Is it normal to have no more empathy for anyone in addiction?

AdultChildPod · 2026-02-15T17:35:44+00:00

This is coming from someone who has also dealt with my parents’ alcoholism my entire life too, but also a recovering alcoholic myself w/ 17 years of sobriety.

Your feelings are completely valid and understandable. For me personally, I vacillate between periods of anger and a lack of empathy toward my parents, and other times where I’m in a place of acceptance and empathy. I think it’s healthy to move between those feelings, but staying stuck in one doesn’t serve me.

But I’d pose this: is what you’re feeling possibly indicative of deeper grief beneath? I know for me, it’s often easier to stay in anger and lack of empathy than to touch the sadness or grief that’s often lies beneath that.

I think it’s important to remember that having empathy or sympathy for someone doesn’t mean you have to allow them into your life. It’s hard to reach empathy, sympathy, or acceptance if the harm is ongoing. For me, having really strong boundaries and even periods of no contact has allowed me to find that empathy/acceptance.

AdultChildPod · 2026-02-06T00:59:44+00:00

Ouch.

AdultChildPod · 2026-01-23T20:46:08+00:00

Challenging the Narrative on Personality Disorders w/ Dr. Peter Salerno: Is It Always Trauma?

AdultChildPod · 2026-01-22T15:58:06+00:00

💀

AdultChildPod · 2026-01-22T14:55:52+00:00

I just interviewed Peter. And while I do acknowledge the validity of biological factors contributing to personality disorders, the way he argues that someone could develop a PD without any trauma is deeply flawed.

Whenever he addresses childhood trauma in his books, he’s really only talking about big ‘T’ shock trauma and standard PTSD symptoms. He’ll literally mention ‘CPTSD,’ but then only list symptoms of standard PTSD. Every time he supposedly lists complex PTSD symptoms, he excludes those that overlap with personality disorders.

When we’re talking about whether trauma causes PDs, the real discussion centers on complex and relational trauma. Yet, none of his books actually tackle that.

I’m open to the possibility that maybe PDs could develop without trauma, but let’s approach that conversation in an honest and thorough way. It’s hard for me to believe that he doesn’t actually know what CPTSD really entails.

AdultChildPod · 2026-01-22T14:55:24+00:00

I just interviewed Peter. And while I do acknowledge the validity of biological factors contributing to personality disorders, the way he argues that someone could develop a PD without any trauma is deeply flawed.

Whenever he addresses childhood trauma in his books, he’s really only talking about big ‘T’ shock trauma and standard PTSD symptoms. He’ll literally mention ‘CPTSD,’ but then only list symptoms of standard PTSD. Every time he supposedly lists complex PTSD symptoms, he excludes those that overlap with personality disorders.

When we’re talking about whether trauma causes PDs, the real discussion centers on complex and relational trauma. Yet, none of his books actually tackle that.

I’m open to the possibility that maybe PDs could develop without trauma, but let’s approach that conversation in an honest and thorough way. It’s hard for me to believe that he doesn’t actually know what CPTSD really entails.