother at Christmas time and ended up staying much longer.
My mother had signed power of attorney and everything she owned ...

Giving up the chance for friendship  starstarstarstarstar
I try very hard to form friendships, but I find that the process of getting close is always very painful. Usually when people start to pull away it brings ...

50 YEAR JOURNEY  starstarstarstarstar
I have managed to live my life not addressing the issues caused by my parents who physically abandoning me at 2 yrs old. I am now 52 and I can tell you ...

New Level of Understanding about my Childhood - and Adulthood  starstarstarstarstar
I'm reaching a new level of understanding about my childhood and the source of my inner struggles.

Unexpectedly, my stepmother has opened up to me ...

Dreams of Family ~ Letting go  starstarstarstarstar
Dreams of Family - Letting Go

I was born into a large family. One of 6 children. Yet I was never really part of this family. I was a Christian for many ...

Fear of Abandoment  starstarstarstarstar
A little about myself first. I am a male, in mid-40's. I was born on SW VA in 1963, and grew up on a farm. I lived with with my Mother, my Aunt, and her ...

I'm not okay, you're not okay  starstarstarstarstar
I Broke up with my Son Today

Well, I called just to talk to my son because I love him and he came off treating me like dirt, telling me all sorts of ...

Want to do things differently  starstarstarstarstar
For as long as I can remember I have believed that I was no good, stupid, hopeless, a failure. Stupid, I know. My father was a harsh disciplinarian who ...

Looking at the Past changes Now and thus the Future!   starstarstarstarstar
I just realized something very profound, I have been given an opportunity that many people never get in life and certainly one that my parents weren't ...

Perhaps I can help another.  starstarstarstarstar
There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders. How many times I have heard this at AA? Now when I get called on to speak I ...

Total Abandonment  starstarstarstarstar
The Iceberg Model of abandonment is fine for the situations described. Personally I found I could see no similarities between my experience and the model....

Abandonment Issues over ex-boyfriend  starstarstarstarstar
I just broke up with a guy who I originally said I forgave for playing head games prior to us getting together. We had been together 2 1/2 years ago and ...

Childhood Development of Codependency  starstarstarstarstar
After being in a continual process of recovery for the past 14 years using therapy, books, and 12 step programs such as CoDA, A.A., & S.L.A.A. I still ...

I talk and I talk... but I never talk about 'it'.   starstarstarstarstar
I'm a 55 yr old woman who recently began having panic attacks... If any of you have ever experienced a panic attack, you know how horrifying they can be!...

Ending the Cycle of Abuse  starstarstarstarstar
I have an adult son who has expressed that he has abandonment issues.

His father and I broke up when he was very young and we were kept apart alot ...

Just Listening  starstarstarstarstar
I am new and just want to listen to begin with.

Abandonment Issues..  starstarstarstarstar
Childhood abandonment issues (literally).

Not wanting to place blame on anyone. More curious as to why it took me until almost 40 years old to start ...

The Iceberg is helping me help others!  starstarstarstarstar
This is the story about how your website has helped me with teaching a class called "Letting Go of Codependency" to incarcerated women.

I am a recovering ...

Gestalt Therapy Doesn't Seem to be Enough For Me  starstarstarstarstar
I have a wonderful therapist and some of the Gestalt therapies have helped somewhat. However, in reading a "self help" book, recommended by my psychiatrist,...

Don't Give Up Hope - PART II  starstarstarstarstar
...Here, I must talk a little bit more about my father. My father is and has always been violent. He's been like that since he's a child. Therapists believe ...

Do Not Give Up Hope - PART I  starstarstarstarstar
I come from what is described here as a "dysfunctional family". My parents got divorced right after I was born. I believe they both have abandonment issues ...

Indifference  starstarstarstarstar
I wonder why parents are so Indifferent to Children's thoughts, hopes and dreams. As I have suffered emotional abandonment from my parents my reaction ...

Very Tired  starstarstarstarstar
My husband grew up in an alcoholic home, we are now in mid 40s, drink regularly "like Europeans", wine with dinner, but seems to be more. Some addiction ...

Fear  starstarstarstarstar
What I learned growing up in a dysfunctional family is FEAR. Plain and simple. Fear.

I know there is healthy fear - like when you learn to be afraid ...

The Role of a Higher Power  starstarstarstarstar
I was sexually abused by my father for about 14 years, my mother would set me up for the abuse. Although we weren't religious, really, I must have learned ...

