21/01/2026
When someone steps back from their family, it’s easy to ask who’s right, but I think better question is, what’s happening underneath?
There’s been a lot of press about Brooklyn Beckham distancing himself from his parents.
Some see just “celebrity drama”. Some rush to judgement, opinions or taking sides.
What I see is something far more familiar.
After nearly 20 years as a relationship therapist, and through my own lived experience, I’ve learned this:
Estrangement is rarely about blame.
It’s about safety.
Beneath the surface, our subconscious “stallion-like mind” is always asking the same questions:
• Do I feel heard?
• Do I feel understood?
• Am I safe to be myself here?
• Am I allowed to prioritise what matters to me?
When the answer quietly becomes “no”, even with the best intentions on all sides, closeness can start to feel threatening.
Distance becomes a form of self-protection.
That doesn’t mean there isn’t love.
It doesn’t mean anyone meant harm.
It means two nervous systems, two value-sets, two ways of seeing the world no longer feel compatible in closeness.
This is far more common than we realise.
It’s happening in families everywhere, adult children stepping back, parents left confused, siblings caught in the middle, unspoken grief on all sides.
This isn’t about choosing sides.
It’s about understanding what drives behaviour beneath logic and language.
Sometimes healing looks like reconciliation.
And sometimes it looks like clarity, boundaries, and learning how to live well with what is.
If this resonates, you’re not alone.
And if you’re navigating something similar, this is exactly the work I’m here to help with, compassionately, honestly, and without judgement.
Because these dynamics are never simple, but they are deeply human.