Bryce,

Good on you for reaching out mate. I’m sorry to hear what you’re going through, but can understand the way you feel.

When we feel betrayed by those closest to us and especially by those we feel we should be able to rely on, strong feelings of anger, hatred, frustration and so on can arise. Rightly or wrongly, this is how we feel. The problem with these feelings is that if we hold onto them they can really eat us up from the inside and put a dark cloud over our daily lives.

Whatever you feel toward your parents, forgiveness and acceptance is key to your own self healing. For you to move past this, to acknowledge what has happened and to reconcile your feelings, it is important to seek out a good professional counselor and get all of this off your chest. It is difficult to do this by ourselves, so talking to a neutral 3rd party is important as we can start to get a different perspective on the issues we are experiencing.

There is no need to hurt yourself over something that is not your fault. You did not choose this situation nor could you have avoided it. Unfortunately these situations are thrust upon us and we have to deal with them. You can do it, as many others have. You need the right help. As we deal with the underlying issues the feelings become less and less intense, and our lives can revert to normal. We don’t forget what has happened but we do forgive and accept.

You can always of course contact the YBB Helplines at: http://www.youthbeyondblue.com/get-help/

Help and referrals can be sought here.

I wish you well, come back and chat anytime.

Steve