Dec 5, 2022
In this week’s Safe Home Podcast, Beth talks with Doris Blumenthal, an adopted person who lives in Northern California. Her adoption story is one of the adoptee narratives in the documentary Reckoning with the Primal Wound, which you’ve probably heard me talking about before. The filmmaker Rebecca Autumn Sansom was on this podcast in Episode 30. If you haven’t seen Reckoning with the Primal Wound yet, I highly recommend it, and I also want to let you know that this episode contains spoilers.
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RESOURCES:
Resources mentioned in this episode:
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TIME STAMPS:
2:00 Doris’ adoption story, crossing paths with birth mother in the early days
6:40 The overwhelming need to know one’s biological roots
9:16 Doris’ adoptive parents’ attitude about adoption
11:54 The mysterious photograph and the broken relationship with Doris’ bio brother
13:35 Complex emotions with Doris’ paternal sisters
14:36 Starting the pre-internet search process
18:50 First attempt at finding birth mother
20:15 How DNA searches help
21:11 A common problem for adopted people: lack of health history
21:56 Minnesota sisters and other maternal relatives
22:54 How Arizona’s open records laws enabled Doris to find her birth mother
25:05 Finding Doris’ birth mother’s home - and SPOILER ALERT if you haven’t seen the Reckoning film yet
28:00 Doris’ brother’s attitude toward Doris, privacy v. right to know
31:35 Another amazing coincidence
33:40 More details about the reunion day
38:45 Did she find the mysterious photograph or any other mementos?
40:35 How Doris handles her complicated grief
43:45 Most adopted people have a deep desire to meet their natural parents
45:05 Doris’ dream of ideal records for adopted people
47:33 Backlash from sharing her story in the Reckoning with the Primal Wound documentary
51:34 Doris’ advice for adopted people who are contemplating reunion, and book recommendation
53:30 Doris’ book recommendation - The Primal Wound by Nancy Verrier
56:37 Doris’ advice for adoptive parents regarding reunion
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