Lianne's Book

Many of you are carrying anxieties, depression, insecurities or intense emotions, without an immediately evident source. There’s no significant trauma to point to, no dreadful parental anecdotes or adverse life events to explain the origins of these unsettling emotions, so, the question is, where do these issues originate from?

I believe I have the answer, and it lies within your family. In Philip Larkin’s poem, This Be the Verse, he talks about how our parents mess us up, and although often unintentional, I believe this to be true.

Our families wield a significant influence on us, and this influence is not always positive. Our families can inadvertently cause us the most harm despite their good intentions. What makes this difficult is our reluctance to acknowledge that our families have been a source of discomfort or pain. This doesn’t mean that we must be angry with or hate our families, or that they are bad people –  as parents and siblings, most of us do our best – but we often don’t recognise, address or process this impact.