Clinical studies of such children reveal that a preponderance of them have parents who have related to them in either a helpless and fearful way or a hostile and self-referential one. The children of helpless and fearful parents, in particular, have a very difficult time later in life. Their parents tend to be sweet and fragile, not hostile or

To avoid the bad feelings, the child slowly learns to identify only with what he thinks of as “good” and to deny anything “bad” as part of who he is. He actually starts limiting his identity to only include what he has come to believe is “acceptable” in the eyes of his parents. Yet another child may despair altogether of getting any good strokes

Toxic parents cannot tolerate being challenged. To keep you feeling small and isolated, they systematically programmed you to view life through a lens of darkness, their darkness. Toxic parents weren’t looking for children, they were looking for emotional prisoners—people they could control. What they failed to consider is that one day you would

While many trauma survivors tend to reject support, some become overly dependent on their loved ones. From morning till night, they expect everything done for them. If things don't meet their standards or expectations, they might lash out at the person caring for them, creating a hostile environment filled with negativity.