Do you have to forgive - a therapist explains | Mom On Mute Podcast

What happens when the relationship between parents and adult children breaks down to the point of estrangement? In this episode of Mom on Mute, Mindy speaks with therapist Peter H. Anderson (LMFT) about family estrangement, forgiveness, and the difficult reality many families face when communication collapses. Peter shares his personal story of growing up with an alcoholic father, the resentment he carried for years, and how faith and self-reflection eventually allowed him to rebuild that relationship before his father reached the end of life. The conversation explores why estranged parents and estranged adult children often struggle to repair their relationships, and why going no contact sometimes becomes the default response in toxic family dynamics. Rather than focusing only on blame, this discussion looks at the deeper patterns behind difficult parent child relationships. Peter explains how therapy approaches like Acceptance Commitment Therapy encourage people to focus on present communication instead of staying trapped in past grievances. The episode also examines generational conflict, political polarization inside families, and why direct communication is often missing when families reach the point of cutting off family members. This episode may resonate with people navigating estranged parents, parents struggling to understand estranged adult children, people considering going no contact with family, or anyone trying to understand the growing conversation around family estrangement. In this episode we talk about: • forgiveness and rebuilding relationships after childhood trauma • why family estrangement often escalates instead of resolving • communication patterns between parents and adult children • generational conflict, boundaries, and accountability   About the Podcast Mom on Mute explores family estrangement, no contact families, and the complicated reality of parent-child relationships when communication breaks down.