Peter H. Anderson, LMFT

03/20/2026

Gonna miss you, Chuck Norris. Most all, all the great memes.

03/17/2026

Have you ever wondered which philosophical lens most therapists and therapy programs operate from? Here’s a quick breakdown.

03/17/2026

When someone can’t face what you reflected back to them, you become the problem.

The research on this is consistent: the mind builds protection patterns early, and one of them is assigning blame outward to keep the self-image intact.

Holding someone accountable triggers their threat response. Your honesty became the threat. That’s about their pattern, not your integrity.

What you did was clear-eyed. What they did with it is theirs to carry.

Do you agree or not agree? Let me know in the comments. 👇

03/17/2026

Over 3,000 parents responded to this survey… here’s what we found. I also created another survey with more demographic questions and thus far have close to 500. We'll see if we can get near a 1,000 and I'll send those results as well.

03/15/2026

More than 2,700 parents participated in this survey about family estrangement. Interestingly, many parents reported something different from the common assumption online that these relationships were always toxic or highly conflictual. In fact, about 69% said their relationship with their child was very close or mostly positive before the estrangement, and 73% said concerns about parenting were rarely or never raised beforehand, suggesting that many parents experienced the cutoff as sudden and unexpected. At the same time, about two-thirds of parents say they continue trying to reach out, but many report receiving little response, no response, or sometimes hostility. While this survey reflects parents’ experiences and perceptions, it suggests the reality of family estrangement may be more complex than the simple narratives we often see online.

03/15/2026

Over 2,700 parents participated in this survey on family estrangement. Thank you to everyone who volunteered. Your willingness to share your experiences is incredibly important and may help inform future research and publications.

Here are some of the patterns that emerged from the responses:

• 69% of parents reported their relationship with their child was “very close” or “mostly positive” before the estrangement.

• 73% said concerns about parenting were rarely or never raised before the cutoff, suggesting many parents experienced the estrangement as sudden or unexpected.

• 67% of parents reported continuing to attempt contact after the estrangement began.

• Many parents report receiving little response, brief responses, or hostile responses when they attempt to reconnect.

• Most estrangements last years, with over half lasting three years or longer.

• Parents report significant emotional impact, including frequent sadness and loneliness related to the estrangement.

This survey represents the experiences and perceptions of parents, and it is only a first step. But it is clear that many parents feel their voices and experiences have not been part of the larger conversation about estrangement.

Thank you again to everyone who participated. Your willingness to share your story helps bring greater understanding to a difficult and often invisible experience.

03/13/2026

If you’ve been cutoff, would you mind telling us who you and briefly what happened so we can know you. . Here’s the survey: https://endicott.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5BCCfuGQaAnLbee

03/13/2026

Hi everyone! If you’d like help learning the fundamentals of healthy relationships, I created a very affordable course.

As a family therapist, I often see relationships break down not because people don’t care, but because the core skills aren’t being practiced—things like effective listening, repairing after conflict, and knowing what truly matters during disagreements.

If you want to strengthen your relationship with practical, research-based tools, check it out here:

Here are practical things to make a relationship work

03/12/2026

Did you know the idea that traumatic memories are repressed and later “recovered” in therapy has very little scientific support?

Psychiatrist Joel Paris and decades of memory research show that memory doesn’t work like a hidden video file waiting to be unlocked. Memory is reconstructive, which means it can be influenced by suggestion, expectations, and even therapy itself.

That doesn’t mean trauma isn’t real—it absolutely is. But good therapy isn’t about digging for buried memories. It’s about helping people understand their patterns, regulate emotions, and improve relationships in the present.

A lot of influencers online turn every struggle into a hidden-trauma story. Serious clinicians rely on evidence, not trends.

Healing is not a treasure hunt for buried memories.
It’s learning how to live honestly in the present.

03/11/2026

Trauma myth 4: it’s not political. It’s become highly political.

03/11/2026

Trauma myth 3: trauma is sufficient for the diagnosis of PTSD. Actually, no. It’s necessary, but it’s not sufficient.

03/09/2026

Trauma myth 2: it’s unique. Nope. We all have it, but only a few have symptoms of it.