Would it help my mother to tell her she can't find a happy relationship due to her trauma?

Question

My mother's behavior towards me as a child, teen and young adult was a large source of my CPTSD. But I have mostly been able to forgive her. Now I see her as a lost puppy and feel sorry for her. I see her go from guy to guy, desperately looking for someone to save her, or bring her joy and happiness, whatever, classic codependent anxious attachment. And after every time some man leaves her (because she's the classic image of an extremely affectionate but insecure woman chasing after avoidant men), I gently try to mention that maybe she should focus on herself, or get a hobby, passion, or something to give value to her life outside of a man. But whenever I do she is completely stubborn, dismissive and uninterested.

I have been debating telling her straight up, "Mom, you have trauma, you are anxiously attached, and you will not have a stable loving relationship until you work on yourself at least a little bit, and then maybe you can do some inter-relationship healing." But I'm scared to for her sake. Because I know what it's like to heal. Once you're on that path you really can't get off of it. It's long, it's hard, it's debilitating, it's life upheaving, it's extremely painful. It's easier to live in denial.

She's 55. Is it worth at her age? Even if she heals, she has to deal with 55 years of grief! I don't want her to go through all that for a few years of happiness at the end, if and only if she heals and heals fast enough. But I also don't want to deprive her of a chance at true happiness. What is best for her? I need your advice.

Posted May 15, 2025, 4:29 PM UTC

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