Trauma Of Divorce

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Practical strategies for helping children heal after a divorce

Divorce is very painful to children and most parents do not realize the depth of the pain that their children are going through as they themselves are often absorbed by their own grief. Studies on children and divorce show that some children, whose parents have divorced, continue to grieve for the loss caused by divorce even in adulthood, especially if there was no intervention in childhood when the divorce occurred.

Some studies indicate that divorce is a great loss to children and they never get over it. Special events like holidays, sports, graduation and marriages bring back the memories of loss. It is therefore important to help children deal with this loss and come to terms …show more content…

Some children may develop depression as a result of complicated grieving and the above mentioned symptoms may persist for months. When these changes in behavior are noted, professional help may be needed. Do not hesitate to seek such help for your child before it is too late.

The following practical strategies can be used in helping children heal from the trauma of divorce. Some of these strategies are borrowed from Ron Deal, in his book The Smart Step-family. They are as follows:

o Find ways of helping children express their sadness and grief about the loss as such expressions promote emotional healing.

o Listen attentively and empathically as they talk about their confusion, fears and feelings of loss and sadness.

o Acknowledge these feelings when you see or hear them and help the child realize that they are normal but not permanent.

o Talk about your feelings of loss too. This will help children know how to think about their loss and feelings of sadness. It will also help them to open up and talk to you about these …show more content…

When people are not married, the term cheating is commonly used. Infidelity is one of the major causes of emotional wounds in married couples. It is also one of the leading causes of divorce. It has the ability to shatter even the strongest of relationships, leaving in its wake feelings of betrayal, guilt, anger, resentment and bitterness. Trust, which is one of the corner stones of a healthy relationship, is also broken.

The pain of cheating or infidelity

There is no doubt about it. Cheating and adultery are ugly words because they are accompanied by an emotional pain even though they happen too frequently in our society. The discovery of an affair by a spouse is one of the most painful moments in a relationship or marriage. The emotional pain experienced is like that of a traumatic event with various stages of recovery such as shock, denial, anger, depression, bargaining, letting go and

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