My Addiction to Partners with Personality Disorders  starstarstarstarstar
My story. I came from a low nurturance childhood. My much loved father died suddenly when I was 7 and I was brought up by my angry, workaholic mother....

How to Stop These Feelings of Abandonment and Shame  starstarstarstarstar
I write this today as I have had enough of these feelings. I am 30 years old and have been dealing with these feelings all of my life. I am looking for ...

How do I help my son  starstarstarstarstar
I have just read part 1 of the Iceberg and it has made me believe what I already thought was going on for my 19 year old son. He is a lovely boy who is ...

I'm rock bottom  starstarstarstarstar
I've hit that rock bottom, and here I am. With a history riddled with almost every addiction in the list, I have gotten to the point where I don't really ...

Someone knows without me having ever told them  starstarstarstarstar
The Iceberg is the best explanation of what happens to an abused child that I have ever came across on the internet.

It is from this that I am learning ...

Have I done something wrong?  starstarstarstarstar
"I have never felt good enough. Nothing I do is good enough. If I would just....."

I come from a very dysfunctional family, my birth family and ...

Abandonment  starstarstarstarstar
I am from a very large dysfunctional family and I always felt that no one truly cared for me while growing up. I felt that I seldom had my parent's attention ...

amazed  starstarstarstarstar
I have been trying to quit smoking cigarettes - the more I think about quitting, the more I smoke. I can't figure out why I smoke. I have a grandson who ...

My anxieties are going to destroy what I have  starstarstarstarstar
I am "finally" after years of failed attempts in a healthy relationship. At least the healthiest one I have ever had. The gentleman and I are both in ...

I NEED HELP! Trying to rebuild a relationship with my 16yr old son him  starstarstarstar
I am trying to rebuild a relationship with my 16yr old son. He feels i was not around for him. Truth is that it is partially my fault, but his moms family ...

this is me and my story  starstarstar
I have read quite o lot of the information on this site and it rings so true, I also have 2 young children and fear so much of repeating unhelpful parenting ...

Joyful World  Not rated yet
I know that underlying all this pain is a joyful world of celebration and love. Why does it keep disappearing? I feel alone. I am alone. I take care ...

When Will it STOP!  Not rated yet
Kinda nervous. :)

I just turned 48,female, youngest(twin),6 of us all together, oldest 58. I can honestly say I think my family has cornered the market ...

Can time heal old wounds?  Not rated yet
I'm 49 yrs old and my mom abandoned my siblings and me when I was 10.5yrs old. Lately, I have been very depressed and have thoughts of suicide. I feel ...

Taking my anger out on my new boyfriend  Not rated yet
I have just met a great guy after being single for 3 years. I know hes amazing because we talk about everything, and omg list goes on.

I have realised ...

I am scared to live - scared of who I am not - you can't see me  Not rated yet
That little blonde girl with the finger curls cocking her head to the side with a faint smile and sky blue eyes - looks so sweet and adorable - so why ...

abandonment at childhood  Not rated yet
Now 43 years old, just had an affair and through the exploration of why, how etc. I have discovered that there is some core issues linked to childhood ...

A marriage of 18 years with abandonment issues  Not rated yet
My wife and I have been married for 18 years, we both grew up with abandonment issues, her mother left her from the age of 12 and I lost both my parents ...

Where to start - Life is good but I know I need help with this issue.  Not rated yet
I have been through so many forms of abuse that at times I really don't know how I've dealt with it all. I'm married to a man that also suffered a lot ...

Who am I  Not rated yet
This is just for the fun of sharing something, to say I have told someone who I am, not being just a little secret, or a subtle feeling of it deep inside ...

Box living!  Not rated yet
I am 39 years old, happily married to a wonderful husband, a mother of one amazing 11 year old. I have a beautiful life now, but for as long as I live ...

God Loves Me..........Yes Me......I am so important to him, that he cares about me!  Not rated yet
I know I am so blessed. Thank you for sharing this information. The impact you have made in my life, just in the past few minutes of reading and the ...

I'm 3 years old, where's my mommy  Not rated yet
Due to a childhood disease I was place in a hospital 100 miles from my home for nearly one year at age 3. Because of the distance my mother was only able ...

Dying to live a true life!  Not rated yet
It's complicated. I was born to adversity... love child... daughter of lies... mother emotionally handicapped, she married an abuser who made my childhood ...

