Our relationship with family is one of the key factors that has a decisive influence on our lives. Our behavior, fears, and interactions with people in adulthood depend on our family relationships in childhood. Unfortunately, many people have had the negative experience of a dysfunctional family. What is it?

A dysfunctional family is a family in which chaos, rudeness, violent behavior, and an atmosphere of quarrels and fear are considered normal. Usually, parents in such families do not devote enough time to raising children, which causes them trauma. Such injuries can have long-term negative consequences for children's lives in the future.

To show what a dysfunctional family is, let's take the example of Carmen. The girl grows up in a family where both parents suffer from alcohol addiction. Father stays out late in bars and comes home drunk. Mother sits in her room all day and drinks a lot, although not as much as the father. Profanity and even cruelty are normal for this family.

Meanwhile, Carmen grows up in an environment of misunderstanding and ignoring her needs. This can later significantly impact Carmen's life, her well-being, and her relationships with other people. The girl will most likely think she is the cause of all these problems, but their roots are her family.

Although healing the trauma of a dysfunctional family is not easy, it can be done by anyone at any age. When engaging in family therapy, most people are shocked at how deep and complex these traumas are! At first, it seems almost impossible to get out of them, but over time, progress is gaining momentum.

It can be compared to Ariel from the *Little Mermaid* cartoon. When Ariel saw the fork for the first time, she had no idea how to use it and stuck it in her hair. How would she know how to use everyday things if she lived among fish and mermaids all the time? The same happens with people who grew up in dysfunctional families.