YOU-KNOW-WHO: An Alienated Daughter’s Memoir with Dana Laquidara

Inside the Mind of an Alienated Child: Dana Laquidara’s Story of Parental Alienation 

Parental alienation is a highly destructive form of undue influence where one parent systematically manipulates a child to reject the other parent. This damaging form of child psychological abuse disrupts family dynamics and can leave lasting emotional scars on the child, potentially impacting their development, mental health, and future relationships. Often, children are not only alienated from their mother or father but the entire side of the family, traumatizing all who are related. The BITE Model of Authoritarian Control can be used to analyze any case. 

Over the last 47 years that I have spent working with former cult members, I have seen first-hand how destructive groups like the Moonies, Scientology, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Mormons, and others manipulate parental bonds to exert control. If a parent decides to leave the group, the remaining parent is often instructed to instill fear, anger, and disgust in their children towards the departing parent. This insidious form of alienation is widespread in cults, but it’s also a global issue impacting millions of children and parents, typically following marriage breakdowns. I have previously done multiple blogs on parental alienation with experts, including Dr. Amy Baker and Dr. Nick Child.