Not accepting no contact - any ideas / resources / similar experiences?

Started by WeAreAllAPartOfUniverse, August 12, 2024, 07:39:40 PM

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WeAreAllAPartOfUniverse

Hi everyone,
I went no contact with my sister one year ago, and with mum and dad 6 months ago after trying to find non-toxic ways to be in contact with them, what failed, totally. My dad and sister are both maglinant narcissist and I am the scapegoat - yay.

No I am in a situation, and don't know how to deal with it. So I'd like to ask you guys:
Is anyone reading this with the same experience and a reaction, what worked out, or does anyone know a resource with this exact topic?

Here's the issue:

2 month ago my dad went to hospital with life-threatening issues 2 times in a row. Due to that, I was in contact again with him and my sister (my parents are divorced). My dad is very old, and beeing in hospital with something severe, I set myself as the exception for beeing there.
So after he was better and back home and I and my sister have handled some organisational to do's, I announced, that I go back to healing-no-contact-mode now (they know, that I have something phychic and my sister knows about cptsd).
That was ignored by both of them. My dad sent me SMS and my sister messages with all we still need to organize and how tiring and exhausting it is all for her.
So I got weak one little moment by writing: I can do those 3 tasks and then I am back to no contact.
Now, I've went to visit my dad, handled the tasks, told my sister about it and said to both: ,,I am back to healing. Write me if something very severe is happening, apart from that I'm back to healing and no-contact."
This is 4 weeks ago. My dad has accepted it (so far). But my sister has not. After my last call to her, ment to inform her about the done tasks and informing her about going back to no contact now, she sent me a message. She totally misread my call as "so sweet of you reaching out to me the first time, after so long - emoji hearts as eyes" I really didn't know what to answer to that. So I just didn't and was fine with that. 1 week ago I had then a missed call from her at 7 in the morning! I didn't react again. Now today, I have again 2 missed calls.
That's where I am at just now.
She didn't write afterwards, explaining reason of the calls. So I guess it's one of her phsychic games. I'd say, ,,just let her and ignore", but I am much worse and in severe freeze states, since the contact with them. And just seeing the notifications is triggering me completely. I handled at lot of situations with them in the past, but in this case, I have no f*** clue, what to do.  :whistling: How to react or how to find a way to get less triggered.

Any idea welcome :)
:grouphug:

Blueberry

Over at our sister website Out of The Fog, they say boundaries are things you do, not things you say. You can say them once of course, but then maybe you need to act in some way....

For me very very difficult. So just quickly, here's a link from our sister website that might help: https://outofthefog.website/what-to-do-1

Unfortunately it's taken me years to half-way come to grips with this.

WeAreAllAPartOfUniverse

Thank you Blueberry :) I already read the link and the part with ,,communicating consequences and put them into action" very much resonates with me and is ringing a bell.
I have the right and power to be more forceful / strong in communication when my boundary has been crossed. As I'm in an emotional flashback since weeks now, only the thought of it, wasn't accessable to me!
Thank you Blueberry!

I am so sorry, reading you are struggling with that issue, too! It is already so hard and takes so much courage to go no contact. But toxic systems stay toxic. So it would be almost a wonder, if they were just accepting and understanding, wouldn't it?



WeAreAllAPartOfUniverse

#3
Update  :) :
I´d like to share an update with you guys, as I think it´s worth it for other survivors to read this experience  :) and I'd like to let you, Blueberry, know too, what an impact your message has made.

After we were writing here, I realized, that I was in my known-all-to-well freeze-fawn mode, and that your insight Blueberry brang me back to my adult body - having power.

My father was reaching out, too, later on that day. Wouldn´t it be so sad, it would be a good slapstick comedy, wouldn´t it?

So I put it into action and writing to both of them, respectful, but forceful, and adding a consequence, if they'd continue to contact me, I'd block them on my phone (they still would have the opportunity to reach me over other people, if some emergency would occur).

And this..... was a milestone in my healing process! It changed something in me.
The perspective, that I am able to do this! Standing up for myself! Not gentle, as before, more forceful and without the fear of consequences! I observed, that in that moment I didn´t care anymore, if they like it or not!
That was news to me!
I saw, that I have the opportunity here (with them) to train and try out new things – the ship for a good relation has sailed, anyways. That has some freedom in it, too.

I´m in my 40ies, but in this field, I´m still in "elementary school", at least with them.

After all that, I was able to release some good tears, truckloads of them.

I know the story with them can still bring new situations, I might need to deal with. But this experience is set.

I guess, that is what everyone here is talking about - the power of community.  :grouphug:
THANK YOU, for letting experience me this (after 3 days here!!!)  !  Thank you. :)


Blueberry

 :)  :)  I'm happy that link had such an impact you were able to put it into action right away  :applause:  :applause:  :applause: :cheer:  :cheer:  :cheer:

I am also so glad for you that writing to your parents, taking that action seems to really have empowered you - I can feel your strength in your post! :yourock: