Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer Jennifer Senior discusses her latest cover story exploring her own family secret. Topics include hidden family secrets, impact on family dynamics, emotional challenges, changing perceptions, astonishing similarities, and the need for control.
Jennifer Senior uncovers her family secret of her mother's younger sister being sent away to a mental institution, revealing the shame and silence surrounding it.
The impact of trauma and silence on individuals and families shapes their behaviors, fears, and relationships, highlighting the importance of understanding and compassion in dealing with family dynamics and acknowledging lived traumas.
Deep dives
Discovering Sliving: A New Roblox Experience
Terris introduces the Sliving Roblox experience, highlighting the features such as shopping, collecting, and partying with friends. The excitement builds up as Terris invites listeners to join her on Friday, August 25th for a dance party spin. The episode also mentions the connection between connections and the importance of connectivity with AT&T. Additionally, it touches on the podcast Therapy for Black Girls, which focuses on the significance of connections in therapy. The podcast delves into the power of connections and how they can inspire, heal, and unite individuals.
Family Secrets: Unveiling Hidden Stories
The podcast Family Secrets explores the hidden stories within families and the secrets that are kept from others and ourselves. The episode discusses Jennifer Senior's powerful Atlantic cover story titled 'Those We Sent Away', where she uncovers her family secret of her mother's younger sister being sent away to a mental institution as a child. The story delves into the feelings of shame, silence, and the impact it had on Jennifer's mother. It unravels the complexity of family secrets and the deep human emotions they evoke.
The Impact of Trauma and Silence
Drawing from personal experiences, Jennifer Senior shares her journey of discovering her family secret. She reflects on how her mother, in response to trauma, engaged in perfectionism and control as a coping mechanism. The episode explores the profound impact that trauma and silence can have on individuals and families, shaping their behaviors, fears, and relationships. It highlights the crucial role of understanding and compassion when dealing with the complexities of family dynamics and acknowledging the traumas individuals have lived through.
Finding Connections and Uncertainties
The episode explores the concept of connections within families and the curiosity around the unknowns. It poses questions about the unthought known, the hidden truths that we may subconsciously know but struggle to consciously acknowledge. The story delves into the unpredictable nature of memory and the ways in which our understanding of family narratives and personal histories can shift and change over time. It emphasizes the power of uncovering hidden stories and the impact they can have on personal growth and relationships.
In this bonus episode, Dani sits down with Pulitzer Prize Winning Writer Jennifer Senior about her latest cover story in The Atlantic - ‘Those We Sent Away’ - which explores her own family secret.