Amanda Ann Gregory - Trauma Therapist

03/20/2026

Based on these books, can you guess what my new book is about?

Supporting Family Esteangement

- [ ] Not fixing or preventing it, but celebrating it.
- [ ] Not based in pop psychology or internet fads, but in research and clinical experience.
- [ ] Not blaming Gex X, Z, or Millennials, but recognizeing the impact of much needed societal shifts.
- [ ] Not promoting the stigma in society, but instead challenging it.
Are you ready for this book?

03/17/2026

Forgiveness may bring about reconciliation in family estrangement, but not always.

Esteangement is about creating distance, not promoting unforgiveness. Reconciliation may end family estrangement, but it’s not the best option for everyone. There are family estrangements that should remain in place to provide safety and opportunities to thrive.

In family estrangement, you can forgive without reconciling, and you can reconcile without forgiving. And neither are required.

03/12/2026

📚 Big news! My book You Don’t Need to Forgive: Trauma Recovery on Your Own Terms is currently on sale for just $6 on Amazon.

I wrote this book because so many people are told that forgiveness is the only path to healing. But for many survivors, that message can feel invalidating or even harmful. In You Don’t Need to Forgive, I explore an alternative: a trauma-informed approach to recovery that centers personal autonomy, boundaries, and the right to heal without pressure to reconcile or forgive.

If you’ve ever struggled with the cultural expectation to “forgive and move on,” this book was written with you in mind. Your healing gets to happen on your own terms.

If you’ve been thinking about picking it up, now is a great time—grab a copy while the $6 sale is available.

02/27/2026

Free virtual event: Mar 15, 2026, 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT
During this 90 minute session we will exore the entangled dynamics between estrangement and forgiveness which include practical skills and a robust Q&A.

RSVP here: https://www.togetherestranged.org/event-details/concepts-talk-with-complex-trauma-psychotherapist-author-amanda-ann-gregory

02/25/2026

Happy 1st Book Birthday to You Don’t Need to Forgive: Trauma Recovery on Your Own Terms 🎉📚

One year ago, my book entered the world with a clear message: healing does not require forgiveness.

In You Don’t Need to Forgive, challenges one of the most common, and often harmful, narratives in trauma recovery: that survivors must forgive in order to move on. Grounded in research, clinical insight, and survivor-centered compassion, this book empowers readers to define healing for themselves.

It’s for anyone who has been told to “let it go.”
It’s for anyone who has felt pressured to reconcile before they were ready, or when it wasn’t safe.

It’s for anyone who wants recovery on their own terms.

If this message has supported you this year, or if you’re just discovering it, celebrating this book’s first birthday is the perfect time to grab a copy, leave a review, or share it with someone who needs permission to heal without pressure.

Thank you to every reader who has helped spread this work. 💛

12/19/2025

Inspired Hearts Counseling

11/17/2025

It’s common for trauma therapy and chosen family estrangement to go hand-in-hand. Some trauma survivors begin therapy already estranged from family; others choose estrangement during or after treatment. Estrangement may be brief, longer term, or permanent. Regardless of duration, trauma therapists frequently work with survivors who choose estrangement so frequently that anti-estrangement advocates often claim therapy causes estrangement.

This allegation isn’t true as the goal of trauma therapy is to treat trauma, not to initiate family estrangement. Yet, trauma therapy also does not seek to end estrangements or prevent them from occurring. In fact, several aspects of trauma treatment naturally support survivors in making decisions, including family estrangement, that prioritize their safety and well-being.

Once trauma survivors gain clarity about what keeps them safe, nurtures them, and aligns with their worth, family estrangement may be needed.

11/13/2025

Sign up for my course!

In trauma work, forgiveness often comes up with clients. They’ve heard things like “you need to forgive to heal.”

If you’re like most therapists you’re not sure there’s even a clear definition of forgiveness – or what role if any it should play in treatment.

Here’s the thing. If you get forgiveness in therapy wrong you can do a lot of damage … especially if clients think you’re asking them to “let it go”, make peace with an abuser, or that forgiveness is some kind of “required step” on the journey to trauma recovery.

But when explored gently and on the client’s terms – forgiveness can become a powerful tool. The key is knowing if, when, and how to bring it into the work.

Now with this one-day training Amanda Ann Gregory, author of You Don’t Need to Forgive: Trauma Recovery on Your Own Terms will help make it all clear with the clinical insights and practical strategies you need to navigate forgiveness in a way that supports, rather than derails, your clients’ healing.

When you register, you’ll get

A clear understanding of what forgiveness is – and what it’s not – in trauma therapy
The latest research on forgiveness, where it helps and where it harms
Guidance on if, when and how forgiveness should even be explored with your client
Strategies that welcome anger and embrace appropriate blame
Forgiveness interventions that are client-led and never forced or premature
Forgiveness will come up in therapy, and you can’t afford to get it wrong.

With this one-day training Amanda Ann Gregory, author of You Don’t Need to Forgive: Trauma Recovery on Your Own Terms will help make it all clear with the clinical insights and practical strategies yo

11/13/2025

Avoid saying: But they’re your family, Forgive them, and Every family has problems.

Family estrangement isn’t a topic that everyone can safely discuss. If you want to discuss it safely, consider these tips.

11/08/2025

A one-sided disappointing article from Psychology Today. I wrote a strongly worded letter…

Dear Editor Mariano,

I am a complex trauma treatment specialist and the author of You Don’t Need to Forgive: Trauma Recovery on Your Own Terms. I also advocate for trauma survivors experiencing family estrangement.

In your article, you wrote that some of the causes of estrangement are “Well beyond abuse and direct harm, young adults cite unmet emotional needs, violated boundaries, lack of emotional support,” implying that these reasons may be less valid than experiences of abuse or harm. However, they are equally valid. In my experience, many caregivers who fail to meet their adult children’s emotional needs, violate their boundaries, and are unable to offer emotional support have struggled with these same limitations throughout their parenting. As a result, many of their children have experienced developmental trauma and although they may not be currently physical or emotional abusive their continue to experience trauma responses that are very much in the present.

You also wrote that “estrangement is rarely a remedy.” I respectfully disagree. I have observed many clients make significant therapeutic progress during periods of family estrangement. Many trauma survivors have stated that they would never have felt safe enough to engage in trauma work without creating that distance. Some later chose to reconnect with their families, while others did not.

I am currently writing an evidence-based clinical book that supports family estrangement as a valid and, at times, necessary step in trauma recovery. This work aims to challenge the stigma surrounding estrangement and to give clinicians permission to support it when it aligns with their clients’ needs.

Please let me know if Psychology Today would be interested in publishing another perspective on this important topic.

Cut-offs cut deep and wide, their emotional impact reverberating far beyond the combatants. Because much of the suffering is hidden, repair is challenging for everyone, not least of all therapists.

11/06/2025

Why would an ethical therapist support their client’s decision to estrange from their family? Here are three common reasons.

Why would a therapist support their client’s decision to estrange themselves from their family? Family estrangement can be beneficial to many.