Healing from Parental Abandonment and Neglect: Move Beyond Insecure Attachment to Build Safety, Connection, and Trust with Yourself and Others

A powerful approach to heal from abandonment trauma, break free from self-blame and shame, and rebuild trust--with yourself and the ones you love.

Do you blame yourself for being abandoned or neglected as a child, or suffer from poor self-esteem, anxiety, or depression as a result? Do you have deep feelings of shame, defectiveness, and insecurity that impact your life and relationships? If so, you are not alone. These are common experiences for survivors of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). But what happened to you as a child or young adult isn't your fault. By understanding how you were affected, you can start on the path to healing and personal growth.

From family trauma expert and abandonment survivor Kaytee Gillis, Healing from Parental Abandonment offers a powerful, evidence-based approach that draws on acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and compassion-focused therapy (CFT) to help you develop a thorough understanding of what abandonment is and how it may have shaped who you are today.

You'll also learn skills to help you work through self-blame and shame, replace unhealthy behaviors with positive coping skills, form healthy boundaries, and reconnect with your true self. And finally, you'll find exercises and activities to help you put what you've learned into action--so you can make lasting positive change.

What happened in your past doesn't have to define your future. If you're ready to heal the invisible wounds of your childhood, this compassionate guide can help you get started today.

Kaytlyn "Kaytee" Gillis, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and author with a passion for working with survivors of relationship and family trauma, and with the LGBTQ+ community. Her work focuses on assisting survivors and educating clinicians and the public about the effects of psychological family trauma. She has published several books and contributed to many others, and provides trainings nationwide.

Kaytee's work has been featured in TIME, BBC World News, The Dr. Wendy Walsh Show, CP24 News, and many other outlets. She is a regular contributor to Psychotherapy Networker, and writes the popular column "Invisible Bruises" for Psychology Today. An avid traveler, Kaytee enjoys trying the local coffee wherever she goes. She lives with her partner and two fur children.

Foreword writer Elaine Miller-Karas, LCSW, is cofounder and executive director emeritus of the Trauma Resource Institute (TRI). Miller-Karas is a psychotherapist, and author of Building Resilience to Trauma. She shares her expertise with the public through her contributions to Psychology Today, and through her weekly radio show, Resiliency Within, on VoiceAmerica.