Jul 23 / Linda Meredith

The Five Stages of Abandonment

The Five Stages of Abandonment

Based on Susan Anderson’s Model
Abandonment, in the form of neglect and abuse, is at the core of childhood trauma. As adults, we not only struggle with the intense cycles of pain during heart breaks and loss of loved ones, but we are also vulnerable to feeling the pain of abandonment every day in subtle ways like just being ignored by a friend.
Source:

These stages don’t just happen once.

For many people with CPtsd, they repeat in different relationships and situations, often without realising it. This is because the brain is organising around expected loss, not just responding to the present moment.

When To Take This One Next Step

If this keeps happening - even when you can see it clearly then it’s not a lack of insight. 

It means something is happening underneath awareness that hasn’t been worked with directly yet.

If you have one of those moments that doesn't settle, you can bring it. One specific situation. The one that still doesn't make sense.

I'll break down what happened in real time, why that shift occurred, and where your focus needs to go if you want it to begin changing.

You don't need to explain everything. Just the moment. 👉 Get Your Written Response: One Next Step

You don’t need to figure all of this out on your own. You just need one moment that doesn’t make sense - and a way to understand what’s actually happening in it, literally how you can recognise and take your one next step.


Investment

No ongoing commitment. One focused response.
Built around your specific situation.

This is not ongoing support - it’s a precise starting point.

$97usd
Single payment · No back and forth · Delivered within 1–3 business days

If it keeps happening - and your insight hasn’t changed the outcome 

This is where you get your clear answer. You don’t need to figure it out first. You just need to
bring the moment that still doesn’t make sense. 

References

This article draws on established research in complex trauma, attachment  and brain based patterning, including the work of: Herman (1992), Bowlby (1988), van der Kolk (2014), Courtois and Ford (2013), Siegel (2012), Schore (2003), and van der Hart, Nijenhuis and Steele (2006).

It also reflects the clinical framework NeuroSynqt™, developed by Linda Meredith through decades of applied practice and education in CPtsd recovery.
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