Posted by codybug on August 7, 2008, at 18:57:20
In reply to Adolescent Loss of Parent: Effects in Adulthood?, posted by nomadjones on May 5, 2008, at 20:09:19
> Hi: Does anybody have any reading materials (articles, books, weblinks) one could point me to on a child's/adolescent's loss of a parent and the effects into adulthood? I lost my father traumatically at 15 and it seems to have caused a lot of damage to me over the years (I'm a male in my early forties now). I don't really have flashbacks ala the far end of the PTSD spectrum, but think I internalized the idea that doom is always waiting around the corner. Some other traumatic stuff just intensified this way of understanding the world. I catastrophize quite a bit and I'm trying to pull it apart now and could use some guidance. I read something about children in the Holocaust (obviously a much worse situation than mine), but it resonated. Thanks, Nomad
Nomad, your post really hit home for me. I too lost my dad when I was 15. I was shocked and devastated. His death seemed to be the catalyst for things going bad after that. A sort of snowball effect. I am now 39 and am always waiting for the other shoe to drop. The few times my life has been going well I start to get nervous and think, okay something bad is going to happen soon. I often wonder if my dad were still alive how different would my life have been. I have written down the books that you and the other posters have suggested. I am wanting to work through this and heal and not carry it around anymore. Thankyou for bringing this subject up. It's something that's not talked about much but I think that it's something that a significant number of adolescents go through whether it's from the death of a parent or abandonment of a parent. I wish you the best and hope for healing in your life. Codybug
poster:codybug
thread:827414
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/grief/20070414/msgs/844845.html