The book Dr. Lindsay Gibson calls "the best book on relational trauma and recovery that I've ever read"!

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THE BOOK

The End of Attachment

A compassionate exploration of the experience of estrangement, featuring the first science-based framework that identifies different subtypes of family distance.

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Renowned psychologist Dr. Dana Baerger takes a fresh, science-informed approach to navigating trauma-driven family rupture, helping estranged adult children navigate the best path forward— whether that means reconciliation or continued distance.

Estrangement affects an estimated 90 million people in the U.S. alone, yet our understanding of this widespread phenomenon remains outdated and oversimplified, often privileging the perspective of estranged parents and promoting reconciliation as the only goal. In The End of Attachment, Dr. Baerger expertly blends cutting-edge science with clinical wisdom to correct the myths around estrangement and guide readers through a process of self-reflection, explaining why peace doesn’t always include reconciliation.

Dr. Baerger uses research to illuminate different types of family estrangement, helping readers identify constructive ways to move forward.

She also introduces the concept of Posttraumatic Family Estrangement, a term she developed to describe a type of estrangement driven by unresolved intergenerational trauma rather than by typical family conflict. This groundbreaking framework synthesizes new insights from attachment theory and interpersonal neurobiology to explain how the experience of family harm rewires the brain and nervous system.

Readers will learn to tend to their well-being by making choices from a place of compassion and self-respect. They’ll be empowered with practical tools that support healthy connection, emotional resilience, and a deep sense of purpose. And they will gain clarity on whether repair is possible, or whether stepping away from destructive family patterns is a necessary act of survival.

"Beyond its jaw-dropping insights into estrangement, this is the best book on relational trauma and recovery that I've ever read. Dr. Baerger nails it with so many good lines I had to stop myself from underlining the whole book. She writes in grounded, embodied truths that heal with their exquisite clarity while soothing your soul. I cannot recommend this book highly enough."

Dr. Lindsay Gibson, author of "Adult Children of Emotionally Immature
Parents"
"Dana Baerger has written the book on family estrangement that has been missing — and she has written it extraordinarily well. Estrangement is a deeply misunderstood and highly mythologized human experience: The End of Attachment replaces myth with science and moral certainty with compassion. What she offers here reflects the state of the art in the clinical treatment of trauma. Wise, grounded, and deeply humane, this book meets readers exactly where they are, and does not leave them there."

Dr. Diana Fosha, Founder + Director of the AEDP Institute, author of
"The Transforming Power of Affect"
"Meticulously researched and attuned to the realities of relational trauma, The End of Attachment brings the science of attachment to the conversation about family estrangement. Rich with compelling stories and clinical wisdom, the book's reach extends beyond estrangement. In illuminating the forces that can pull families apart, Dana Baerger reveals the forces at work in all of our relationships - how we attach, how we hurt one another, and what makes true connection possible. An important and necessary book about trauma, relationships, and the possibility of healing."

Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, author of "My Grandmother's Hands:
Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies"

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healing starts with the courage to risk the journey

grounded in neuroscience, guided by emotion, geared toward transformation

Psychotherapist

transformative psychotherapy that helps you build a life of authenticity, vitality, and meaning.

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Trainer

consultation that fosters the depth, presence, and precision required for therapeutic excellence.

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Author

writing that brings clarity and compassion to the complexities of trauma, family, and belonging.

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