Tag: No – contact

Categories
Life

Estrangement: what it is, why people become estranged and how to heal

Image: Canva

Back in January, son of David and Victoria Beckham, Brooklyn announced that he was estranged from his parents. Brooklyn shared details on an Instagram post.

The post started:

I have been silent for years and made every effort to keep these matters private. Unfortunately, my parents and their team have continued to go to the press, leaving me no choice but to speak for myself and tell the truth about only some of the lies that have been printed.

Beckham made his wishes very clear.

I do not want ti reconcile with my family. I’m not being controlled, I’m standing up for myself for the first time in my life.

I wrote about it briefly here.

Licensed family therapists and estranged parents speak out

Estranged parents and therapists have spoken ad nauseum about estrangement on social media, especially TikTok and Instagram.

To their credit, some parents admit their own part leading to children going no contact,

However, other parents lack insight. Some are, arguably downright narcissistic.

*Just in case this doesn’t load properly, this video is Zoe from Live Abuse Free talking about ‘Diane’ two years ago.*

Some parents still seem to lack insight.

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZSCfEmeb8/

What’s worse is some so – called therapists side with the parents and blast the children. They accuse the children of disrespecting boudaries. My guess would be most of the time, it’s the other way around.

To make matters worse, therapists blame the adult children, too, saying they weapomise terms like ‘boundaries’.

Earlier this year, YouTuber and psychologist Dr. Ana called out LMFT Peter Anderson for demonising children for going no contact. He went as far as calling the children ‘narcissistic’ or of having a personality disorder.

Dr Ana Psychology critiques Peter Anderson’s attack on children who go no contact with parents.

Dr. Ana pointed many personality disorders, especially Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD), is often triggered by early childhood trauma.

How to heal after estrangement

Going no contact with people who are suppose to love you is extremely difficult. However, according to the ABC, there are ways to heal from estrangement.

Good Coast lecturer and researcher in psychology, Rachael Sharman advises people get professional help. Mental health professionals can offer valuable insight to help the healing process.

Counsellors or psychologists are very skilled at seeing patterns and dynamics that you can’t.

And then people can see a little bit more clearly what’s going on in the relationship.

(‘How to move forward from estrangement’, Amy Sheehan, 4 June 2026)

(P.S. As a side note, this can apply to any personal situation, I know this first hand).

It’s important to know that healing doesn’t always mean reconciliation. According to Counsellor, Poli Zoungas, healing can mean:

  • Seeing more clearly
  • Reduced emotionak distress
  • Healthier relationships with yourself and others

This takes time. Zoungas explains:

The healing exists through time, which allows for a calming.

The most important takeaway is that you don’t have to (nor should you) battle this on your own.

If you’re living in Australia and need someone to talk to, you can call Lifeline: 13 11 14.

Categories
Opinion/Commentary

What does it mean to go ‘no contact’ and why does it happen?

Early this year, the world heard about Brooklyn Beckham going ‘no contact’ with parents David and Victoria Beckham.

The twenty – six – year – old model and aspiring chef accused them of trying to “ruin” his marriage to his wife, Nicola Peltz in 2022. He also accused them of causing him to have “crippling anxiety” in a lengthy Instagram post.

A part of the post reads:

For my entire life, my parents have controlled narratives in the press about our family. The performative social media posts, family events and inauthentic relationships have been a fixture of the life I was born into…

When referring to his parents and his marriage, he wrote:

They [Victoria and David] were adament on me signing [the rights to his name away], before my wedding date because then the terms of the deal would be initiated. My holdout affected their payday, and they never treated me the same since. During the wedding planning, my mum went so far as to call me “evil” because Nicola and I chose to include my Nanny Sandra and Nicola’s “Naunni” at our table, because they both didn’t have their husbands. Both of our parents had their own tables equally adjacent to ours.

Responses to Brooklyn

Beckhams’ feud has caused division within the family. According to Herald Sun, Brooklyn’s brother, Romeo has attacked Peltz, calling her a “problem” after Brooklyn slammed his parents on Instagram.

Celebrity chef, Gordon Ramsay is good friends with David and Victoria. He told The Sun that they were “good parents”.

When talking about Beckhams’ relationship with Brooklyn, Ramsay added:

They have both put so much energy into their kids, and I know just how many times they have got Brooklyn out of the s**t.

(“Brooklyn Beckham cuts ties with the Tamsays after Gordon’s warning”, Becca Monaghan, MSN, 20 February 2026).

While Ramsay and Brooklyn have communicated, Brooklyn unfollowed two of Ramsay’s children on social media.

Similar to Romeo, Ramsay points to Peltz as the reason for the estrangement.

Other celebrities have chimed in to the saga. Singer, Marc Anthony described the feud as “extremely unfortunate”: He refused to divoluge in specific details at what happened at Beckham’s/ Peltz’s wedding.

GB Newspresenter, Nana Akua slammed Brooklyn for his Instagram post,, labelling him an “ungrateful little brat”. Sky News Australia’s Danica Di Giorgio has repeated this view.

Reasons why people go no – contact with family

Image: elements from Canva

Of course, no one can know about what is truly going on with the Beckhams or any other family in behind closed doors. Noone really jnows why Brooklyn’s wedding was the final straw.

Personally, I find it interestimg that people have put the blame on Peltz. I’m not going to add any personal opinion on the matter. All I’ll say is that there is research as to why families become estranged.

According to Cognitive Psychology, reasons people go no contact include:

  • Abuse
  • Repeat boundary violations
  • Emotionally unavailable parent/s
  • Parentification
  • Guarding one’s own mental health
  • Emotional exhaustion from trying to repair relationship/s

The possible pros and pitfalls of going no contact

According to Alexis Friedlander, going ‘no contact’ can help a person heal. Potential benefits of going no contact can include:

  • Freedom to process the ending of a relationship without getting enotionally entangled
  • Self – reliance, rather than seeking external validation and building healthy coping strategies
  • Breaking the cycle of confusion brought on by abuse in a relationship

Friedlander warns there are also potential downsides to going no contact. They are:

  • Intense loneliness and isolation
  • Self – blame
  • Not getting closure you might long for

I think it’s fair to say that no one takes going no contact to friend, family or exes lightly. And, again, no one can know someone else’s full story. Including the Beckhams.