Opal thought she get over the abuse and estrangement by her bullying, narcissistic son faster than if he had physically died. But she was wrong. Her heart had been ripped out but the sporadic punishment kept going on. Her son and his wife were a gift that kept giving pain and torment.
Opal’s son had always criticized her and tried to control her completely. According to him, she’d ruined his life; she never gave him enough, understood him enough, rescued him enough, loved him enough. His wife stimulated his hatred and attacked Opal even more negatively and viciously. In truth, Opal had worked multiple jobs after divorcing his abusive, alcoholic father, and had given her son everything. Her life had been devoted to him and then dedicated to his children.
“Ambiguous loss” is usually harder to deal with than an actual, finite, definitive loss.
Pauline Boss coined the term “ambiguous loss” in her 1999 book. How can Opal have a wake, a funeral, a letting go of her dream of a loving, caring, ongoing relationship with a son and her grandchildren when they were still alive and coming into her life to inflict new pain whenever they wanted. It was as if they enjoyed torturing her. She could see that pain continuing until she died.
Even worse, none of her friends or family knew how to comfort her. They could not give a name to why Opal was suffering so much nor was there a ritual healing process Opal could use. Some even advised her to keep approaching her son and his wife even though that meant subjecting herself to more torture.
Opal had lost more than the loving, physical connections she’d built her life around, she’d lost the dream she’d made central to her existence.
Opal, like many other people, got relief when she saw the story of her life as if she was a planet revolving around a sun whose strong gravitational field kept her in orbit, kept her from flying off into the chaos of outer space. That sun has been her dream life – centered around her parents when she was growing up and then added to with her son and his family. After her parents had died, she’d focused her life on service to her son and her grandchildren, dreaming she’d rewarded by the warmth and joy she’d have in return.
The destruction of that compelling dream, which had been the center of her universe (an ambiguous loss), resulted in her being flung into the rest of her life with no mooring. She was wandering, lost, alone and bereft. She could find no comfort, no certainty, no rock to cling to, no path to connection, love or joy.
But now Opal’s path was clear: she had to put a new and equally compelling dream, with as strong a gravitational field, at the center of her world.
Then she might live the rest of her life with connection and joy.
Her bio-family had failed. If she tried to keep her son and his family at her center, she’d probably live in pain the rest of her life.
Once Opal had specifically named the depth of her grief, she stopped asking “why” and stopped looking for more explanations for what she’d done wrong to cause her son and his wife to act so hateful toward her. Her sense of fault and failure lifted. Now she could turn her focus from her son and move toward building the rest of her life.
Opal decided to put at the center of her world the future self she wanted to become. She would practice and discipline herself to think and feel and act the way she’d always wanted. She’d use her power to take charge of her life. Her joy would come from inside her and be brought into whatever she did.
She didn’t give up hope of bonding with her beloved grandchildren, but she’d do that from afar while she threw herself into other areas of her life.
She’d pray her son would have a change of heart but she would no longer keep begging him. She knew she couldn’t be the one to change him. Her being a model of a caring, loving person was lost on him. Endless giving wouldn’t satisfy him or his wife.
Many people have gone through many different processes in order to change their dreams and to heal but they’ve all gotten to the same place; a sense of peace, calm, determination, passion and joy. They’ve found their True Selves and searched for and created their True Families; the people of their hearts, minds and Spirits, not necessarily their bio-families.
Of course, there are many complications depending on your situation. The best way to learn how to take power in your life and to be the person you want to be is to hire Dr. Ben for personalized coaching and counseling so you can:
Develop the strength, courage, will and determination to be and to act your best resolutely, diligently and effectively.
Develop a plan and master the skills necessary to create the life your spirit has always hungered for.
Since all tactics depend on the situation, call me at 1-877-8Bullies for expert counseling and coaching by phone or Skype.