I learned a lot about myself   Not rated yet
I would love to know the real me. I know my false self and my pretend self very very well but the real me remains hidden. I learned alot about why I ...

this hits me in the gut  Not rated yet
I have dealt with this for over 30 years. My abandonment issues have exploded in the past two years. I had an alcoholic abusive father and an emotionally ...

Wow I'm beginning to understand ...  Not rated yet
Wow I'm beginning to understand why my relationships have been so negative

I think back to when I was about 6 years old and so wanted my Mom's approval....

Uncanny  Not rated yet
Reading the material here is like reading my own bio. It's uncanny, but so relieving to have your disposition explained, isn't it? I am due to deliver ...

Dysfunctional Family Holiday  Not rated yet
My extended family are corporate capitalists of the worst degree, mother and brother-in-law. I have been paid to visit across the Irish sea for 2 weeks ...

Still enjoying this website  Not rated yet
I don't comment often but I just thought I'd let everyone know I appreciate all that is shared under the Forums. There is always something that I can ...

Losing my marriage  Not rated yet
I just recently separated from my husband who believes these are his issues, and he let go of a perfectly good marriage that had lots of love. A wife he ...

No i love you's when i was a kid  Not rated yet
Just came across this site as I scramble and google words that relates to my dying relationship. Been asking myself and seeking how come my relationships ...

Abandoned by death  Not rated yet
Both parents died when I was a child and then I was raised by my oldest brother and his bipolar wife. So not only was I physically abandoned, but emotionally ...

Should Have Known  Not rated yet
I did not even know what abandonment issues were..now 3 therapists have left me one moved one retired and one needs a break..they all told me I have ptsd ...

The Anger-Pain-Fear Sludge  Not rated yet
I have been dealing with this weird combo of the anger-pain-fear sludge for almost 58 years....I became an alcoholic/addict over it all...but I am "recovering"...

I am a middle aged female recovering alcoholic  Not rated yet
I cannot believe the accuracy of some of the things I have read on this website. It is incredible. It feels like for the first time someone looked inside ...

Abadonned by mother - Anger and guilt arising   Not rated yet
I am currently in a similar situation and am very lost as to what to do,My mother had me very young 17 and had my sister 2 yrs later.soon after my father ...

Healing Abandonment  Not rated yet
As the oldest child in a catholic home. I stood up to my sociopathic, alcoholic abusive parents and they sent me away when I was 14. I lived in a group ...

I can't understand why  Not rated yet
I'm attracted to people who have problems...I guess I'm a codependent person... I have problems of letting go things, I hold on to people and memories....

Serial Abandoner?  Not rated yet
My splintered family tree has always been a source of so much hurt in my life, and I place 100% of the blame squarely at my father's feet. My father was ...

Abandonemnt Issues...  Not rated yet
Abandonment Issues, my own as well as questions of the male side of this issue:

I have had abandonment issues much of my life, both my parents died ...

Return to happiness  Not rated yet
An aunt recently told me that when I was a baby my parents treated me horribly, "I don't know why,because there was nothing wrong with you' she said. Well ...

smoking  Not rated yet
Hi everyone, i think i need some counselling! I never could understand why i smoke so much, or if I stop I get addicted to other stuff ... shopping, eating,...

Introducing Thawing the Iceberg™  Not rated yet
Hi Everyone,

I just wanted to give you a heads up about a FREE ebook for healing abandonment issues available for download now at the following page:...

My son's anger to his father escalated to his General Anxiety Disorder  Not rated yet
His father and I separated when he was e years old. I thought that would be the best for Sean so
that he will not grow up seeing his parent fight all ...

It's only taken me 40 years to realise I have abandonment issues!  Not rated yet
I have had a sudden revelation and it's only taken me 40 years to realise I have abandonment issues. At the age of 8 my parents were advised to send me ...


Click on the links below to read this Free Four-Part Preview of "The Iceberg" Online,

The "Iceberg", Part I -- Abandonment

The "Iceberg", Part II -- Codependency

The "Iceberg", Part III -- Addictive Personality

The "Iceberg", Part IV -- Overcoming Addiction

Related Links

THAW-Freedom from Frozen Feelings

Go to Core Issues that Cause Low Self Esteem

Self-Harm & Trauma Echoes


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This information is not a substitute for professional evaluation and/or treatment. Reading the information contained here may trigger strong emotional reactions. If you have an emergency, call 911, other local emergency contact, your local emergency room, or law enforcement agency.